Expats wait for their turn to be vaccinated against Covid-19 at the Phu My Hung Sale Gallery in Tan Phu Ward, District 7, HCMC, on August 5 - PHOTO: SGGP

HCMC - The committee for Covid-19 infection prevention and control of District 7, HCMC, on August 5, organized a Covid-19 vaccination drive for foreigners living in the Tan Phong and Tan Phu wards, which are home to a large number of aliens.

The drive was held at three venues---the Saigon South Marina Club in Tan Phong Ward and the Phu My Hung Sale Gallery and the Korean International School in Tan Phu Ward.

During the drives on August 5, more than 660 people aged between 18 and 70 got the Covid-19 vaccines. They were required to strictly comply with Covid-19 infection prevention and control measures and keep a safe physical distance from each other.

Kim Myung Wan, a 53-year-old Korean man, and his wife got vaccinated at the Saigon South Marina Club.

“My family has lived in District 7 for nearly 15 years. HCMC has been hit hard by the fourth wave of Covid-19 with a large number of infections, so we were very worried. When we were informed that we would get vaccinated, we were very happy. We will strictly comply with the anti-pandemic regulations of HCMC and the Vietnamese Government to help fight off the pandemic,” he said.

According to Tran Quang Quynh, chairman of the Tan Phu Ward, the ward is home to some 8,000 expats of 70 nationalities, mainly South Korean.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh, chairwoman of Tan Phong Ward, said there are nearly 7,000 expats living in the ward.

Vo Khac Thai, a leader of District 7, said the district plans to vaccinate some 17,800 people of 106 nationalities in the district with the Covid-19 vaccines of British-Swedish pharmaceutical AstraZeneca or American biotechnology company Moderna.

According to Thai, up to now, the district has given the Covid-19 vaccines to 84,300 people, meeting 47% of the target.