COVID-19 patients discharged from hospital in Vietnam on May 27 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – GAVI, an internationalorganisation that works to improve access to new and underused vaccines forchildren in the world's poorest countries, has published an article onits website gavi.org, highlighting the four ways Vietnam has managed to controlthe COVID-19 pandemic.
It said on May 25 that while the healthcare systems of some wealthiercountries have come close to collapsing under the strain of COVID-19, Vietnamwas quick to respond and remains in control.
With a population of over 97 million, Vietnam hasexperience in responding to outbreaks of other infectious diseases includingSARS, MERS, measles and dengue.
The article said in the case of the novel coronavirus,Vietnam relied on four relatively cost-effective solutions to combat the virus,including strategic testing, contact tracing through apps and effective publiccommunication campaigns. As well as these, it implemented the social distancingpolicy from April 1-22.
When the first reports of COVID-19 infections came outof China, Vietnam acted. Familiar with recent epidemics such as SARS and H5N1,it closely monitored border areas to prevent the spread of the new virus. WhenCOVID-19 was later detected, it quarantined communities where the infection wasdetected.
On January 11, after China reported the firstcoronavirus death, Vietnam implemented health checks at airports. All visitorshad their body temperatures measured, and those with a fever, cough, chest painor breathing difficulties were quarantined for testing. Confirmed cases, fellowpassengers and crew and all their contacts were quarantined for 14 days.
The country’s Health Ministry held a meeting with theWHO and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as early as 15January, weeks before many other countries even started strategising. Thesecombined efforts of quick action and effective testing helped slow the spreadof the virus in its earliest stages, the article stressed.
As the virus spread throughout the world, Vietnamenacted a mandatory 14-day quarantine for everyone arriving in the country andcancelled all foreign flights. People showing COVID-19 symptoms were closelymonitored in medical facilities, and their contacts were traced.
Using the Ministry of Health’s records of infected,suspected and exposed cases of COVID-19, extensive contact tracing was possiblethanks to the rapid mobilisation of health professionals, public securitypersonnel, the military, and civil servants.
Contact tracing was also successfully implemented withtechnology. A mobile app called NCOVI was developed by Vietnam’s Ministry ofInformation and Communications (MIC). This lets the public update their healthstatus daily. It also shares ‘hotspots’ of new cases and gives its user ‘bestpractices’ for staying healthy.
This was supported by an online reporting system,developed by the Health Ministry, to monitor suspected and confirmed cases ofCOVID-19. These combined efforts have ensured that new infections are reportedand subsequently quarantined.
Vietnam did not shy away from broadcasting theseriousness of COVID-19. It even made a pop music video that went viral.Supported by the state, this video uses a catchy song to communicate theimportance of handwashing. It is memorable, effective and has been enthusiasticallyshared with the rest of the world.
On March 19, Vietnam also launched a fundraisingcampaign to buy medical and protective equipment for people working closelywith COVID-19 patients. By April 5, more than 2.1 million donations had beensent via a text message platform.
Both of these public campaigns successfully raisedawareness about the coronavirus pandemic, suppressing its spread.
Some reports claim Vietnam only has zero COVID-19deaths because of insufficient testing being carried out. However, this is notthe case. Not only did the country buy 200,000 tests from the Republic of Korea,but it’s quickly developed its own successful test kits, according to thearticle.
The Vietnamese COVID-19 test kit was developed byscientists within a month. It is effective, affordable and fast, diagnosingsuspected COVID-19 infections in just an hour.
These four factors are a crucial part of Vietnam’sCOVID-19 success story. Time will tell if these measures continue to keep thenumber of people infected down, but it seems likely. Vietnam proves thatsometimes less is more, even during COVID-19, it said./.
VNA
