Society

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has signed an Official Letter on speeding up vaccinations and stepping up the implementation of Covid-19 prevention measures, asking the Ministry of Health to ensure sufficient vaccines and drugs are available and to continue to learn from international experience and consult with experts.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Western Pacific, Mr. Takeshi Kasai, Vietnam has contributed to supporting countries in regard to pandemic prevention and control and has made active contributions to WHO and the COVAX mechanism. Thanks to the success of its vaccine strategy, it has become among the six leading countries in vaccine coverage in the world. At the moment, 99.98 per cent of its population aged 18 years and over has received at least one dose of vaccine, while 93.6 per cent has had the full basic dose and 11.5 per cent has had the booster dose.

The Covid-19 pandemic had a major effect on the number of people going to work abroad. The total in 2021 stood at 45,058, or just 50.06 per cent of the assigned annual plan and 57.29 per cent of the number in 2020.

At an online conference on January 10 to begin tasks in 2022 for Vietnam Social Security (VSS), Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai asked it to perfect institutions, strategies, and planning in social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance. He also said that timely support programs are needed for employers and employees affected by Covid-19, and proposed amendments and supplements to appropriate policies.

Among the 35 million informal workers and farmers in Vietnam, the rate of those participating in voluntary social insurance schemes remains low, at 2.94 per cent in 2021. Major barriers in policies, and benefits being less than for compulsory social insurance, make many unwilling to participate.

Hanoi targets developing 8.4 million sq m of housing this year, of which 241,000 sq m will be social housing. Southern Binh Duong province is striving to develop 1 million housing units for workers and low-income earners in the 2021-2025 period, while Ho Chi Minh City has set a target of average per capita housing reaching 27 sq m by 2025. The supply of social housing will be improved in the future.