Vietnam Reports All Covid-19 Patients As Recovered, Steps Up Preventive Measures Just In Case
The global outlook of Covid-19 seems rather bleak with new cases being reported every day. However, Vietnam has broken the monotony and announced that every confirmed patient in the country has recovered.
According to The Straits Times, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health revealed yesterday that all 16 cases of Covid-19 have been successfully treated and discharged from hospitals.
This 50-year-old man is the last confirmed case of Covid-19 to be discharged
Source
The last patient was discharged on Wednesday (26 Feb). No further cases were reported after 13 Feb.
Strict measures appear to work well against Covid-19
2 weeks ago, Vietnam locked down the commune of Son Loi. This was after officials discovered 6 cases of the coronavirus in the region.
It was the first mass quarantine outside of China, and 10,000 people were quarantined for 20 days.
One of the checkpoints in the Son Loi commune
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Strengthening anti-epidemic measures to remain vigilant
Although Vietnam has no more confirmed cases, the government has not taken a back seat in epidemic safety.
Vietnam News reports that Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed a directive to strengthen measures against the coronavirus outbreak amid new concerning developments across the world.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at a meeting for Covid-19
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He notes that even though Vietnam managed the outbreak well, there is still a need for more action to prevent and fight the epidemic.
Entry denied to people from or transiting through affected regions in South Korea
Under this directive, Vietnam will deny entry to people from or transiting through epidemic-hit regions of South Korea. Those on official missions will also need to fill out health declaration forms and are subject to 14-day quarantine when they return.
Vietnamese citizens were also told not to visit countries with higher Covid-19 risk unless absolutely necessary. Those who do also face the 14-day quarantine.
Meanwhile, the public security ministry must provide information of all passengers from South Korea entering Vietnam from February to relevant local authorities. This to carry out monitoring and quarantine if necessary.
While Vietnam’s strict defensive measures seem to have played an important role in their success with Covid-19, they are not the only country to reach this milestone. Other countries include India, Russia, Belgium, Cambodia, Egypt, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Nevertheless, we should all take a page from Vietnam’s book and remain vigilant regardless of circumstance.