Lao authorities urge people to get vaccinated
The Covid-19 vaccination campaign in Laos achieved good results last year, with at least 50 per cent of the population vaccinated. The government urges people in all at-risk groups to come forward and be vaccinated to minimize the impact on people’s health and the economy.
The Ministry of Health has instructed authorities to set up more vaccination centres at community dispensaries and in villages to provide easier access for local people.
“We made good progress last year under the National Deployment and Vaccination Plan. Large numbers of people in priority groups have been fully vaccinated, including children aged 12 and over, pregnant women, and essential workers such as school teachers,”, said Phonepaseuth Ounaphom, Director General of the Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion under the Lao Ministry of Health.
On Monday, Laos received a new shipment of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine via donation by the United States through the COVAX Facility. These will be used for adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, as well as other priority groups, including people 60 years and above, people with underlying health conditions, and pregnant women. This new shipment consists of 899,730 doses of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine and is the second of two total donations from the US to Lao PDR this month. The first shipment of 799,110 doses arrived in Lao PDR on 2 Jan. The combined total of both shipments this year is 1,698,840 doses.
This contribution from the United States will support Lao PDR’s efforts to vaccinate 80 percent of its population by the end of 2022 and will contribute to the COVAX Facility’s mission of ensuring global equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic.
On Tuesday Chinese ambassador to Laos Jiang Zaidong, handed over 1.5 million doses of vaccines to Lao. Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh, said the anti-epidemic work in Laos has made positive progress, as the country has exceeded the target of vaccinating 50 percent of its population and COVID-19 infections have reduced significantly. China has provided 8.9 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to Laos.
COVID-19, Health, Laos, Luang Prabang, News
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