Gyeonggi-do Operates 'Vaccine Bus' Focused on Foreign Worker Dense Areas...Nation's First

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province is operating the nation's first "Mobile COVID-19 Vaccination Bus" (Vaccine Bus) that visits workplaces with a high concentration of foreigners to provide vaccinations.

On the 6th, Gyeonggi Province announced that it began operating the first Vaccine Bus at the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation Gyeonggi Regional Headquarters located in Danwon-gu, Ansan City.

The Vaccine Bus utilizes the same bus previously used for the mobile health checkup program for foreign workers and is staffed by four people: one doctor, two nurses, and one driver. The Vaccine Bus can administer about 100 vaccinations per day.

The province plans to operate the Vaccine Bus primarily at workplaces where lists of foreign workers have been secured.

Even undocumented foreigners can receive vaccinations on-site if their identity is verified with documents such as a certificate of employment issued by the employer, and a temporary management number is assigned.

In addition, family members of foreign workers, international students, and unvaccinated Korean nationals can also receive vaccinations if they wish.

The vaccines administered are Janssen for those aged 30 and above, and mRNA vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna for those aged 18 to 29, considering the vaccine supply situation and recipient conditions in each city and county.

Workers at small-scale workplaces participating in COVID-19 vaccination will receive additional support such as health checkups and case management through the "Gyeonggi Province Free Mobile Medical Service," which visits residents in medically underserved areas.

Accordingly, the province forms an on-site vaccination team consisting of two buses?one for vaccination and one for examination?comprising a "Vaccination Team (Gyeonggi Province)" and a "Support Team (city/county)" to tour factories, farms employing foreigners, and villages with high concentrations of foreigners within the province.

The Vaccination Team conducts preliminary examinations, vaccinations, and monitors adverse reactions, while the city/county Support Team assists with vaccine management, vaccination registration, schedule management, interpretation, and volunteer services.

From the 6th to the 8th, the Vaccine Bus will be piloted in the Ansan area, where the largest number of foreign workers reside, and during this period, demand surveys will be conducted by city and county to operate the bus until the end of October.

Ryu Young-cheol, Director of the Gyeonggi Province Health and Wellness Bureau, explained, "The operation of the Vaccine Bus is a measure in response to the low vaccination rate among undocumented foreigners." According to the province's own survey, the first-dose vaccination rate is 74.7% for registered foreigners (approximately 502,000 in Gyeonggi Province), similar to 75.0% for Korean nationals, but it is estimated to be 55.9% for undocumented foreigners (approximately 100,000 in Gyeonggi Province).

The province attributes the low vaccination rate among undocumented foreigners to concerns about crackdowns and penalties for illegal stay, lack of awareness about vaccination among workers and employers, and complicated vaccination procedures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.