The war on COVID-19 is still to come

 According to experts, COVID-19 is an unprecedented epidemic with rapid escalation. Within only four months, it has infected more than 1.5 million people across 212 countries and territories worldwide, claiming the lives of nearly 110,000 people.

From the early stage of the outbreak, the Vietnamese Government and health sector identified it as a dangerous pandemic which can seriously affect people’s health. Thus, a series of strong measures with one level higher than WHO recommendations have been taken to contain COVID-19 spread.

Never before have the Politburo, the Secretariat, the Government, and the Prime Minister put forward such drastic and synchronous measures on epidemic prevention and control, following the spirit of “fighting the pandemic is like fighting the enemy”. The entire political system and the whole people have been actively participating in the fight against COVID-19. As a result, Vietnam has managed the outbreak well and the country’s efforts have been highly appreciated by the international community.

However, it is just the beginning. Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, who is also Head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, warned that although we may have won the battle, the war is still ahead.

As the ongoing COVID-19 situation in the country and the world at large has seen complicated developments, it is necessary to stay focus on the proposed measures to win the war. Accordingly, Vietnam must be consistent with the five principals of epidemic prevention and control, which are: preventing the spread, detecting infections, quarantining infected and suspected cases, sealing off affected areas, and suppressing the outbreak.

At the same time, it must stick to the “FOUR on the spot” model to fight COVID-19 (timely prevention, isolation, treatment on the spot; required facilities on the spot; funding on the spot; and supportive human resources on the spot).

More than ever, functional ministries, sectors, the political system and people as a whole should not be subjective but instead devoted in containing the pandemic following the directions of the Politburo, the Secretariat, the Government, the Prime Minister, the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, and health sector.

Vietnam is entering the third phase of the COVID-19 fight with high risk of community spread. In addition to the close supervision and quarantine of those who return Vietnam from overseas, attention must be paid to the early detection of positive cases in the community.

When detecting a case in the community, it is necessary to immediately identify the area as a potential hotbed, thus functional agencies must take prompt actions to suppress the outbreak and identify the people who have had contact with the positive case.

Notably, a worker factory was recently tested positive for COVID-19, thus the management boards of industrial parks, factories and workshops need to strictly follow the Ministry of Health’s guidance to fight against COVID-19 in the workplace.

At the same time, they must strictly comply with the Prime Minister-approved Directive No. 16 / CT-TTg, which states that heads of the above-mentioned facilities are responsible for ensuring absolute safety and fully implementing the epidemic preventive measures; and for requesting that their employees fill health declaration forms, restrict travel, and maintain distance from each other. The directive also requests unnecessary activities, minimise crowded gatherings, and prevention of potential risks in the spread of the disease.

People across the country have made significant contribution to the success of the initial battles in the COVID-19 fight, even though their daily lives and economic benefits are being affected. However, in recent days when the number of COVID-19 cases has decreased, some people have been subjective and are not strictly complying with regulations on social distancing or the instructions of functional agencies.

As our country is in the "golden stage" of COVID-19 prevention and control, every citizen needs to raise his awareness, responsibility and obligations in proactively taking preventive measures to protect the health of themselves and of the whole community, including the practice of social distancing. Social distancing, wearing face masks, and washing hands properly are currently the most effective "vaccines" in preventing and fighting COVID-19 in the current period.

Source: NDO