Strict implementation of preventive measures important despite vaccination against COVID-19

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son, Head of the Special Task Force of the Ministry of Health in Bac Giang, said that his unit and local authorities have discussed and decided to focus on speeding up the vaccination of local workers, with the aim to complete 100,000 injections in within 10 days.

The Ministry of Health will, if necessary, send an additional 1,000 medical students from Bach Mai Medical College who have been trained to support Bac Giang, Son shared.

According to Dr. Pham Quang Thai, Head of the Northern Immunisation Office under the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, COVID-19 vaccination is a very important proactive preventive measure. However, those who have been vaccinated, especially those who have only received their first dose, still need to strictly follow other epidemic prevention and control measures, because the vaccine does not provide protection until at least 14 days after the first shot.

One month after the second injection, the vaccination will reach optimal protection. This effectiveness also only reaches from 60-90% depending on the type of vaccine.

On the afternoon of May 29, Bac Ninh Province’s authorities requested businesses in local industrial parks to continue strictly implementing epidemic prevention and control measures, provide temporary accommodation for workers in industrial parks during their isolation and participation in production to avoid the spread of the disease.

Bac Ninh in particular requires businesses to, based on the actual situation, maintain and allocate overtime reasonably to reduce at least 50% of the number of employees going to work in factories, while considering suspending unnecessary production lines to minimise the number of workers going to work.

Japanese-invested Tabuchi Company in Dai Dong - Hoan Son Industrial Park, Tien Du District, Bac Ninh Province, allow workers to work in social distancing conditions. (Photo: NDO/Thai Son)

On the same day, local authorities in the neighbouring province of Bac Giang allowed two enterprises in Van Trung and Dinh Tram Industrial Parks to resume operations with both production and safety against the epidemic ensured.

The general condition for resumption of production in Bac Giang’s enterprises is to only employ workers who have been confirmed by health authorities and local authorities that they are from areas with the pandemic is under control since May 9 and have provided two Realtime- PCR tests negative to COVID-19, of which the latter it to come one day before returning to work.

Facing the complicated development of a new infection chain in Ho Chi Minh City among a religious group associated with the “Hoi thanh truyen giao Phuc Hung” (Revival Ekklesia Mission), the Centre for Disease Control of Ho Chi Minh City recommends that those related to the group need to actively declare their health even if there are no signs of illness because the risk of infection associated with this mission is very high.

On May 29, Hai Duong Province's Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control said that the province would soon implement a plan for its third phase of COVID-19 vaccination, striving to complete the campaign by August 15, with 58,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

In the neighbouring province of Thai Binh, 215 disadvantaged households and families in quarantined and blockaded villages have received gifts, with each including necessities worth VND300,000, through a human market in the form of exchange for a free receipt. All funds are supported by the Vietnam Red Cross Society.

On May 29, Quang Ngai Province set up two more medical check points for people leaving or going through COVID-19 hit areas into Quang Ngai, increasing the total number of check points in the province to seven. The chairperson of the People's Committee of Quang Ngai Province also directed the application of a 21-day home isolation period for all people travelling from Ho Chi Minh City to Quang Ngai from 00:00 on May 30.

Medical staff carry out COVID-19 testing for local people in Ward 15, Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: NDO/Pham Ngon)

Quang Binh Province has allowed the relaxation of some restrictive measures to reopen sightseeing, tourism and entertainment activities to serve domestic customers from 0:00 on May 29. Some non-essential service businesses are allowed to reopen, but not for those at risk of spreading the epidemic such as cinemas, game centres, public internet shops, karaoke, massage parlours, bars, discos and golf courses.

On May 29, Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee issued an urgent document to stop all passenger vehicles from Ho Chi Minh City to Lam Dong from 0:00 on May 30 until new notification. From the afternoon of May 29, the interdisciplinary control posts for epidemic prevention and control at the gateway to Lam Dong were put into operation.

On the same day, Binh Thuan Province requested a temporarily halt in welcoming tourists from provinces and cities with complicated epidemic developments, including Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Bac Giang and Bac Ninh, from May 30 until further notice.

On May 29, the People's Committee of Ca Mau province issued a dispatch on strengthening measures to prevent and control the epidemic in the southernmost province, urging for well preparations to be ready for all situations and developments of the epidemic.

In order to promptly encourage collectives and individuals with achievements in the implementation of COVID-19 prevention and control task, Defence Minister Senior Lieutenant General Phan Van Giang has signed a decision on awarding certificates of merit to 43 collectives and 88 individuals for their outstanding achievements in performing their tasks.

Vietnam confirmed 56 new domestically-transmitted COVID-19 cases in the morning of May 30, according to the Ministry of Health.

Among those, 45 cases were detected in Bac Giang province, which is the country’s largest pandemic hotspot, nine in neighbouring Bac Ninh province, one in Long An and another in Hai Duong.

The new patients brought the total number of COVID-19 cases in Vietnam to 6,964, including 5,462 domestically-transmitted infections, of which 3,892 were found since the fourth wave of outbreaks hit the country on April 27.

An additional 54 patients have been given the all clear from coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, raising the total number of recoveries to 2,950, while the death toll related to the disease now stands at 47.

Among active patients undergoing treatment at medical establishments nationwide, 145 tested negative to the virus once, 66 twice and 70 thrice.