Hanoi steps up vaccination amid rising Covid, dengue fever cases

Districts in Hanoi have stepped up vaccination efforts, given increasing cases of Covid-19 over the past days with the detection of Omicron subvariant BA.5.

Deputy director of the municipal Department of Health Vu Cao Cuong said between June 28 and July 4, the capital reported 1,538 cases, up 36.5% compared to the previous week.

He explained that the rise was due to people’s negligence, along with limitations in awareness. Notably, some Covid-19 patients have also been infected with dengue fever, which is at its peak time in Vietnam.

As of July 3, 99.9% of the local population aged over 18 got at least one shot of Covid-19 vaccines, 96.5% received the third dose, and 15.6% were given with the second booster (fourth dose).

For children aged from 5 to 12, only 20.07% have been administered with the first dose, director of the city Department of Health Tran Nhi Ha said, noting that inoculation for children needs the consensus of their families as well as the drastic engagement of agencies and the public.

Addressing a meeting on July 6, Deputy Secretary of Hanoi's Party Committee Nguyen Van Phong stressed the need to intensify the pandemic combat with the highest sense of responsibility, and speed up vaccination.

According to the Ministry of Health, a total 913 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Vietnam on July 6, bringing the national caseload to 10,751,227 since the pandemic broke out.

More than 234.28 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in Vietnam so far.

The health ministry has asked for more drastic measures to curb the spread of dengue fever, given the high number of new cases recorded recently.

It said from the beginning of this year to June 24, Vietnam had reported around 77,000 dengue fever cases, up more than 10,000 cases compared to the previous week, and 30 fatalities.