Hanoi commits to putting the Covid-19 pandemic under control

Hanoi sets a goal of bringing the Covid-19 pandemic under a good control and continuing to administer more doses of the coronavirus vaccination to all of its citizens, according to the Hanoi Center for Disease Control (CDC).

Khong Minh Tuan, deputy director of the Hanoi CDC, said on April 17 that figures revealed that the number of cases had grown by almost four times compared to the previous week.

"The Covid-19 pandemic evolution is still erratic; the novel coronavirus is constantly evolving into new variations that could lead to an increase in infection rates. The weather in Hanoi right now is conducive to the virus's evolution, according to Tuan.

"Hanoi has taken strong measures to reduce the infection. In the coming period, the city's health sector will continue to administer Covid-19 vaccination to children aged 5 to under 12 years and people aged 18 years and above who have been vaccinated under the guidance of the Ministry of Health (MoH)," Tuan added.

In addition to advising localities across the city to strengthen their "pandemic level" checks, he stressed the importance of regularly monitoring the data to have timely response measures.

A health worker prepares a Covid-19 vaccine shot in Hanoi. Photo: Hoang Quan/ The Hanoi Times

"According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the novel coronavirus is still present, and it is necessary to focus on protecting high-risk groups and frontline health workers and to avoid overburdening the health system," he said.

Tuan stressed that more efforts should be made to reduce the number of hospitalized patients, especially those with severe diseases.

The recent widespread vaccination campaign demonstrated the effectiveness of Hanoi's Covid-19 prevention and control measures. Although coronavirus vaccinations have limited potential to stop the spread of the variations, they can effectively stop severe symptoms, the official noted.

The elderly and people with underlying diseases, those who are immunocompromised, and pregnant women are prone to severe changes and at risk of death if infected with the virus, so it is necessary to get vaccinated against Covid-19 in time in accordance with the MOH's guidelines and recommendations, Tuan noted.

In addition, Hanoi's government has also asked localities to provide optimal conditions for locals to maintain their normal activities, ensuring social welfare and people's basic needs.

Localities have also been asked to guide people, businesses, and agencies to maintain safe operations in line with pandemic prevention and control regulations to avoid disrupting production chains.

The National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) under the Ministry of Health has recently issued an official letter to provincial and municipal health departments and disease control centers to intensify Covid-1 vaccination for all residents from April to June.

According to the document, the NIHE, which stores Covid-19 vaccines before distribution to localities, has allocated nearly 833,000 doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine with expiration dates of July 9 and July 11 to 63 provinces and cities nationwide to administer booster shots to people aged 18 and above.

A report from provinces/cities nationwide shows that more than 266 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been injected, of which 51.6 million people aged 18 and older have received the third dose or 81%.

However, the rate is not uniform across the country, and many localities still have booster coverage below 80%.

NIHE will provide professional support to localities and strengthen the management and coordination of the Covid-19 vaccine among provinces.

According to MoH statistics, Vietnam reported more than 3,300 new Covid-19 cases from April 10-16, the highest number in a week since the beginning of 2023. The country has not recorded any deaths in the first quarter.