German newspaper publishes article about Vietnam's efforts to combat COVID-19

On July 29, Hoan Kiem District performed vaccination against COVID-19. (Photo: VNA)

In the article, author Stefan Kühner said that the Hanoi City Authority has begun to deploy mass vaccination against COVID-19 for people in the capital. In Hoan Kiem District, which welcomed many tourists before the pandemic, about 4,000 doses of vaccine will be given to people every day at 7 vaccination centers. The first priority is given to people working in agencies and offices with high risk of infection and workers in industrial zones.

The vaccination campaign runs from July this year to April next year, and it is expected that about 5.1 million people between the ages of 18-65 will be vaccinated. Currently, Vietnam is mainly using the AstraZeneca, Moderna and Sputnik V vaccines.

According to the author of the article, Vietnam has successfully controlled the pandemic for a long time. As of early May, the total number of COVID-19 cases recorded was only about 3,000. However, since June, the number of new infections has increased rapidly and has now surpassed 100,000 cases. Hanoi has implemented very drastic measures to prevent the spread of the virus. People returning to the capital from pandemic hotspots must be isolated for 14 days and must undergo at least 3 tests by PCR method. If all three times are negative, people will continue to isolate for seven days at home and test again on the last day of isolation (also by PCR method).

Hanoi has also set up many checkpoints on the roads entering the city, with police, military and medical forces on duty regularly to control vehicles entering and leaving the city.

The author said that the southern provinces are being severely affected by the pandemic, especially Ho Chi Minh City. According to journalist Stefan Kühner, the most important issue in mass vaccination is having enough vaccine for the population. However, negotiating vaccine supply contracts with manufacturers faces many difficulties. Meanwhile, the vaccine distribution mechanism of the World Health Organization (WHO), COVAX, has not met the needs of most countries./.