Nguyễn Thị Khánh Huyền is assigned to work as part of a team taking samples for COVID-19 testing. — Photo zing.vn

THÁI NGUYÊN — Nguyễn Thị Khánh Huyền, a 20-year-old student at Thái Nguyên Medicine and Pharmacy University, left her hometown in Thái Nguyên Province in early June to support COVID-19 prevention and control work in Bắc Ninh Province. 

Her job was to take samples for testing and help in administering vaccines.

Huyền said, with the hot weather in June, she was often exhausted because of the long hours working in arduous conditions with full protective equipment.

Huyền did not think her work would last for two months when she signed up to volunteer in Bắc Ninh Province.

After the long holiday on April 30 to May 1, Bắc Giang and Bắc Ninh became new hotspots of the pandemic. 

At that time, Huyền thought a lot and decided to convince her parents to let her take part in pandemic prevention work in Bắc Ninh Province.

“I'm young and don't have much experience. I was worried that I would not be able to support everyone. Moreover, my family did not agree with the idea," Huyền told zing.vn. 

"A few days later, I decided to write an application to volunteer. As I am a medical student I want to become a health worker in the future and do similar tasks. My responsibility is to contribute to the fight against the pandemic."

At first, Huyền was worried because there was a high risk of infection. 

She said the anxiety subsided after attending a safety training course, as well as receiving guidance on the job.

After completing her work and returning home in early August, her school continued to call for students to register for pandemic prevention and control work in HCM City. 

But she could not take part because she was under quarantine after returning from an infected area. 

On August 20, Huyền again started volunteering in Đồng Nai Province.

In Đồng Nai, she was tasked with taking samples from people in high-risk areas. 

Huyền had to work harder because most of the medical staff, doctors and volunteers were sent to support isolation areas.

“One day, I worked from 7am to 1pm, taking samples from about 500 people in hot weather. After finishing the work, I had almost no energy left," Huyền said.

The work became more difficult and dangerous when the young girl was directly assigned to take care of, treat, and take samples at a treatment area for F0 cases.

During her work in Đồng Nai Province, Huyền was also F1 when one of the volunteer team members was infected.

"I was very worried and scared after knowing that I was F1, especially as there were only a few days left before I could go home after this volunteer trip," she said. 

"I didn't tell my family because I didn't want them to worry about me. I tried to calm down. Teachers also comforted me to overcome this situation."

Huyền said after two times of working on the front line, she was happy and proud to contribute a small part to the fight against the pandemic. The medical student admitted that she has never thought she could do so many things.

She is the youngest out of 10 individuals who won the National Volunteer Award in 2021.

She is also a member of the school's voluntary blood donation mobilisation club.

Huyền has returned to school and actively participates in blood donation activities at the club and supports local vaccination work.

“Due to the complicated development of COVID-19, our club focuses on mobilising blood donations to supply urgent cases amid the pandemic," said Huyền. — VNS