Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long speaks at the teleconference on COVID-19 prevention and control with localities nationwide on February 19 (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long has called on localities to identify scenarios to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chairing a teleconference on COVID-19 prevention and control with localities nationwide on February 19, Long, who is also permanent deputy head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, said the Politburo has advocated considering the fight against the pandemic a key and prioritised task in the first quarter of 2021 and a long-term mission.
The ongoing third COVID-19 outbreak is more complex due to the faster spread of a new variant from the UK. He called on northern Hai Duong province to continue its prevention and control measures while other localities must remain vigilant.
The committee and the Ministry of Health requested pandemic-hit localities to fully quarantine F1 cases to prevent community transmission while working closely with the army to manage quarantine facilities.
The minister also asked localities to prepare testing plans and increase testing capacity.
Long said the ministry has submitted a report on COVID-19 vaccines to the Politburo.
⛎ In compliance with the Prime Minister’s directions, the ministry actively negotiated with organisations and companies to quickly provide vaccines to Vietnamese people, he said./.
The health sector has identified three changes in the strategy for COVID-19 prevention and control, relating to the combination of samples for testing, home quarantine for children under five years of age, and the transportation of goods stuck in pandemic-hit areas.
Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long has ordered the northern province of Hai Duong – Vietnam’s recent hotspot of COVID-19 outbreaks – considering implementing the Prime Minister’s Decree 16/CT-TTg on a wider scale to avoid getting behind developments of the pandemic.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered the health sector to conduct all necessary measures to make COVID-19 vaccines available in Vietnam this month either through purchasing or from UN organisations.
No new COVID-19 cases were detected from 6pm on February 17 to 6am on February 18, keeping the national count at 2,329, including 1,430 community infections, reported the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.
Vietnam is expected to secure 60 million doses in 2021 as the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) initiative and AstraZeneca have committed 30 million doses each to the country, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said on February 19.
Vietnam now boasts a nationwide healthcare network with 1,665 hospitals, 384 of which are non-public, supported by local commune- and ward-level stations. At the end of 2024, hospital bed capacity reached 34 per 10,000 people, slightly above the global average.
The 56-year-old patient from Quang Tri province was discharged in stable condition as he no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute, said that under the MoU, the two sides committed to promoting diverse and practical collaborative activities, including joint conferences and workshops, exchanges of scholars, researchers and students, sharing academic materials, and the development of specific programmes and projects in scientific research, training, and epidemic prevention.
TytoCare, a leading Israeli telemedicine company based in Netanya, is willing to work with Vietnamese regulators, insurers, and healthcare providers to develop a sustainable digital health ecosystem.
The partnership is under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding on the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control, signed in Hanoi on July 22.
An estimated 7 million Vietnamese are currently living with diabetes, but about 50% remain undiagnosed, a dangerous gap that is fuelling serious, preventable complications and increasing the burden on the healthcare system.
In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019.
Health authorities in HCM City have issued an urgent alert after six people died from dengue fever, amid a spike in infections driven by the onset of the rainy season.
During the peak months of July and August 2025, the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) needs at least 90,000 units of blood to supply 180 hospitals in the northern region. However, despite continuous efforts, the reserve blood is still short of 30,000 units.
The Hanoi ceremony highlighted efforts to ensure all citizens, especially women and youth, can access accurate information and healthcare services to make informed reproductive choices.
After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
Currently, cardiovascular specialists from the 108 Military Central Hospital are working alongside a team of Prof.Dr. Jan D. Schmitto, Deputy Director of MHH’s Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery on clinical trials for MCS devices, implanted in heart failure patients either as a bridge to transplantation or as permanent treatment.
The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
Not only does Vietnam attract international tourists with its landscapes, culture, and cuisine, but it is also gradually becoming a reliable destination for medical treatment, offering high-quality services at reasonable costs.
Over the past six months, 150 communal health stations in provinces including Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, Ben Tre and Ca Mau have been equipped with information technology systems. In addition, 117 key provincial healthcare workers have received training, with thousands more expected to follow.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ministry of Health swiftly launched a telemedicine programme, connecting more than 1,000 medical establishments nationwide. The model, which remains in operation, has benefited tens of thousands of patients, including foreign nationals.
After more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the patient's pneumonia improved, breathing stabilised, sedation was reduced, and the breathing tube was removed. He is now conscious, able to eat orally, and in recovery.
Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long speaks at the teleconference on COVID-19 prevention and control with localities nationwide on February 19 (Photo: VNA) 
