Covid 19 disease

Dr. Nguyen Hong Ha, vice president of the Vietnam Association for Infectious Diseases, says the country is on the verge of a new COVID-19 outbreak in the community similar to current outbreaks which are ravaging neighbouring countries, including Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and the Philippines.

The risk of local transmission occurring is considered to be very high as an increasing number of Vietnamese people residing in neighbouring countries, especially Cambodia, are seeking to cross the border and enter the nation for safety reasons, according to Ha.

Whilst the country has been able to effectively control the virus without any new cases detected within the community over the past few weeks, many Vietnamese citizens consider it to be a good choice to return to the homeland in order to escape the threat of COVID-19 in other places.

Given this context, Ha believes the fight against COVID-19 should be raised to a new level, including boosting the epidemiological and testing capacity nationwide, especially in border localities, in order to nip any possible new outbreaks in the bud.

Concurring with this point of view, Dr. Tran Dac Phu, a senior advisor to the Ministry of Health, notes that prevention is always better than cure.

“It is rather safe if infection cases are detected early and placed into quarantine, or it is dangerous if a new outbreak occurs,” says the senior health expert.

According to Dr. Phu, Vietnam has acquired plenty of experience in bringing previous outbreaks under control, while its success story has been acknowledged internationally. Despite previous success, he warns that there is no room for complacency as the pandemic is evolving in an increasingly complex manner regionally and globally.

All localities and the healthcare sector must be put on standby in order to deal with the worst-case scenario, he suggests.

He also reminds localities to tighten control of quarantine facilities in order to avoid cross transmission.

The most effective measure, according to Phu, is to strictly follow the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 recommendations, including the 5K message in Vietnamese: namely khau trang (facemask), khu khuan (disinfection), khoang cach (distance), khong tu tap (no gathering), and khai bao y te (health declaration).

The man, 28, hailing from Dong Anh district, joined the Ha Nam patient in a wedding party in Ha Nam province on April 22.

The Ha Nam patient was confirmed on April 29 and the Hanoi man was taken for COVID-19 test together with those who had come into close contact with the patient.

The Hanoi Centre for Disease Control announced late on April 29 that the man had carried the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Preliminary epidemiological investigations show more than 30 people had direct or indirect contact with the newly-detected patient.

Relevant agencies set up checkpoints around the patient’s residential area and disinfected his house and neighbours’.

Hanoi is the third locality in Vietnam that has recorded a community case during the day. Alongside Hanoi, Ha Nam reported five cases and Ho Chi Minh City had one case.

Hanoi ups COVID-19 arlet to highest

During a meeting held earlier on the same day, Hanoi authorities decided to raise its COVID-19 alert to the highest level.

They requested local administrations to suspend events of large gatherings, including a V.League football clash between Hanoi FC and Saigon FC at Hang Day stadium.

Policemen were asked not to travel to their hometowns for family reunion during the four-day public holiday, starting on April 30.

Those who return to Hanoi from other localities were required to make health declaration with local health facilities.

The city also decided to temporarily suspend non-essential services such as U-sing along (karaoke), bar clubbing, Internet gaming and discotheque, starting from 0.00hrs on April 30.

Relevant agencies imposed a lockdown on Quan Nhan village of Dao Ly commune, Ly Nhan district, where a local man tested positive on April 28.

One day later, another four people who are the patient’s relatives were diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

All of them live in the same house, according to the Ha Nam Centre for Disease Control.

Local authorities have so far identified 32 people (F1) who had come into close contact with the patient, and 210 others (F2) who had indirectly contacted the patient.

F1 cases were transferred to concentrated quarantine facilities, while F2 cases were required to self-isolate at home.

Epidemiological investigations are underway, said a CDC Ha Nam representative.

The patient, a 28-year-old man returning from Japan, tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus after completing a 14-day quarantine period according to COVID-19 rules.

While staying in quarantine in Da Nang, the patient had tested negative three times, meeting the criteria for self-quarantining at home.

However, two days after leaving the Da Nang quarantine facility for home, the man showed virus-like symptoms such as a cough and a sore throat.

The Ha Nam Centre for Disease Control (CDC) took his nasal swab for testing, with the results coming back positive.

The CDC Ha Nam took another sample for testing and at the same time sent it to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology for confirmation.

In other developments:

• Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long travelled to Ha Nam province on April 29 to chair an urgent meeting with local healthcare services
• The Ministry of Health has issued an urgent telegram, looking for passengers flying together with the Ha Nam case from Japan to Da Nang on April 7.
• Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City reported an F1 case each closely ties to the Ha Nam case.