HCMC – The HCMC authorities have encouraged businesses in the city to make use of their relations to gain access to Covid-19 vaccine suppliers.
At a meeting on June 10 between the HCMC authorities and local enterprises, secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen said he had spoken on the phone with Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long this morning to discuss Covid-19 vaccine supply issues and the minister admitted it was hard to access sources of Covid-19 vaccine supplies, Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper reported.
Therefore, he suggested that enterprises in the city get involved and those with any information about sources of vaccine supplies can directly report it to the municipal government.
He also asked enterprises to strictly employ anti-virus measures and work out specific solutions to ensure safe operations while their employees are awaiting vaccination.
HCMC chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong said the city wanted to have all residents vaccinated against Covid-19 as vaccination was a decisive factor to curb the pandemic and ensure life could return to normal.
Phong affirmed that the city’s growth could not be separated from the development of enterprises. Since Covid-19 resurged in the country on April 27, the city has seen many chains of infection, with some of them having unknown sources, and has ordered social distancing in the entire city in line with the prime minister’s Directive 15 and imposed social distancing in Go Vap District and Thanh Loc Ward in District 12 in line with Directive 16, which is stricter than Directive 15.
The city has basically controlled the spread of the virus. However, the city’s economy and enterprises have been adversely affected, Phong noted.
All the business executives present at the meeting expressed their concern over their operations if Covid-19 spreads to their firms. They also proposed the city should work out plans to quickly vaccinate workers.
Many enterprises proposed seeking Covid-19 vaccine supplies on their own.
Tran Viet Anh, chairman of Nam Thai Son Company, said Covid-19 vaccinations should be prioritized for workers in industrial parks. Vietnam is part of many global supply chains so outbreaks in Bac Giang and Bac Ninh unnerve foreign investors and buyers.
Anh expected the city to give priority to enterprises with a large number of employees to access Covid-19 vaccines.
