First doses of the Covid-19 vaccine were administered to workers of Samsung Electronics Vietnam (SEV) in Bac Ninh province on June 1, part of the plan to vaccinate 15,000 workers there in three days.

Vaccinating Samsung Electronics Vietnam (SEV)'s workers in Bac Ninh on June 1. Photo: Anh Tuan

SEV has so far not been affected by Covid-19 though Bac Ninh is a hotspot behind its neighboring province of Bac Giang.

On the same day, the epicenter of Bac Giang also sped up the vaccination among workers in industrial parks following the government’s target to keep the operations of industrial parks smooth amid some initial damage caused to the two provinces.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son monitored the vaccination in Bac Giang, asking health workers to tighten control over the emergency. Those who are in charge of the vaccination in the two provinces are experienced doctors and nurses sent from different parts of the country.

Vietnam's Covid-19 cases. Source: MoH. Chart: Minh Vu

Regarding the infection, Vietnam confirmed 250 cases on June 1, lifting up the caseload to 7,503.

On the day, one more death was announced, totaling 48 in the country. The 78-year-old man suffered pneumonia caused by Covid-19, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, and hypovolemic shock.

As of June 1, Covid-19 has swept 37 out of 63 cities and provinces. The Mekong Delta is reporting initial cases that are mostly linked to the Christian group Revival Ekklesia Mission in Ho Chi Minh City.

Speaking at a meeting on June 1, Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said the Christian mission cluster remains the biggest and most complicated one, posing threat to industrial parks and other cities and provinces in Ho Chi Minh City. 

“It would cause chaos if the pandemic was not controlled in the city, where houses more than 1.6 million workers,” Long said when reminding the local authorities of Bac Giang case.

Bac Giang, about 50 km away from Hanoi, had to suspend four industrial parks on May 18 after the widespread transmission among workers.

The four industrial parks are home to roughly 500 companies and employ more than 136,000 workers. Apple’s assembler Luxshare and Foxconn are among those located in the area.