The webinar attracts many overseas Vietnamese experts (Photo: organising board)
Hanoi (VNA) – A webinar was held online on August12 to gather ideas from overseas Vietnamese (OV) incontrolling COVID-19 in Ho Chi Minh City.
Opening the event, Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Hieu,head of the State Committee for OV Affairs highlighted the contributions of OVs to the pandemic fight Vietnam.
Vietnamese around the world have donated about 35 billion VND (1.54 million USD) to COVID-19prevention and control activities and more than 13.8 billion VND to the nationalCOVID-19 Vaccine Fund, along with large quantities of medical supplies. They havealso shared experience in the work and registered to join frontline forces inthe fight, he noted.
The official expressed his hope that through the webinar, Vietnameseexperts abroad will share their experience in pandemic prevention and controland give their opinions on solutions to stamp out the pandemic in Vietnam,especially Ho Chi Minh City, the current largest COVID-19 hotspot in the country.
An overview of the event (Photo: qdnd.vn)
According to Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Council NguyenVan Dung, the city is facing challenges in ensuring the livelihood for localresidents and strengthening COVID-19 prevention and control measures amid thecomplicated and prolonged pandemic developments.
He said that the city needs more resources to care for local residents,especially affected labourers, stressing that HCM City highly value OV supportin COVID-19 prevention and control.
At the event, many experts shared experience and knowledgeas well as lessons in pandemic fight of many countries in the world.
Doctor Vu Ngoc Khue from the US highlighted thestrategy of setting up three layers in pandemic control – people in their residential areas,medical staff in hospitals, medical facilities and quarantine areas, and the armedforces.
Khue said four weeks are enough to end the spreading ofthe pandemic and clean up the environment, stressing the need for strict implementation ofsocial distancing measures, along with the mobilising of the whole economic,political and social system to support people in COVID-19 fight.
Meanwhile, Doctor Vo Toan Trung, an OV in France, said thatVietnam should focus on designing plans to respond to theextremely dangerous situation when the number of patients goes beyond thecapacity of the medical system.
He suggested that the medical force should be divided intothree groups to take turn in working to avoid overload.
Doctor Trung said that HCM City can isolate the entireindustrial parks to ensure production, while applying work-from-homefor all other sectors. Meanwhile, the city must receive priority in vaccine supply and the pace of vaccination should be sped up.
During the period of strict social distancing, efforts should be concentrated on vaccination and testing, which should be effective in controlling the pandemic, he said./.
