Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam's healthcare sector has actively and drastically directed the southwestern regionto strengthen measures to prevent COVID-19 amidst the complicated developments of the pandemic in regional countries and the world, said Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long.
In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), the minister held that Vietnamis facing a high risk of another COVID-19 outbreak from the outside, as withinthe past 24 hours, India reported over 340,000 new cases, while Cambodia confirmedmore than 600 cases and Laos also saw the highest-ever rise in the number of infections.
Long stressed the need for Vietnamese people to stay vigilant against the spread ofthe virus, while focusing on strictly implementing preventive measures with thehope of controlling the situation.
Recently, the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control andthe Health Ministry have warned of the risk of another outbreak in thecountry, advising people to take measures to prevent the pandemic from entering Vietnamfrom the outside, he said.
The minister said that a number scenarios have been built in case the pandemicoccurs in localities, especially in the southwest region.
Meanwhile, five working groups led by the minister and four deputy health ministershave worked with southwestern provinces to direct pandemic preventive measures, hesaid.
Stressingthat the most concerned risk is that new SARS-CoV-2 variantspenetrate into Vietnam from Cambodia without any signs, he said that theministry has asked the risky localities to pay special attention to thesituation.
Localitiesin the southwestern region and those along the border with Cambodia have been guidedto roll out preventive measures, especially the “5K message”, he said.
However,Long noted that controlling illegal entry into Vietnam through the seaborder is a great challenge, especially in Kien Giang province where quarantine facilitiesin its Ha Tien city is becoming overloaded.
Therefore,a temporary hospital has been set up in Ha Tien to be ready to treat COVID-19patients, he said.
Underliningthe responsibility of local leaders in pandemic prevention and control, the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat has directed Party Committeesat all levels to enhance their role in the work, he noted.
Regardingthe health sector's preparations for the upcoming prolonged LiberationDay (April 30) and May Day (May 1) holidays, Long said that along with advisingpeople to strictly implementing the 5K message, the ministry is speeding up COVID-19 vaccinations, while keeping a close watch on the implementation ofpreventive measures in each locality.
Atthe same time, tight control over entry activities has been carried out inborder localities to prevent illegal immigrants, which requires the strongcooperation of all people, he said./.
