Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam lifted the requirement for medical tests at border gates long ago and it is now in control of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, other countries are detecting complicated mutations and rising case numbers and hospitalisations.
The pandemic is now under control in Vietnam. The demand for travel has skyrocketed as the Lunar New Year, the longest and most important festive season of family reunion, is just around the corner. People have been advised on disease prevention so as to limit the spread of the pandemic.
Flexible disease prevention
China on January 8 officially lowered its COVID-19 management level, marking a cautious reopening of the country after three years. And this means the compulsory quarantine imposed to those entering China is no longer applied, and Chinese people will be free to go abroad.
Associate Professor Tran Dac Phu, former Director of the Preventive Medicine Department under the Ministry of Health, said the worst of the pandemic was over following China’s reopening although it may increase the number of infections.
Associate Professor Tran Dac Phu, former Director of the Preventive Medicine Department under the Ministry of Health. (Photo: VietnamPlus) So far, Vietnam has administered more than 265.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. The World Health Organization (WHO) has not announced the removal of the public health emergency of the COVID -19 pandemic, and many countries continue to monitor new variants.
“We need to closely monitor disease indices and keep in mind that there may be a need to reactivate the anti-pandemic system. The most important thing now is to accurately assess the disease risk,” Phu said.
Attention to preventive measures
Doctor Angela Pratt, chief representative of the WHO Vietnam, said the country has shifted to sustainable management of the pandemic and implemented the balance between socioeconomic development and the protection of people’s health and the medical system. The pandemic is still present in Vietnam, but there are no signs that the hospitals and medical services are overloaded with COVID-19 cases.
However, it is not over yet, and countries still face numerous risks.
In face of reality, the Ministry of Health has instructed relevant authorities to intensify the watch at border gates, medical establishments and in the community. The ministry has also requested researchers to intensify efforts in defining the available variants.
Vaccination against COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo: VietnamPlus) Phu warned that to limit the risk of outbreak and an increase in cases during the Lunar New Year, people should pay attention to preventive measures, namely wearing face masks in high-risk places, regularly disinfecting their hands, and refraining from contacting those with symptoms of the disease. Those with symptoms should also proactively take preventive measures for others, he said.
At present, vaccination remains an important measure in the COVID-19 fight, the medical sector should proactively and effectively build and implement scenarios and measures suitable to every development of the pandemic.
As for the Lunar New Year, WHO Vietnam is calling on people to raise their sense for health and safety, and to be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 pandemic./.
