Quang Ninh inoculates children aged 12-17 hinh anh 1 Students at Van Lang High School in Ha Long City receive COVID-19 vaccine certificates. (Photo: VNA)
Quang Ninh (VNA) – A COVID-19 vaccination campaign targeting children aged between 12 and 17 has begun in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

It is estimated that the province has nearly 119,000 eligible for the inoculation which is being carried out in all localities.

The campaign is part of the province's efforts to realise the goal of reaching herd immunity.

As many as 3,600 health workers from hospitals, health centres, commune health stations have been mobilised to ensure the safety of the vaccination.

Under the inoculation campaign, which started on November 1, children are given shots of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at vaccination sites set up at secondary schools. Those with underlying health conditions will receive vaccination shots at local health care facilities.

Nguyen Trung Hung, a 12th-grade student at Hon Gai Senior High School said that at first, he felt nervous, but his worry was eased after he received screening health check and consultation from medical workers. Hung said he only felt a slight pain in the upper arm after the injection.

More than 1,500 students aged from 12 to 17 have registered for injection at a vaccination site at Hon Gai Senior High School located in Ha Long city’s Hong Hai ward. Of these, over 100 children with underlying diseases were transferred to the provincial General Hospital for vaccination.

Nguyen Thi Tuyet Hong, Vice Principal of Hon Gai Senior High School, said that to make parents and students feel secure about vaccination, teachers have contacted parents and talked about the benefits of vaccination against COVID-19 to receive their consent.

Ha Phuong Thao, a mother of a tenth grader, said her son felt comfortable because she and her husband had been vaccinated with two shots.

According to Nguyen Ngoc Son, vice chairman of Ha Long City People’s Committee, the city has over 28,000 children aged 12-17. Of these, more than 1,000 children will be vaccinated at hospitals.

As of 3pm on November 2, vaccination for children aged 16 to under 18 was basically safe. A few children with mild symptoms were monitored, treated promptly and went home.

Vaccination for children from 12 to 16 years old is scheduled to begin on November 3. It is expected that the vaccination will be completed on November 7.

By the end of October 31, nearly 974,000 people in Quang Ninh had been vaccinated, accounting for 96 percent of the population aged 18 and over, of which, the number of people who received two shots was more than 886,000 people or 91 percent. The province is striving to reach herd immunity against COVID-19 by the end of this year.

Quang Ninh is among the first localities to begin vaccination for children under 18 in the country.

Following the guidance for children vaccination issued on October 14, teenagers aged 16 and 17 will be the first to receive the shots, with Pfizer vaccine to be used for children.

After the 16-17 age group, 15-year-old children will be the next to be vaccinated./.
VNA