German journalist praises Vietnam’s efforts in fighting COVID-19

Vietnam’s clear and drastic measures in COVID-19-related quarantine and contact tracing have helped it overcome the third wave of outbreaks in less than two months, according to an article by German journalist Johannes Giesler, which was recently published on the news site Yahoo Nachrichten.

Malie Nguyen

Dieuhuong270198@gmail.com April 03, 2021 | 08:20

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A lockdown site in Hai Duong province, which endured the hardest of the third wave of COVID-19 outbreaks in Vietnam. Photo: VNA

The author noted Vietnam has to date recorded about 2,500 infections and 35 deaths. He said to attain these positive figures, Vietnam has implemented a zero COVID-19 strategy aiming to end the pandemic rather than just controlling it.

He said, to cut the number of infections, Vietnam has imposed strict restrictions for weeks without any exceptions. When local life comes back to normal, it is easier for contact tracing work to be done, he added.

According to the article, Vietnam’s success in repelling the second wave of outbreaks helped it to react more quickly and effectively to the third wave which began at the end of January.

Giesler also cited a study from the Oxford University that attributed Vietnam’s success to having a strong health sector, a decisive Government, and an active prevention strategy, which is based on large-scale COVID-19 testing and strict quarantine and contact tracing.

Photo: Nhan Dan

The article pointed out that the Vietnamese Governments can quickly pass anti-epidemic decisions in just a few days, while in other countries it can take weeks. Its initial measures, such as wearing a mask in public, adjusting social life, and restricting mobility were even in place before the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the nation. Not long after that, Vietnam closed schools, restricted entry from China and the Schengen region, and canceled a series of major events. Such early and drastic decisions were made when Vietnam recorded only five cases, it stressed.

In addition, Vietnamese people have been well aware of the importance of sanitary and epidemiological measures, while the country has the infrastructure available for bulk isolation. As of the end of last year, 10.2 million people in Vietnam had practiced quarantine, of which about 50 percent did it in public facilities.

According to the author, in Vietnam, there were hardly any debates about herd immunity, rallies where people did not wear masks and kept a minimal distance, or doubts about the effectiveness of vaccination or sanitary and epidemiological measures.

Vietnam launched its vaccination campaign on March 8. As of April 2, more than 51,000 Vietnamese had received their first Covid-19 vaccine shots.

The prioritized groups receiving the vaccine are medical workers directly treating Covid-19 patients, those involve in taking samples, testing, contact tracing, members of Covid-19 community groups, and members of the Steering Committees for disease prevention and control.

Vietnam saw three new imported COVID-cases in the evening of April 2, according to the Ministry of Health, which added that all the patients were sent to quarantine immediately upon arrival in Quang Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City and Tay Ninh.

As of 6 pm on April 2, the national count was 2,620, including 1,603 domestically transmitted cases, said the ministry.

The MoH’s Medical Service Administration reported that as many as 2,383 have been given the all-clear from the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 so far.

The death toll from the disease was still kept at 35, the administration said.

Among active patients undergoing treatment at medical establishments across the country, 38 tested negative for the virus once, 15 twice and 28 thrice.

To live safely with the pandemic, the MoH advised people to remain proactive in pandemic prevention and control by continuing to wear face masks when going out, disinfecting frequently, maintaining a safe distance, refraining from mass gatherings, and making medical declarations.

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Vietnam will utilize the first batch of 811,200 AstraZeneca vaccine doses supplied via Covax program on April 1 morning, Deputy PM stated.

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