To all members of the presNational Center for Global Health and Medicin
Bureau of International Health Cooperatio
March 11, 2022

Challenges in Vaccination, Testing, and Impoverishment
Faced by Foreign National“A Survey on the Impact of COVID-19” among 1,000 Vietnamese people living in Japa
Survey Results

Major challenges to testing and vaccination are reveale- Main reason for not getting tested is "concerns about the cost
- Vaccination rates vary by status of residenc- Growing impoverishment: 1 in 4 "cannot afford rent”

The Bureau of International Health Cooperation of the National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM)
aims to help foreign residents in Japan access necessary information, receive support, and reach institutions. Theorganization also conducts various activities through Migrants' Neighbor Network & Action (MINNA), together with
Our SDGs Task Force for Foreigners, Services for the Health in Asian and African Regions (SHARE), and theInstitute of Developing Economies (IDE-JETRO)MINNA has conducted a survey on the impact of COVID-19 on the Vietnamese community via the “TAIHEN”
Facebook page, which has high access by hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese people living in Japan. 929responses were collected and upon analysis, challenges related to information dissemination and the needs forsupport were identi ed
The summary of the results is described in the following.

Survey outlin
Survey title: Challenges in Vaccination, Testing, and Impoverishment Faced by Foreign National“A Survey of the Impact of COVID-19” on Approximately 1,000 Vietnamese Residents in Japan
Participants: 929 Vietnamese people living in Japa
Period: January 17 – 30, 202
Method: Anonymous survey via “TAIHEN,” a Facebook group for Vietnamese people living in Japan
Respondents Characteristics: [Gender] 47% women, 53% men; [Age] 80% are 20s, 17% are in 30sn.

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[Resident status] Technical interns (32%), international students (29%), technicians (13%), speci ed skilledworkers (9%)

The main reason for not getting tested is their "concerns about the cost
3 out of 10 symptomatic patients could not get teste
Twenty-seven percent of Vietnamese people said they had not been tested for COVID-19 even though they hadsymptoms. The two most common reasons given were, “it would cost too much” (58%), and “did not know where
they could get tested” (45%) (multiple choice). 64% of untested symptomatic people said that they "do not have aplace or person they can immediately go to when they get sick.
These results indicate that the Vietnamese community in Japan has not been able to reach appropriate information
sources, such as the national and local governments. There is lack of supporting environment in which they canseek advice. Failure to get tested can be a public health problem due to its inability for proper isolation

Vaccination coverage varies by the status of residenc
Only 21% of those with an expired status of residence were vaccinate
The vaccination rate of the COVID-19 vaccine among the respondents to this survey was high at 91%. However,differences were found in vaccination rates by the status of residence; 93% of international students and 96% oftechnical interns were vaccinated, compared to 40% for persons under provisional release, and 21% for those
whose status of residence had expired. Reasons for not getting vaccinated included are “fear of adverse reactions”(38%), “wanting to be vaccinated but not having time” (31%), “not knowing if they were eligible” (23%), and concern
about "trouble with the status of residence" (19%) (multiple choice)
Since vaccination coupons are only mailed to those who are listed in the Basic Resident Registry, some people
may not receive them depending on their status of residence. Without a vaccination coupon, people wishing to get
vaccinated will need to inquire the local government on their own and this is a major barrier for foreigners who do
not speak Japanese. In addition, the local government may not be able to adequately handle this kind of cases as
issuing vaccination coupons may differ depending on the status of residence.

Worsening impoverishmen
1 in 4 people “cannot afford rent
In this survey, 52% of respondents indicated that they are “having issues with housing”. Furthermore, when asked
about other dif culties, respondents said they “could not afford rent” (24% of all respondents), “could not affordtuition” (65% of international students), and “had less money to spend on food” (87% of all respondents)(multiplechoice). Thus, we found that many Vietnamese people are becoming impoverished. Forty-six percent of all
respondents answered that “they have no one they can consult immediately” if they become physically ill. A place
where people can consult regarding any daily life dif culties, including mental and physical health issues, isnecessary

Future implications seen from this survey
This survey revealed the reality that many Vietnamese people in Japan are in distress from the effects of COVID19. The possible reasons include the inability to receive necessary information about COVID-19, barriers inaccessing tests and vaccines, and there is an inadequate system in which people can seek advice on daily life
problems. With the further relaxation of border control measures for COVID-19, it will become even morenecessary to provide foreigners with proper information and support systems. Regarding the vaccination,foreigners is reportedly having a lower rate than that of Japanese people. WHO states that "the principle is toguarantee all migrants and refugees access to the COVID-19 vaccine regardless of their status of residence”*. The".

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COVID-19 pandemic is a public health crisis and as emphasized by multiple international organizations, “No one issafe until everyone is safe”. To end the pandemic and to keep everyone safe, measures against COVID-19 must be
promoted to ensure that no one, including foreigners, is left behind※World Health Organization. 2021 . COVID-19 immunization in refugees and migrants: principles and key
considerations: interim guidance, 31 August 2021. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/34479

About Migrants Information Network & ActioThe Migrants' Neighbor Network & Action (MINNA) aims to help foreigners living in Japan access the information,support, and systems they need. The organization is run by four organizations: 1. Our SDGs Task Force forForeigners, 2. Services for the Health in Asian and African Regions (SHARE), 3. Bureau of International HealthCooperation, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, and 4. Institute of Developing Economies (IDEJETRO).

Website of MINNA Health Project

About the Bureau of International Health Cooperation, NCG
The Bureau of International Health Cooperation, NCGM is Japan's leading international health cooperation
organization in the eld of healthcare. We provide assistance to improve medical care and health in low- andmiddle-income countries in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), the Ministry ofForeign Affairs, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the World Health Organization (WHO), andothers. Additionally, we are utilizing our experience in low and middle-income countries to conduct variousactivities, such as supporting foreign residents in Japan, dispatching human resources to local governments, andproviding healthcare support during disasters.

For enquiries from the press, please contact the following
National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM)
Public Relations and Information Division,
Bureau of International Health Cooperation
Hiroto Kon
Tel.: 03-3202-7181 (Main) Extension: 27443M.

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E-mail: koho@it.ncgm.go.jp