By Nguyễn Đặng Thiên An ’23
Staff Writer
Vietnam is launching a nationwide vaccination campaign for children aged 12-17 in Ho Chi Minh City, the epicenter of the fourth wave, according to Việt Nam News, a daily English-language newspaper based in Hanoi. The second doses will be administered between Nov. 22 and Nov. 28. After more than six months of school closure due to the Delta variant, the country aims to reopen schools, the Associated Press reported.
Vietnam successfully curbed three waves in 2019 and 2020, earning global media attention recognizing the public health success. Yet, in late April 2021, due to a new record number of COVID-19 cases, the Vietnamese government enforced restrictions on movement and subsequent lockdowns in many regions. Educational institutions and schools were closed in May, leaving 23 million students to rely on online learning during the 2021 academic year, according to ABC News. A strict lockdown in the commercial hub Ho Chi Minh city lasted from early July until early October. The lockdown was then enforced in the capital Hanoi on July 23, according to NPR.
Vietnam has purchased 20 million doses of Pfizer vaccines for around 8.1 million children aged 12 to 17 years old, Việt Nam News reported.
As of Nov. 15, 92.8 percent of children aged 12-17 in Ho Chi Minh City had received their first vaccine shot, according to VNExpress International. On Nov. 23, around 2,000 students from a local high school in Hanoi were the first to be fully inoculated.
Celia Tran ’24, whose hometown is Ho Chi Minh City, has a 17-year-old brother who is fully vaccinated. Tran commented on her brother’s vaccination experience, saying, “I did not worry at all, since 17 is somewhat considered an ‘adult’ to me in terms of biological body development,” she said. “He did not even catch any fever and that was a blessing.”
Because the vaccination plan is still being rolled out, his high school is continuing to conduct online learning. “According to my mom, my brother locked himself in his own room from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The only time he went out to the common space was just for lunch and dinner. He is grumpy every time the internet connection at home gets shaky so I guess online schooling is annoying,” Tran said.
Linh Nguyen ’22, a senior from Hanoi, shared that her 15-year-old brother has not yet received his first shot, as his vaccination is scheduled for early December. “Given that Pfizer has recently been approved for children ages 12 and older and their data shows that children typically had mild to moderate side effects, I’m not too worried about him getting the vaccine,” Nguyen said.
On Nov. 8, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training allowed students in Ba Vi district, a suburban area in Hanoi, to resume in-person learning, Việt Nam News reported.
Nguyen said, “A few strategies that Vietnamese education institutions can take into consideration include implement[ing] multiple SARS-CoV-2 mitigation such as hand hygiene, develop[ing] a curriculum that can accommodate students who are unable to come to class due to a need to isolate or quarantine and reduc[ing] seating capacity in the cafeteria and repurpos[ing] outdoor space for dining.”