Ministry proposes keeping COVID-19 in Group A of infectious diseases
The Ministry of Health has proposed continuing to keep COVID-19 in Group A of infectious disease, not an endemic disease in its latest draft on COVID-19 prevention and control measures in the new situation.
Hanoi (VNA) - TheMinistry of Health has proposed continuing to keep COVID-19 in Group A of infectious disease, not an endemic disease in its latest draft on COVID-19 prevention and control measures in the new situation.
Regarding the reason why COVID-19 has not beenconsidered an endemic disease in Vietnam yet, the Ministry of Health said that most countries in the world are ina state of unstable cases and deaths, with an erratic increase and decreasetrend when new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus appear. At the same time,acquired immunity (due to vaccines and infection) has not been stable for along time and decreases over time.
In Vietnam, more than 9 million new cases werereported in the first seven months of this year, with over 33,000 cases in Julyalone, up 22.4% from June. Cases of sub variants BA.4,BA.5 have been recorded and began to account for a large proportion in southernprovinces. Meanwhile, the rates of booster shot vaccination and vaccinationamong children were low in some localities.
The rise in new cases could cause overload of thehealth system, particularly in the context of other diseases such as influenzatype A and dengue fever now entering peak season and the risk of new infectiousdiseases like monkeypox.
At the same time, itsuggested step by step easing pandemic prevention and control measures in aflexible manner.
The ministry has also built plans to respond todifferent scenarios of COVID-19 in 2022 and 2023 based on the WHO’s strategic preparedness and response plan forCOVID-19.
It urged enhancing vigilance against new variants of theSARS-CoV-2 virus and staying prepared to respond to any possible pandemic scenarios,along with accelerating the pace of vaccination of booster shots and basicdoses for children from 5 to under 12 years old./.
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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.
Testing COVID-19 (Photo: VNA) 
