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A serious Covid-19 case in Cho Ray Hospital |
According to the Ministry of Health and some epidemiologists, there is currently a small wave of the Covid-19 epidemic in the country with many potential risks, people's negligent attitude towards the disease would fail in prevention tasks.
Though the World Health Organization (WHO) has just declared that Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency, as there is ample evidence that the pandemic has reduced risks to human health, it is imperative that each person must not throw caution to the wind and put ourselves and others at risk in the context that the number of Covid-19 cases is still high and the SARS-CoV-2 virus has evolved and developed mutations, causing new variants of the disease.
The Ministry of Health and some epidemiologists said there is currently a small wave of the Covid-19 epidemic in the country, with many potential risks; therefore, people must stay vigilant in practicing all protective behaviors that work.
Related healthcare establishments continue to closely monitor the epidemic situation and are conducting epidemiological assessments for official information and appropriate social measures for Covid-19 preparedness and response after the World Health Organization declared an end to the Covid global public health emergency.
Dr. Angela Pratt, WHO Representative in Vietnam, said that this is the time for Vietnam to look back on its overall response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but people should understand that this is not the time to let our guard down.
According to Assoc. Prof. Tran Dac Phu, Senior Advisor of the Center for Public Health Event Response under the Ministry of Health, Vietnam has lately recorded a rise in Covid-19 cases, but the situation is still under control. The virulence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been relatively stable although new variants have been causing no serious cases.
Furthermore, herd immunity and the rate of vaccination against the Covid-19 vaccine globally are increasing while hospitalization and mortality rates tend to decrease; the pandemic has no longer put a huge strain on the country’s health systems as before. These factors have contributed to a significant reduction in hospitalization and death rates due to the Covid-19 epidemic.
Sharing the same opinion, Dr. Truong Huu Khanh, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Infectious Diseases Association, said that along with four other Coronaviruses that cause the common cold, now SARS-CoV-2 becomes the fifth virus that causes colds in humans. Therefore, instead of spending too much money and human resources to fight the Covid-19 epidemic which should be considered as an infectious disease; the health sector should focus on protecting those who are at most risk.
Along with that, the health sector should disseminate information to raise people's awareness about preventative measures against the disease spread to others such as wearing a mask, and keeping a distance when infected with Covid-19", said Dr. Truong Huu Khanh.
On the third anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic, the virus is still spreading with 650 million infection cases and the death toll is 6.66 million people worldwide.
However, Dr. Phu said that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is still causing death and the risk of the emergence of new variants that increase cases and deaths. Therefore, it is required that Vietnam ought to have an appropriate response and conduct studies to announce the situation of the Covid-19 epidemic at the national level. The number of new Covid-19 cases in Vietnam is increasing again, leading to an increase in the number of hospitalizations and deaths.
In addition, Associate Professor Dr. Tran Dac Phu said that the Ministry of Health’s medical council should soon evaluate and consider whether to classify Covid-19 into the list of infectious diseases group B or remain in group A. last but not least, based on the risk assessment of each time, the Southeast Asian country should have the plan to control the Covid-19 epidemic in a sustainable and inexpensive way but must have enough resources to cope with the epidemic as well as control the epidemic for ensuring good medical care for everyone.
Many epidemiologists also believed that Vietnam should not immediately declare an end to the state of emergency of Covid-19 because the number of daily new cases is still quite high. The health sector should focus on promoting vaccination against Covid-19 and increasing protection for high-risk groups. Doctor Nguyen Trung Trung, Deputy Director of the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, people will have to adapt to living alongside Covid-19 by making some deliberate choices about how to coexist.
According to Assoc. Prof. Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the Department of Health of Ho Chi Minh City, although the state of emergency ends, WHO also assesses that the presence of Covid-19 will last for a long time, and there’s still a public health threat out; thus, there should have been a plan to prevent Covid-19 like other endemic diseases such as dengue fever, hand, foot and mouth. In the coming time, the health sector in Ho Chi Minh City will proactively plan to manage, control and prevent Covid-19 like other infectious diseases.
