PM works with localities on COVID-19 control measures during Tet holidays

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh addresses the event. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on January 27 held an online working session with leaders of the 63 provinces and cities to discuss tasks and solutions to prevent and control  the COVID-19, especially during the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) holidays, and preparations to reopen schools and the tourism sector.

Addressing the session, PM Chinh, who is head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, stressed the need to make plans to respond to possible problems in the COVID-19 control, thus ensuring a safe and healthy Tet festival for all people.

He ordered the speeding up of the vaccination campaign in 2022 Spring. The campaign targets the completion of COVID-19 vaccination among all children from 12-17 years old by the end of January, and all adults are also expected to receive full three shots by the end of the first quarter of the year. Further research and preparations will be made to vaccinate the children from 5-11 years old.

COVID-19 vaccination (Photo: VNA)

According to the national steering committee, as of January 26, Vietnam had recorded over 2.1 million COVID-19 cases, including 1.9 million recoveries. So far, 166 infections of Omicron variant have been reported, including six in the community. The fatality declined from 1.4 percent in December 2021 to 1.1 percent in January 2022.

It affirmed that so far, the pandemic has been put under good control across the nation, with all the localities switching to the situation of safely and flexibly adapting to and effectively controlling COVID-19. However, the risk of Omicron spreading is still high.

The committee warned of a higher case number in the Tet holidays and festive season in 2022, asking all localities to seek timely and suitable solutions to respond to the developments of the pandemic./.

VNA