The Ministry of Health believed the COVID-19 situation is still unpredictable due to the risk of more new dangerous virus variants, and countries must continue working to strengthen their surveillance systems.
Vietnam is likely to face great challenges if it announces the state is COVID-19-free because the people will be less vigilant to the pandemic in the face of more dangerous variants of SARS-CoV-2, according to Prof. Phan Trong Lan, Director of the Health Ministry's Department of Preventive Medicine.
Vietnam is expected to receive over 100,000 doses of rotavirus vaccine next year for pilot use before making them available in its expanded programme on immunisation (EPI) that offers free vaccination to under-1 children.
The national COVID-19 caseload rose to 11,492,598 with 325 new cases recorded on October 16, the lowest daily count for six months, according to the Ministry of Health.