Vietnam expects giant businesses to provide Covid-19 vaccination for workers

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More than one million people in Vietnam have received at least a first vaccine dose (Photo: AFP)

"The government is encouraging companies to find Covid-19 vaccines for their workers," Bui Hoang Mai, head of the industrial park management board in the northern province of Bac Ninh, where Samsung operates factories making its smartphones, said by phone.

Authorities in Bac Ninh have ordered factories to set up on-site sleeping arrangements for workers and put in place other procedures to enable operations to continue while containing the virus, Straits Times reported.

In nearby Bac Giang province, home to Apple Inc. and Samsung suppliers, officials are working to help factories reopen after they were shuttered during the closure of four industrial parks.

Given the large number of recent coronavirus patients are workers at industrial parks, health experts in the country have been calling upon various methods to keep workers safe in the pandemic.

Dr. Nguyen Huy Nga, former director of the Ministry of Health’s General Department of Preventive Medicine, said health workers were particularly vulnerable in the COVID-19 pandemic. Other than the risks of getting infected, health professionals face numerous adversities and challenges such as thirst, hunger, and exhaustion as they work long hours under scorching sun and heat.

To reduce the workload for health workers, Dr. Nga said that it was necessary to allocate staff to different shifts, particularly when they have to work outdoors in potentially contagious areas with adverse weather conditions. Health workers should avoid working non-stop. Instead, they should take time to rest properly between shifts.

Workers at the Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. maintained a safe distance while coming to the vaccination site. (Photo: Zing News)

People responsible for entering data/labeling the test tubes should sit down, while those collecting specimens normally have to stand. Dr. Khanh accordingly recommends that the specimen collectors switch shifts every hour.

The medical expert also suggested health workers to take good care of themselves and know what to do in case of adverse weather conditions. They should not take off their protective gears even if they are tired, as this may increase the risk of getting infected.

After the inoculation, workers were required to stay further 30 minutes for health monitoring (Photo: Zing)

Health workers are strongly recommended to drink enough water and increase intake of minerals and vitamins. In their daily diet, they should limit cholesterol intake, ensure they have enough protein, and eat a lot of vegetables.

In addition, all health workers should be trained on labor safety when working in hot weather and how to deal with heat stroke. People suffering from heat stroke should be taken to cool places, helped to take off protective gear, apply cool towels, and drink fluids. If their condition is serious, they should be taken to the hospital.

The health ministry has sent 200,000 vaccine doses each for Bac Ninh and Bac Giang workers to be administered within a week.

(Photo: Nguoi Lao Dong)

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In Photos: Workers in Bac Ninh, Bac Giang provinces receive Covid-19 vaccine Workers at industrial zones in Bac Ninh and Bac Giang provinces, Vietnam’s two current coronavirus hotspots have been received Covid-19 vaccine.

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