Since the pandemic broke out in the country in early 2020, Vietnam has reported over 11.55 million cases, of whom nearly 10.62 million were given the all-clear, and 43,188 people died of the disease.
To date, the country has administered approximately 266.2 million doses of vaccines against COVID-19.
Statistics of the Ministry of Health showed the number of new COVID-19 cases has been increasing again, and two deaths have also been recorded after nearly four months, including a patient with underlying diseases who was not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Authorities have requested localities accelerate vaccination for people of high-risk groups.
Prof. Phan Trong Lan, Director of the Ministry of Health's Department of Preventive Medicine, said that the implementation of COVID-19 prevention measures – masking and disinfecting – should be done regularly and continuously during the upcoming holidays of Hung Kings Commemoration Day, National Reunification and May Day from April 29 to May 3, amid a rise in infections in the country.
Lan suggested localities need to increase pandemic surveillance during the holidays. After a few years of travel restrictions caused by the pandemic, demand for travel is expected to be high, which results in elevated risks of disease spreading.
Furthermore, the local health sector must continue coordinating with the education authorities to ensure pandemic prevention in schools, as many will start final exams after the holidays.
Lan also suggested that the Pasteur Institutes and the regional branches of the Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology work with the provinces and cities to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation of hospitalised and severe cases, which will provide data to inform the public about the outbreak situation and urge further vaccinations.
At the same time, the institutes will need to step up sampling and genetic sequencing of case samples to keep a close watch on variants of coronavirus circulating in the community.
Localities need to manage non-communicable diseases in the community and medical facilities to reduce pressure when dealing with people with underlying medical conditions that have COVID-19.
Provinces and cities should promptly update local pandemic assessment levels to take appropriate measures to prevent and control serious outbreaks.
