Tuesday, 02/06/2020 18:23 (GMT+7)
New York Post has run an article by author Dana Kennedy praising Vietnam’s success in coping with COVID-19, as it has so far reported 328 cases and not a single death.
A COVID-19 patient treated (Photo" VNA)
Opening the article, the author confirmed that Vietnam, a country without wealth or an advanced healthcare system, acted early and swiftly.
“We were not only waiting for guidelines from WHO. We used the data we gathered from outside and inside (the country) to decide to take action early,” said Pham Quang Thai, deputy head of the Infection Control Department at the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Hanoi.
Vietnam’s first coronavirus cases were not reported until January 23rd, but by that time the country was prepared, according to the article. “Temperature screenings were enacted at the airports in early January for passengers arriving from Wuhan, China, the virus epicenter. Just a week or so later, Government officials put more stringent medical quarantine regulations in place at border gates, seaports and airports,” in spite of China and the WHO’s initial insistence that there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission.
“Vietnam declared a national epidemic on February 1st though it had just six confirmed cases in the country. All flights between Vietnam and China were halted, followed by the suspension of visas to Chinese citizens the next day,” the article wrote.
“Vietnam lifted social distancing rules in late April after a three-week shutdown, but hasn’t reported any local infections for more than 40 days. Businesses and schools have reopened, and life is slowly resuming a normal pace”.
Compiled by BTA