Expats receive COVID-19 vaccine in Xiamen

[Photo/Xiamen Daily]

More than 300 foreign professionals in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province recently received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University. 

The vaccination drive was organized by the city's bureau of science and technology, the administrative committee of the Xiamen Torch High-tech Zone and the Xiamen Service Center for Foreign Professionals.

Thanks to the cooperation between medical workers and Chinese and foreign volunteers, the vaccination drive took less than six hours to complete.

Foreigners have made significant contributions to the economic and social development of Xiamen, which is ranked among the most attractive Chinese cities for expats to work and start businesses.

After learning about the concerns foreigners had regarding the recent COVID-19 outbreak, the city's bureau of science and technology and the service center for foreign professionals swiftly issued related notices and opened a 24-hour hotline to reassure local foreign residents.

The service center for foreign professionals in Guanren community where many expats are living in also brought many foreign volunteers together to take part in the epidemic prevention and control work.

To provide convenient access to relevant information, the local government departments published a handbook titled Welcome to Xiamen, Guide for Expats in early July. The handbook, which has a special section on epidemic prevention and control, has been made available at public areas such as Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport.

Having learned that many expats have made their own arrangements to get vaccinated, the government departments decided to shoot a video to illustrate the procedures related to this matter. "We will also organize the inoculation drive for the second dose," said an official from the city's bureau of science and technology. The bureau and the service center are also planning to set up a sci-tech panel made up of foreign professionals to give full play to their roles in boosting Xiamen's industrial development and technological breakthroughs.