9,000 gather for Covid-19 jab in HCMC

People flocked to a vaccination station at Phu Tho Stadium in District 11 on Thursday afternoon.

Most of them are factory workers, public employees and civil defense force personnel.

Nguyen Hoang Chuong, who lives in Hoc Mon District, said: "Wearing a mask, still I feel insecure because it's too crowded. But if I leave now, I'm afraid I won't have the opportunity to get the jab again, because it is my workplace that has enlisted me for the vaccination.

"There should be careful and specific guidance for getting in line out here."

Inside the stadium, 46 tables are operated by 230 medics from nine different hospitals and clinics in town monitoring health conditions prior to and after vaccination, along with administering the shot.

It is expected the Phu Tho Stadium station would be run for three days starting Thursday.

People enter the vaccination area.

There are two medics per table. Not everyone in attendance qualified to be inoculated.

A factory worker with a face shield is injected with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The vaccination program at Phu Tho Stadium is part of a major inoculation campaign against Covid-19, the biggest in the city and nation's history, in which up to 836,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine are scheduled to be administered within seven days. These are part of the 966,320 doses provided by Japan last week.

Unlike outside the stadium, people must ensure social distancing inside the vaccination area.

The vaccinated are required to rest for 30 minutes.

A medic takes a break.

In the ongoing vaccination campaign, top priority has been given to workers in industrial parks, export processing and industrial zones, as well as police officers and military personnel.