Politburo's advisory body proposes paid Covid vaccination

"The paid vaccination program should soon be implemented to protect workers' health and avoid supply chain disruptions," the commission, an advisory body to the Politburo, the main decision-making body of the Party, said in a proposal to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

It also called for prioritizing manufacturing workers to keep the economy going.

Nearly 22,000 workers in 49 of the country's 63 provinces and cities have been infected in the current wave.

Currently vaccination is free for all while people can donate to a national Covid vaccine fund.

Many industry trade groups have sought permission to buy vaccines from abroad for their workers to prevent disruptions to the supply chain.

The current outbreak, triggered by the highly contagious Delta variant, has prompted many businesses including foreign giants such as Nike's contract manufacturer, footwear maker Pou Chen and South Korea’s Changshin to close their factories.

The government is seeking to speed up vaccination of the country’s nearly 100 million people of whom 11 million have received the first dose and 1.2 million have got both doses.