COVID-19 combat shifts from ‘defence’ to ‘proactive offensive’

Hanoi (VNA) - Relevant authorities are shifting the anti-pandemic status from “defence” to “proactive offensive” but still harmoniously combining the two so as to achieve maximum effectiveness as ordered by the Prime Minister.

As of 6am on May 7, Vietnam logged 1,691 cases of COVID-19 community transmission, including 121 reported since April 27.

Twenty cases were confirmed in the hotbed in Ha Nam province, 26 in Vinh Phuc, 38 at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases No. 2 in Hanoi’s Dong Anh district, 12 in Bac Ninh, and nine in Hanoi. The remainders are in many other localities such as Da Nang, Quang Nam, Hung Yen, Thai Binh, Hai Duong, Dong Nai, Yen Bai, Lang Son, and Quang Ngai.

From ‘defence’ to ‘proactive offensive’

Facing more complicated developments of COVID-19, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired an urgent meeting on pandemic prevention and control in Hanoi on May 2.

The event aimed to continue reviewing recent efforts in pandemic prevention and control so as to clarify subjective reasons as well as the responsibilities of agencies, organisations, localities, and individuals who have lower their guard and neglected anti-pandemic regulations. Participants also discussed the next measures to focus on so as to contain the outbreak more effectively.

PM Chinh demanded all-level authorities and localities seriously comply with the order issued on April 30 by the President, especially readying all COVID-19 combat plans.

The Government leader held that decentralisation must be thoroughly carried out so that authorities at all levels and sectors can fully bring into play their capacity and advantages. Besides, leaders of each locality, agency, and unit must be held responsible for the implementation of anti-COVID-19 measures and settlement of consequences, while relevant authorities must increase supervision and examination.

He requested that the collectives and individuals with good performance should be rewarded in a timely manner while those who fail must be strictly handled. Given this, he told Da Nang city and Ha Nam and Yen Bai provinces to deal with collectives and individuals who let wrongdoings occur.

At the Government’s regular meeting held on May 5, amid new pandemic developments, the PM pointed out the need to have a new approach and a new viewpoint to serve as the basis for disease prevention and control.

He emphasised the shift from “defence” to “proactive offensive” in the status of the pandemic combat, but the two must be harmoniously combined to achieve maximum effectiveness.

In the time ahead, it is necessary to keep thoroughly grasping and seriously implement the instructions made by the President, the Permanent Member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, the PM, and the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, as well as the Government’s resolutions.

Flexibility and creativity must be exerted in dealing with situations in the reality, PM Chinh noted.

He also asked for stronger application of advanced technology, vaccine importation, and large-scale vaccine administration, especially for frontline forces and people at high risk of virus infection.

Measures increasingly perfected

Undergoing several waves of COVID-19 outbreaks, anti-pandemic measures have been increasingly completed and methodologically implemented. Apart from a right strategy and appropriate solutions, Vietnam has also taken drastic and synchronous actions to carry out those strategy and solutions once outbreaks happen.

The current pandemic situation has been predicted by the Government and the PM as the coronavirus is still ravaging in many neighbouring and regional countries. The Government and the PM have ordered all-level authorities and localities to stay ready at the highest level and gear up response plans for all circumstances.

At all the meetings with ministries and agencies, PM Chinh demanded high alert to be kept and anti-COVID-19 measures to be strongly applied. He assigned Permanent Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh to directly check the work in southwestern border provinces and Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s largest economic hub. Meanwhile, Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam, head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, asked ministries and sectors to gear up for the scenario of 30,000 patients.

Over the past month, the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat has issued an official dispatch while the Government has promulgated many documents ordering stronger efforts in the pandemic combat. The National Steering Committee had also told ministries, sectors, and localities to step up IT application in the fight, and encourage people to make health declarations via QR codes and use such software as the Vietnam Health Declaration, NCOVI, or Bluezone apps.

Staying alert to virus transmission, many provinces and cities have suspended non-essential services and temporarily shut down schools to ensure safety.

Experiences during the one and a half year of combating COVID-19 show that following outbreaks become even more difficult and complicated to handle, but the Vietnam has sufficient ground to believe that it can deal with the virus resurgence well and put it under control soon./.