Australian newswire highlights Vietnam’s success in fighting COVID-19 resurgence
Sydney (VNA) – Europe could look to the
success of countries like Vietnam as the
continent is again in the grip of a COVID-19 resurgence, with outbreak
hot-spots in the United Kingdom, Spain and France each reporting thousands of
new daily cases, theconversation.com reported.
Europe’s second wave is worse than the first, according
to the Australian-headquartered media outlet. The level of infections are now
higher than in March and April across many countries, after restrictions were
significantly eased over summer. But now many areas are being forced to
re-introduce varying levels of restrictions, though most countries are
resisting nationwide lockdowns.
By contrast, several Southeast Asian countries are doing
exceptionally well, the newswire said. Over the past two weeks, Vietnam, Thailand and
Cambodia have reported around 0-5 daily new cases on average despite dense
populations.
In Vietnam, total number of cases is just over 1,100,
which is extremely low for a population of nearly 100 million.
It highlighted targeted testing as an effective tactic
used by Vietnamese health authorities, where they have focused on high-risk
individuals and on buildings and neighbourhoods where there have been confirmed
cases. Health authorities have also implemented extensive contact tracing, and
aimed to identify those at risk of exposure regardless of symptoms.
The country
also set up quarantine facilities for infected people and international
travellers, minimising spread inside households.
It noted that having experienced the SARS and avian flu
epidemics, many Asian countries took the threat of COVID-19 seriously right
from the beginning.
In addition, many countries implemented strict mask wearing
and physical distancing early. Targeted testing, education and the involvement
of the community are critical in responding to COVID-19./.