According to epidemiologists, this outbreak could have started in early July and gone through four infectious cycles before being detected. COVID-19 cases in Da Nang are carrying a new strain of the virus, which penetrated from the outside but with the F0 patient still to be found.
Da Nang and Quang Nam are considered the epidemic centres while more than 10 other localities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Duong, Quang Tri, Quang Ngai and others have also recorded several cases.
Many cases were found to have complicated travel and contact schedules, causing a high risk of infection among the community.
The Ministry of Health has sent the most elite forces to Da Nang and Quang Nam, so outbreaks have been zoned and are gradually being handled to limit the spread.
However, the risk of disease transmission is very high in other localities. It is necessary to drastically and promptly implement epidemic prevention and control measures according to five principles: prevention, detection, isolation, zoning and suppression of outbreaks.
It is also advisable to proactively build a pandemic response scenario and provide training for health workers while preparing medical equipment and biological products to timely detect, localize and handle outbreaks as well as receiving and treating coronavirus patients.
In particular, the traceability of people returning from Da Nang and people having had close contact with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 patients must be accelerated.
Besides professional solutions, localities should continue to promote propaganda works so that each citizen can raise their awareness of the disease and always uphold their vigilance without neglect.
At the recent meeting of the National Steering Committee for Prevention and Control of the COVID-19 pandemic, the committee assessed that the occurrence of a cluster of cases in Hai Duong was due to the negligence of the community.
After the outbreak in Da Nang, many warnings were given by specialised agencies, but both customers and waiters at a busy restaurant in Hai Duong did not take preventative measures as instructed, leading to the quarantine of the city and suspension of many activities for 14 days, even up to 28 days in some places.
Notably, some hospitals have not strictly followed instructions on screening, diversion, and isolation of patients and failed to detect a few suspected COVID-19 cases.
Therefore, more than ever, medical examination and treatment facilities should urgently draw from experience and strictly implement the screening, diversion, isolation, taking test and management of suspected coronavirus cases and not let suspected patients move freely.
Medical facilities also need to adhere to the set of criteria on safe hospitals in the prevention and fight against the COVID-19 pandemic to avoid the danger of being isolated and allowing the spread of the coronavirus to the community.
The COVID-19 pandemic is forecast to continue in the near future and break out in any locality in the country. Therefore, it is necessary to raise the level of vigilance in the community while authorities at all levels should not be subjective but instead shift into a state of stronger response while tightening disease control measures.
It is important to raise the responsibilities of heads of relevant agencies at all levels in epidemic prevention and control while strictly punishing people violating the regulations on disease prevention and control. This is not only the responsibility of each person to themselves and to their own family, but their responsibility towards the society and nation.
