Prime Minister (PM) Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Wednesday morning chaired a nationwide teleconference to review COVID-19 prevention and control performances in the total 63 Vietnamese cities and provinces over the past times, and discuss more effective solutions for successful coronavirus containment across the country in the coming time.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc addressing the Wednesday nationwide teleconference to review COVID-19 prevention and control performances in the total 63 Vietnamese localities over the past times

Da Nang People's Committee Chairman Le Trung Chinh and representatives from the municipal authorities also attended the event.

Addressing the event, PM Phuc underlined a must-do for the public across Viet Nam to be more proactive in the new normal by ensuring good practices of COVID-19 prevention and control measures in tandem with boosting economic development in their localities. Staying safe from the coronavirus resurgence is viewed as the basis for socio-economic progress.

He demanded that nationwide relevant agencies tighten the public compliance with mandatory safety measures against COVID-19 at organisations and businesses, especially crowded places. Strict penalties will be imposed on any violations of Viet Nam's national government-mandated pandemic prevention and control regulations.

According to a report presented by the Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long, as of 6.00pm on 16 March, Viet Nam had recorded 2,560 COVID-19 cases, about 60% of total cases were transmitted locally.

Minister Long also said, in the coming time, the containment of the pandemic will depend largely on the development and rollout of vaccines. However, the supply of imported vaccines currently remains limited. 

Viet Nam's first domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine, called Nanocovax, is expected to be available by the fourth quarter of this year and put into use in 2022.

Four Vietnamese companies were engaged in vaccine research and production, and two were undertaking human tests including on Nanocovax and the Covivac vaccine. About 1.3 million AstraZeneca doses will arrive in Viet Nam by the end of March and they will be distributed across the country.

Viet Nam is also in talks to buy vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and the maker of Russia's Sputnik V, the minister said, adding that it may reach a deal to secure 30 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine this year.

Since Viet Nam starts nationwide vaccinations against the coronavirus on 8 March, more than 20,000 people have been inoculated, according to the National Expanded Programme on Immunisation.

In the immediate future, it is necessary to maintain the public practice of the Health Ministry-mandated 5K (in Vietnamese) motto: namely ‘Khau trang’ (Face mask) – ‘Khu khuan’ (Disinfection) – ‘Khoang cach’ ‘Distance’ - ‘Khong tu tap’ (No gatherings) – ‘Khai bao y te’ (Health Declaration) in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus. “These are simple, economical and effective measures for COVID-19 prevention and control at present”, said Minister Long.

Da Nang People's Committee Chairman Le Trung Chinh making reports at the Wednesday teleconference on Da Nang’s COVID-19 prevention and control over recent times

Speaking at the event, Da Nang People's Committee Chairman Le Trung Chinh affirmed that the city will continue to put in place COVID-19 prevention and control measures.

Heed will be paid to proactively and regularly making updates on the latest developments of the pandemic and blockaded areas nationwide, and urging other relevant local medical units to take preventive measures and apply appropriate medical interventions to eliminate the risk of coronavirus infection. 

Da Nang has carried out its first COVID-19 vaccination campaign with AstraZeneca shots prioritised for medical workers who are now participating in coronavirus prevention tasks at the Lung Hospital, the only medical facility in the city where COVID-19 imported cases are being treated.

The inoculation was within the framework of the Vietnamese Health Ministry's COVID-19 vaccination drive.

Da Nang respectfully suggested the national government and the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control continue to facilitate Da Nang to access more vaccine supplies so that it can expand vaccination against COVID-19 for other priority groups across the city under the direction of the national government as soon as possible.

By PHAN CHUNG- Translated by A.T