Hundreds of residents in Go Vap and Binh Thanh Districts have been inoculated against Covid-19 in a historic vaccination campaign initiated by Ho Chi Minh City. 

Go Vap District residents gather at Hanh Thong Tay Kindergarten in Ward 11, a Covid-19 vaccination station operated by city health authorities.

Almost 100 such stations have gone up across HCMC in the nation's biggest vaccination campaign ever, with 836,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine administered in five to seven days starting last Saturday. These are part of the 966,320 doses provided by Japan last Wednesday.

Go Vap is currently hardest hit by Covid-19, with four stations opened across the locality.

More than 20 medics have been deployed to the Hanh Thong Tay Kindergarten station.

Nguyen Huu Hung, deputy director of the city's Health Department, said last Saturday the city would run 650 vaccination stations to inject 200,000 doses each day so it can utilize the entire 836,000 batch by June 27.

HCMC last Sunday overtook northern Bac Ninh Province with the second-highest number of local infections in the new wave. Its case count has reached 1,857 by Tuesday noon.

Following health declarations, screenings take place in a designated room. Only those in stable health would receive the jab.

Doctor Khuyen, from An Binh Hospital in District 5, said the team has prepared the best it could for the vaccination program in Go Vap District.

The vaccine used for the program is the AstraZeneca vaccine produced in Italy with a volume of 0.5 ml for one shot.

"I’m the only person in my family to get the shot first. The outbreak has become complicated and I’ve been very worried. Now that I got the chance to be vaccinated, I feel more secure and really hope the pandemic will end soon so everything could go back to normal," Duong Thi Loi, 61, a resident in Go Vap’s Ward 12, said.

More than 400 Go Vap residents had received their jab at the kindergarten station by 7 p.m. Monday.

The vaccinated must rest for at least 30 minutes before leaving.

People get vaccinated at a station in Binh Thanh District. Neighboring Go Vap, Binh Thanh also has four vaccination stations.

Hospital beds are set up at the district sports center station.

A sign guiding the vaccinated to a rest area at a vaccination station in Binh Thanh District.

HCMC is set to use 786,000 vaccines of the 836,000 doses for factory workers and residents of high-risk areas, and 50,000 for military personnel and police officers.