Vietnam started providing COVID-19 vaccinations to health workers in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and northern Hai Duong Province on Monday morning.

A decision signed by Deputy Minister of Health Truong Quoc Cuong on Saturday showed that the 117,600 COVID-19 vaccine doses that Vietnam currently has would be distributed to 13 provinces and cities, 21 hospitals and medical centers, as well as the Ministry of Public Security and Ministry of National Defense.

The process began on Monday morning at four locations in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hai Duong Province.

Ho Chi Minh City

The Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases was the first unit in southern Vietnam where vaccinations took place, with 900 doses allocated to it.

The vaccine shots were brought to the hospital by employees of the Vietnam Vaccine JSC – the vaccine importer – at around 7:10 am.

Preparations and examinations were completed at around 8:30 am, before the jabs were given to health workers at the hospital.

Female health workers were the first to receive the vaccination as the activity took place on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

Dr. Du Le Thanh Xuan, 28, who works at the institution's intensive care unit, was selected as the first person to get vaccinated.

Xuan and her colleague and fiancé – Dr. Nguyen Van Thanh – have had to repeatedly postpone their wedding to focus on COVID-19 prevention and control efforts.

“I feel nervous and surprised," Xuan stated.

"My contribution is still very little compared to my co-workers.”

Hai Duong

The Hai Duong Department of Health has selected the medical centers in Hai Duong City and Kim Thanh District as the two locations where COVID-19 vaccinations would take place on Monday.

The process will be carried out in the remaining 10 districts, cities, and towns on the following day.

Prioritized individuals include health workers in charge of treating COVID-19 patients and performing COVID-19 tests, employees at quarantine facilities, those working at COVID-19 checkpoints and in charge of epidemiological investigations, and police and military officers, among others.

Nguyen Dieu Thuy, 21, member of the Hai Duong Communist Youth Union, said she was very happy to be among the first people to get inoculated in the province, which is the country's coronavirus epicenter at the moment.

Thuy and other members of the youth union have been participating in COVID-19 prevention and control efforts since the province documented the first local infections in early February.

Hanoi

The COVID-19 vaccinations in Hanoi began at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Dong Anh District on Monday morning.

Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan, World Health Organization (WHO) representative to Vietnam Kidong Park, and representatives of international organizations were present to mark the beginning of the vaccinations.

A total of 100 health workers, most of whom are women, were scheduled to receive the vaccine doses on Monday, according to a representative of the hospital.

Pham Nguyen Quyen, a staff member of the infirmary, said she did not experience any abnormal side effects after receiving the shot.

After being monitored for 30 minutes, Quyen was able to get back to work.

The municipal Department of Health is expected to perform vaccinations on health workers of Thanh Nhan Hospital and 300 employees of the Hanoi Center for Disease Control on Tuesday.

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