During a Q&A session of the National Assembly on November 10, several deputies asked Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long about vaccinations for young children.

Minister Long said the Health Ministry and the Ministry of Education and Training had jointly discussed this issue. The two ministries recently held a conference to provide guidance on the issue to all provinces and cities.

“We suggest that local authorities not restrict children from going to school, especially primary pupils. Regarding anti-epidemic measures, we have told localities to ensure both safe learning and epidemic prevention," Long said.

The Health Minister said that vaccinations will be given to children 12 years old and older, so children aged 5 to 11 should not wait for the vaccine. "The risk at this age is not as high as that of older children, so the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education and Training also recommend localities to allow children to go to school, especially in areas at epidemic level 1 and 2,” Long said.

As for vaccines made with mRNA technology can affect reproductive health, National Assembly deputies asked the Health Minister to talk about this issue and present the scientific basis for the Ministry to implement mass vaccinations for children 12-17 years old.

The Health Minister said the decision to give vaccinations for children was made after the Ministry studied and discussed this with the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and scientists. It is also based on guidance of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on giving the mRNA vaccine for children of 12 years and older. This vaccine has been administered in nearly 40 countries.

The only vaccine used for children in Vietnam is Pfizer-BioNTech. The vaccibe does not enter the human genome, and it helps the body produce antibodies against the virus's invasion into cells.

According to Minister Long, because there is no direct penetration of the vaccine into human DNA, the opinion that it can causes mutations and reproductive effects on children have been rejected by American agencies like the FDA and CDC, and Vietnam will continue to follow this.

He said that all vaccines licensed for use in Vietnam ensure safety and quality and conform to the world's standards.

Tran Thuong - Huong Quynh - Thu Hang

92 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered, booster shot to start at year-end

Vietnam will implement booster shots by the end of this year, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long told the National Assembly on Wednesday.