Health Minister praises frontline Covid-19 responders

Vietnam’s health minister has celebrated the Lunar New Year’s Eve [Tet holiday] with frontline workers who are in the fight against Covid-19 across the country.

Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long at the Lunar New Year's Eve. Photo: Suckhoedoisong

Minister Nguyen Thanh Long spent end-of-year moments [February 11] at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi where they held online celebrations with health workers in 18 Covid-19 treatment places nationwide.

At the meeting, Long honored untold sacrifice of health professionals, staff, and students who voluntarily join the battle after the resurgence of SARS-CoV-2 in the northern province of Hai Duong in late January.

Long said their contributions on Tet holiday is valuable and countless as they risk their health and miss family reunion to take care of others.

The minister said many of frontline responders have worked away from home for three to six months while many others have joined all Covid-19 waves in Vietnam since the beginning of 2020.

He said that the fight against Covid-19 will last without the end and it requires the health sector to get prepared for all situations, even when people are vaccinated, the coverage remains modest.

Under the global vaccine-sharing scheme COVAX, Vietnam will get nearly 5 million doses of vaccines before the end of February. Another three million doses are scheduled for delivery in the second quarter to the country of nearly 100 million people.

Currently, Vietnam has 609 active cases out of 2,140 total infections. Nearly 130,000 people are under quarantine including those in hospitals, concentrated quarantine centers, and at home.

So far, Covid-19 has been recorded in 13 cities and provinces, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.