Foreign citizens living and working in Vietnam will be given favorable conditions for vaccination against COVID-19 when the country receives more vaccines, Le Thi Thu Hang, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asserted at a recent press conference.
Talking to the media at a regular press conference held online on June 24, Hang said that with a goal toward herd immunity to make life return to normal, Vietnam has inoculated more than 600 members of foreign diplomatic missions, and United Nations agencies in the country and their family members, Tuoi Tre Newspaper reported.
Related: Covid updates: How many cases, vaccinations and deaths recorded in Vietnam?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also coordinating with the Ministry of Health to arrange vaccination for more than 50 reporters and press assistants at foreign press agencies’ offices in Vietnam early this week, she added.
In the humanitarian spirit, the Vietnamese government always cares for and supports foreigners living, studying, and working in Vietnam so they can live normally and safely, and receive medical care and intensive treatment when necessary.
Hang stated that there is no discrimination between Vietnamese and foreigners during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
Foreign citizens will be vaccinated when Vietnam receives more vaccines, with the aim to create herd immunity to drive back the pandemic, she affirmed.
The spokesperson added that the foreign and health ministries have been studying amendments to immigration policy and medical measures for international arrivals in the country with a certificate of vaccination, which is also known as a ‘vaccine passport.’
The amendments include promoting mutual recognition of vaccine passports and reducing the isolation time and the number of COVID-19 tests for those who have been vaccinated against and tested negative for the coronavirus.
The two ministries have also studied a roadmap to allow more subjects to enter and exit Vietnam in accordance with the local pandemic situation, according to Hang.
Also read: Vaccinated tourists from this country would be the first to be allowed back into Vietnam
The Ministry of Health confirmed on Monday morning 97 new local COVID-19 cases, including 62 in Ho Chi Minh City, raising the national tally to 15,740 infections, with 6,319 recoveries and 76 deaths.
Since April 27, when the pandemic’s latest wave broke out in the country, it has documented 12,401 patients nationwide.
As of June 28th, Vietnam had administered 3,386,607 COVID-19 vaccine doses, with 157,136 people receiving two full doses, by Sunday, according to Tuoi Tre News.