Vietnam’s Ministry of Planning and Investment has coordinated with Bach Mai Hospital to organize a COVID-19 vaccination session for disabled and disadvantaged workers in Hanoi.

About 200 disabled and disadvantaged workers received COVID-19 vaccine jabs on Thursday morning, according to Dr. Dao Xuan Co, deputy director of Bach Mai Hospital.

“We have selected hospital staff with expertise in the field to administer the shots to the disabled workers,” said Dr. Co.

The vaccination drive for disabled workers was carried out in accordance with the government’s policy of prioritizing COVID-19 vaccine access for the poor and social policy beneficiaries.

“Amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are well aware that disabled workers are more vulnerable than ever,” said Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment.

“The vaccination priority is a driving force for them to overcome daily difficulties in the context of the pandemic."

Pham Viet Hoai, a representative of KymViet, a social enterprise employing people with disabilities for handicraft making, said that all of its 22 members participating in Thursday’s vaccination session were grateful for the priority.

“They were very eager to be vaccinated to stay safe against the COVID-19, and especially to continue working and creating useful products for life,” Hoai said.

Authorities have administered more than 5.5 million vaccine shots, including nearly 379,000 doses in Hanoi, since Vietnam rolled out inoculation on March 8.

About 546,400 people have been fully vaccinated, with more than 32,600 of them living in the capital city.

The Ministry of Health on Friday morning confirmed 4,987 domestic COVID-19 cases, taking the country’s tally to 133,405, with 31,780 recoveries, as recorded since early 2020.

Of the new cases, 63 transmissions were detected in Hanoi while 2,740 infections were logged in Ho Chi Minh City, which has recently led the country in daily new infections, with thousands of patients registered per day.

Since April 27, when the pandemic’s fourth wave appeared in Vietnam, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have accounted for 1,203 and 84,521 cases, respectively, in the country’s total of 129,622 domestic infections.

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