Vietnamese health workers exhausted battling with coronavirus in searing heat

作者: Lan Phong on 3 June , 2021.
类别: All, Asia, COVID-19, News, People
标签: Covid-19, health workers, Vietnam

A health worker takes a short break right on the floor in Bac Giang Province (Photo by Ba Doan).

By Phong Lan
Deputy Head of the World News Desk Dantri Online Newspaper

HANOI: Many health workers in a Vietnam’s virus epicentre have become exhausted after working long hours in protective suits under the severe hot summer weather.

Many areas in Vietnam are experiencing extremely hot days with temperatures rising up to over 40 degrees centigrade. This blazing hot weather does not seem to be able to prevent the quick spreading of coronavirus but just hit local health workers harder.

In the virus epicentre of northern Bac Giang Province, the temperatures are around 40 degrees and the outdoor temperatures can reach as high as 50 degrees. Despite the hot weather, the health workers have to work diligently outdoors, taking test samples in their protective suits.

Students from Vietnam Traditional University who volunteered to join in the Covid-19 fight in Bac Giang Province lie down on the ground to rest during their break (Phot Ba Doan)

Vice secretary of Nenh Town in Bac Giang Province, Nguyen Van Tuan told local media that they are rushing to conduct Covid-19 testing for hundreds of thousands of workers and local residents after a large has outbreak occurred in the area.

“Our health workers are having to collect thousands of samples a day by working round the clock,” he said. “The weather is really a big challenge now as they mostly work outdoors wearing heavy protective clothing for long hours.”

Many health workers have to work long hours in searing temperatures (Photo by Ba Doan)

The official said that many health workers have fallen ill or fainted during work due to being exhausted.

According to the health workers, each protective suit is precious right now so they do not want to waste them and rest with the suit on as much as they can. Many have seen their face and back covered with bruises due to wearing the suits.

A doctor gets bruises on his back due to wearing protective clothing for long hours (Photo by Ba Doan)

Vietnam is now struggling with the third and largest virus outbreak reported so far.

The Southeast Asian country has confirmed a total of 7,972 Covid-19 patients, including 4,876 locally-transmitted cases that were recorded since the new outbreak occurred in the country on April 27.