In recent days, many people have found it very hard to enter or leaving An Hai Bac and Nai Hien Dong wards in Son Tra District, Da Nang after the two wards moved into level 3 of the city’s four-tier coronavirus alert system at 6:00 am on November 14. They could not pass through COVID-19 checkpoints due to no proof of vaccination despite being fully vaccinated as a result of the delay in updating their vaccination records on the National Immunisation Management System.

A woman (first, left) is refused entry into the Tho Quang Fishing Wharf by a security guard due to no proof of vaccination. Photo: HOANG HIEP

We observed that two traders from An Hai Tay and Man Thai wards, along with two others from Nai Hien Dong Ward were refused entry into the Tho Quang Fishing Wharf at the midday on November 16 by the taskforce at the checkpoint on Van Don Route,  due to no proof of vaccination and failure to show a scan or screenshot of the QR code from their health declaration certificate.

Mr Huynh Van Phuong, the head of the Management Board of the Fishing Wharf said that in recent days, many traders, workers and fishermen from Nai Hien Dong and An Hai Bac wards have been refused entry into the venue due to the above-mentioned reasons. Hence, the Management Board of the Fishing Wharf has asked the Son Tra District authorities to issue temporary vaccination certificates for fully vaccinated people as their vaccination records have not yet updated on the National Immunisation Management System to reflect their vaccination for the purpose of facilitating their entry to the venue and their participation in fishing and related activities.

Many workers and employees residing in the two wards face the same problem as they have no proof of vaccination to show at the COVID-19 checkpoint to leave their places of residence for work.  

Mr Tran Van Ty, the Deputy Head of the Authority of the Da Nang Hi-Tech Park and Industrial Parks (IPs) remarked that more than 70% of the workers in Da Nang IPs have till date received the full two-dose course of a COVID-19 vaccine but there is a delay in updating to their vaccination records. Therefore, many workers in An Hai Bac and Nai Hien Dong wards are unable to pass through COVID-19 checkpoints to go to their workplace due to no proof of vaccination despite being fully vaccinated.

Mr Ty highlighted the need to speed up the update process to COVID-19 vaccination records for fully vaccinated people in order to facilitate their travel to their workplace.

Upon receipt of complaints from local residents, the authorities in Nai Hien Dong Ward have worked with the Son Tra District Medical Center to grant vaccination certificates for more than 4,500 people to use for travel.

Son Tra District People's Committee Vice Chairman Huynh Van Hung said that  the Son Tra District Medical Center was tasked to closely work with relevant units to quickly update vaccination records for fully vaccinated people, as well as issue vaccination certificates to them as soon as possible.

Reporting by HOANG HIEP – Translating by H.L