Abstract
China has just lifted its zero-Covid policy and made it more relaxed,
which suggests the end of zero-Covid globally. Vietnam is one of a few
countries that implemented zero-Covid at the very beginning, yet we
decided to abandon it much sooner. Consequently, a spike in cases
followed just after this opening. Healthcare workers (HCW)—the
frontliners—are the most harmed and vulnerable, both physically and
psychologically. HCW have been playing a vital role in a successful
response against multiple Covid-19 pandemics, and patient safety will
obviously be in jeopardy when the well-being of HCW is neglected.
Nevertheless, literature has reported the anticipated repercussions of
Covid-19 on HCW, especially on their mental health and well-being,
mostly due to the shortage of resources and equipment, intense work
hours, and lack of support for mental health. In this paper, we report
on the burden of Vietnamese HCW during the fourth wave of the pandemic,
raise awareness among both the community and the authorities, and also
deliver feasible solutions adapted from Vietnam. These insights can also
be learned by other countries and modified based on local circumstances
to help better deal with future outbreaks.