Vietnam needs to tighten preventive medicine system

ABO/NDO – “In the context of highly contagious COVID-19 variants, there is no other way for countries to strengthentheir preventive medicine,” according to Nguyen Trong Khoa, deputy director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment under the Ministry of Health.
He noted that if preventative medicine fails, no treatment system will be able to handle the pandemic, even in countries with the most advanced healthcare systems such as the US, the UK, the Republic of Korea, and Japan. Therefore, Vietnam must strictly guard its border to prevent, detect, trace, and isolate infected cases appropriately.
80% of entries tested positive for SARS-CoV-2
Although Vietnam is effectively controlling the pandemic in the country, it should not be subjective, in order to protect the results so far achieved amid the pandemic.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long inspects the prevention and control of the pandemic in Kien Giang.

According to the Ministry of Health, during this outbreak, the biggest concern has been imported cases from the southwest border. Currently, 80% of entries to Vietnam are positive for SARS-CoV-2 while Vietnam is stilldiscovering illegal entries in recent days. If controlmeasures are not tightened, the risk of another outbreak will heighten.
“This is the most intense period ever. Firstly, because the new outbreak is so close to our border. Secondly, the control of entry by sea and land is not as easy as by air”, Khoa noted.
He added that the solutions Vietnam has put forth are accurate and Vietnam has always persisted with itsconsistent anti-pandemic strategy right since the beginning of the pandemic.
According to Tran Dac Phu, senior adviser to Vietnam’s public health emergency operations centre, if preventive medicine fails, combined with an increasing number of infected cases, medical treatment will no longer be able to handle the outbreak.
Therefore, Vietnamese localities neighbouring the southwest border need to consolidate their pandemic prevention system as early detection will prevent the risk of further spread into the community.
In addition, Khoa also said localities must have plans for treatment in case the pandemic breaks out once again, and every province needs to have a specific plan.

(Source: NDO)