Ministry calls for everyone to accept Covid-19 vaccine

The authorities are urging everyone in Laos to have Covid-19 vaccinations when they are made available, in order to prevent the spread of the virus.
The second round of vaccinations is planned in April, when 150,000 medical workers around the country will be offered the vaccine.
Director General of the Department of Communicable Disease Control under the Ministry of Health, Dr Rattanaxay Phetsouvanh, warned people not to be convinced by rumours spread on social media and television about the harmful side effects of Covid-19 vaccines.

This could lead to numerous people not wanting to be vaccinated, he said.
The government hopes that at least 80 percent of the target group will have been vaccinated by the end of March but so far only 60 percent have been immunised. Some people are concerned about the effectiveness of the vaccine, Dr Rattanaxay said.
People in atrisk groups between the ages of 18 and 60 will be given priority in receiving vaccinations.
The vaccination drive is part of Covid-19 prevention and control plans which health authorities are going all out to implement in a bid to keep the virus in check.
Dr Rattanaxay said he believed the high quality of the vaccine would help protect health workers and public officials in the event of a further outbreak and urged everyone to have the vaccination. Laos’ development partners will provide vaccines through the UN-led Covax Facility.
It is anticipated that about 20 percent of the Lao population, or about 1.6 million people, will be vaccinated this year.
Vaccination coverage is expected to rise to 50 percent of the population by 2022 and 70 percent in 2023, with more people to be vaccinated in the following years, according to the National Taskforce Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.
Authorities are also considering acquiring Covid-19 vaccines produced in Germany, Japan and other countries after they have been approved by regulators.
In the meantime, medical staff and officials continue to face challenges in monitoring people at border crossings and providing assistance to returning workers who have lost jobs in other countries because of the pandemic.
The first vaccinations were given to volunteer medical staff at the end of last year.  The vaccine was developed by Sinopharm (China National Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd.), which were previously provided to Laos.

By Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth
(Latest Update March 23, 2021)