Dong Ha, Quang Tri (September 6, 2021) – According to a recent report of Quang Tri Department of Foreign Affairs, nearly 900 staff members working for humanitarian mine action operators in Quang Tri Province have been vaccinated for Covid-19 as of August 2021.
Starting in May 2021, in addition to application of strict measures for fighting the Covid-19 outbreak, Quang Tri Province’s Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control assigned the provincial Department of Health and other relevant agencies to make preparation for conducting vaccination campaigns for different prioritized groups.
On 20 July 2021, Quang Tri Department of Foreign Affairs requested the Province’s Committee for COVID-19 to approve a plan to conduct vaccination for national employees and foreign expats who work for foreign non-governmental organizations, (NGOs) including Quang Tri Mine Action Center, Project RENEW/Norwegian People’s Aid, PeaceTrees Vietnam, Mines Advisory Group, and Golden West Humanitarian Foundation. The request originated from the practical needs related to the nature of work that these mine action staff members do on a daily basis, including traveling back and forth in at-risks areas such as border zones and highly-populated areas.
Following the approval of Quang Tri Province’s Committee for COVID-19, Quang Tri Department of Foreign Affairs coordinated with the above mine action operators to make plans for vaccination of their corresponding registered staff members.
On 3 August 2021, the vaccination campaigns for the above mine action operators were launched at different district level health centers designated by the Department of Health. The following table provides an update on the number of the staff members and expats working for the above mine action operators receiving their first doses of Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca as of August 2021.
The following table provides an update on the number of the staff members and expats working for the above mine action operators receiving their first doses of Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca as of August 2021.
| No. | Organization | Number of staff registered for vaccination | Number of staff vaccinated |
| 1 | Quang Tri Mine Action Center | 19 | 19 |
| 2 | RENEW / Norwegian People’s Aid | 231 | 218 |
| 3 | PeaceTrees Vietnam | 136 | 131 |
| 4 | Mines Advisory Group | 517 | 469 |
| 5 | Golden West Humanitarian Foundation | 3 | 3 |
| Total | 906 | 840 |
“The prioritization of vaccination of the staff and expats at foreign non-governmental organizations indicates the strong commitment and support of Quang Tri provincial authorities toward humanitarian mine action,” said Mr. Nguyen Duc Quang, Deputy Director of Quang Tri Department of Foreign Affairs.
According to VnExpress, 55,900 people in Quang Tri Province have been vaccinated with a first dose, accounting for 13.1% of its total population.
