Although the vaccination schedule was set for February 21, but close to the vaccination date, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen (Thai Nguyen City) received a message from the vaccination facility announcing the postponement of the vaccination schedule for her child.
Accordingly, her child's vaccination schedule had to be postponed after April 30 because the vaccine was imported later than planned. Worried because the number of influenza cases in the community is still high, Ms. Huyen went to many other vaccination points.
When she arrived at a pharmacy in the area, she was informed that there was only one of the two types of medicine from the Netherlands or France. If she wanted to get vaccinated, she had to accept the "first come, choose first" situation, the price remained the same at 333,000 VND/dose.
Not wanting to wait too long, she decided to get her child vaccinated on February 20 to avoid further shortages of vaccines.
In a similar situation, Mr. Le Tien Thanh (Phu Binh District) said that on February 19, he went to a general clinic in Thai Nguyen City but was informed that the influenza vaccine was out of stock and it was not clear when there would be new products. Therefore, he continued to search for other establishments but all received similar answers.
Due to the sudden increase in demand in a short time, vaccines on the market are at risk of being scarce. Three of the four influenza vaccines in use in Vietnam are imported, the ordering process must be done about 6 months in advance to ensure enough quantity.
Although many facilities have stockpiled goods until April or May, due to the number of people coming for vaccination being many times higher than normal, the number of these vaccines is gradually depleted. Some places have run out of clean, others have only 1-2 types but are not enough to meet the needs for a long time.
Doctor Phung Thi Kim Ngan - Head of VNVC Thai Nguyen Vaccination Center said that this unit had to mobilize all employees to work at full capacity to meet the demand. On peak days, the center receives more than 800 visitors.
Currently, there are 4 types of influenza vaccines from the Netherlands, France, Korea and Vietnam on the market, helping to prevent four common strains of viruses. Pregnant women are advised to get vaccinated to protect both mother and baby.
According to the WHO, regular flu vaccination helps reduce the risk of hospitalization for influenza by up to 90%, reducing mortality by 70-80%, especially in people with underlying diseases and poor immunity.
After about 2-3 weeks of vaccination, the body will create enough antibodies, so people should proactively get vaccinated early to protect their health.
Previously, information from Thai Nguyen A Hospital and Thai Nguyen Central Hospital said that the number of influenza A cases in the first months of 2025 tended to increase, causing many patients to be hospitalized.
It is noteworthy that this year's influenza A not only affects high-risk groups but also appears in many age groups, including young people, some of whom have severe developments.
Doctors recommend that people keep their bodies warm, wear masks in crowded places, clean their throats, supplement nutrition and get vaccinated against influenza annually to effectively prevent diseases.
