Strengthened inspections to be carried out during Tet against COVID-19

The committee gathered on January 21 under the chair of Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam to discuss measures to safeguard the public health against the pandemic as Tet draws near.

Reports at the meeting showed that Vietnam still continues to see more new infections from entries to the country (quarantined immediately after their arrivals). So far, 1,544 cases have been reported, including 884 imported from abroad.

Facing the complex developments of the epidemic in the world and the region, the Ministry of Health recommended that it is necessary to continue strengthening prevention and control measures under the set strategy successfully used since the first outbreak – that is preventing, detecting, quarantining, localising, stamping out, and effective treatment.

Following the direction of the Steering Committee, the Ministry of Health has sent missions to inspect epidemic prevention work in localities and centralised isolation camps across the nation. As Tet approaches, greater efforts are needed to inspect the work nationwide, the committee urged.

It also requested localities seriously observe the guidelines set by the Ministry of Health at quarantine centres, saying any violations will be strictly handled.

The Ministries of Education and Training, Industry and Trade, and Transport were asked to report on COVID-19 prevention and control at schools, markets, supermarkets, commercial centres, and bus stations, and on public transport.

Experts at the meeting recommended the repatriation of overseas Vietnamese should be based on assessment of domestic quarantine capacity, especially given the appearance of new coronavirus variants.

Vietnamese citizens abroad should be encouraged to follow COVID-19 prevention and control regulations in their host countries, they said, stressing the need to ensure absolute safety on repatriation flights.

Regarding vaccine research, production, and distribution, the Ministry of Health will actively partner with other ministries and agencies to complete the relevant mechanisms and push ahead with vaccine trials.

Vaccine producers are making every effort to accelerate research towards clinical trials, with the first two vaccines – one developed by the Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC and the other by the Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals – having begun testing, making Vietnam one of 46 countries and territories around the world to have begun human trials of COVID-19 vaccines.