Local authorities need to launch a concentrated campaign to prevent and control the Covid-19 epidemic.

The Nghe An delegation participated in the online conference of the Ministry of Health. Photo: Thanh Chung

On the morning of January 20th, the Ministry of Health held an online meeting on the prevention and control of the Covid-19 epidemic. Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long chaired the meeting. The meeting was attended by participants from 63 provinces and cities nationwide.

Covid-19 is about to reach 100 million cases.

According to the Ministry of Health: The world currently records 96,080,360 cases and 2,051,488 deaths due toCovid-19In 220 countries and territories, the total number of recovered Covid-19 patients is 68,749,729, and there are still 25,328,747 patients under treatment, including 111,847 cases of severe or critical illness.

The United States has the highest number of cases in the world with 24,626,376 infections and 408,620 deaths. India ranks second with 10,582,647 infections (152,593 deaths). Brazil follows with 210,328 deaths among 8,512,238 infections, currently experiencing a second wave of the pandemic after a sharp increase in new cases since December.

In the first two weeks of January 2021 alone, the world recorded 12.3 million new infections (accounting for 13% of the total cases since the beginning of the pandemic) and 227,000 deaths (accounting for 11.1%). The number of infected people is expected to reach 100 million next week. According to the World Health Organization, the SARS-CoV-2 variant first detected in the UK in mid-December 2020 has now spread to 50 countries and territories. The variant detected in South Africa has also appeared in 23 countries and territories.

The world currently records 96,080,360 cases and 2,051,488 deaths due to Covid-19. Photo: Internet

In Europe, countries are maintaining drastic measures to curb the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus variant. In Asia, Turkey and Iran are second only to India in the number of cases. China has imposed a strict lockdown on nearly 3 million more people in Jilin province after a new super-spreader outbreak was recorded when a marketing employee infected with SARS-CoV-2 infected 102 others, mostly middle-aged and elderly people.

In Southeast Asia, the pandemic situation is complex and there is a potential risk of new outbreaks in many countries. Indonesia is the largest outbreak area in the region with 917,015 cases (26,282 deaths), and the Covid-19 pandemic has now spread to all provinces and cities in Indonesia. This is followed by the Philippines and Malaysia. In Singapore, two community transmission cases were detected on January 17th, forming a new cluster of cases linked to an assistant officer in the Singapore police force.

The risk from 500 people entering the country illegally every day.

According to the Ministry of Health, Vietnam continues to record new cases.entryThey entered Vietnam (and were quarantined immediately upon arrival). To date, Vietnam has recorded 1,540 cases (including 880 cases imported from abroad and 660 cases of domestic transmission), and 35 deaths.

In the first 20 days of January 2021 alone, Vietnam recorded 75 imported cases (accounting for 8.4% of the total number of imported Covid-19 cases), an increase of 11 cases compared to the same period in December 2020 (64 cases)... From April 2020 to the present, Vietnam has had 366 flights with a total of 74,944 people entering the country, of which 584 people tested positive on 122 flights.

To date, the situation across the country is currently...isolation18,008 people are currently quarantined, including 121 in medical facilities, 16,663 in centralized quarantine areas, and 1,224 at home/place of residence. Military-managed quarantine facilities are currently quarantining 4,757 people across 54 locations.

According to data from the Ministry of Public Security, in 2020, the whole country detected 177 foreigners (167 Chinese, 8 Cambodians, 1 Canadian, 1 New Zealander) and 1,843 Vietnamese citizens who illegally entered the country via land borders and are currently being quarantined and processed.

Border guards are on duty to prevent and control Covid-19 along the border. Photo: Thanh Cuong

At this time, some countries in the region are still operating commercial flights. Vietnamese citizens returning from abroad have been using these flights and then traveling back to Vietnam by land, despite warnings from the National Steering Committee that all citizens should travel through official channels to undergo medical quarantine.

Illegal border crossings and illegal entry are still occurring, sometimes reaching up to 500 people per day. While Vietnam has increased troop deployment and surveillance to the maximum extent, the border is vast, with many areas lacking mountains or rivers for protection. Through monitoring and surveillance, we have observed that all cases of illegal border crossings and entry are linked to those within the country through networks, individuals, and transportation companies driven by greed. These individuals evade authorities by using social media to communicate.

"We have uncovered a series of transport companies that are transporting passengers from border areas who are evading quarantine into our country. We will send this list to provinces and cities to dismantle these networks and transport companies, and handle them strictly to limit illegal entry," Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long stated.

Launching a nationwide campaign to combat the epidemic.

Speaking at the conference, the Minister of Health also commended the forces and localities that have actively and effectively implemented measures to prevent illegal entry, quarantine for disease prevention, and disseminate information and mobilize the public to fight the epidemic.

The Minister of Health requested that localities, departments, and agencies actively implement the directives and official dispatches of the Party Central Committee, the Government, and the guidance of the Ministry of Health; uphold the responsibility of the heads of Party committees; mobilize the entire political and social system to participate in the fight against the epidemic; always be ready to respond to the epidemic, swiftly contain outbreaks, and remove pathogens from the community; and strengthen testing capacity and the effectiveness of Covid-19 treatment.

The Minister of Health requested that local authorities focus intensely on dismantling and eradicating illegal passenger transport networks and severely punishing those involved in transporting passengers across the border illegally. (Photo: Tran Long - Health and Life Newspaper)

In addition, localities need to launch a high-intensity campaign to prevent and control the epidemic, mobilizing the entire population to detect and report cases of illegal entry and those returning from abroad who evade quarantine. Families with relatives abroad should be organized to sign commitments not to receive people returning from abroad without quarantine. At the same time, efforts should be intensified to educate people abroad not to listen to illegal human trafficking rings.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long also stated: In the past period, Vietnam has done a good job of medical isolation to prevent disease. However, in some places there is still a lack of close coordination between forces and a failure to comply with the isolation procedures.

To better ensure quarantine procedures, the Government has directed that all individuals returning from abroad must undergo 14 days of centralized quarantine, eliminating short-term quarantines, except in special cases as decided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, if local authorities deem the quarantine facilities for these special cases inadequate, they may request centralized quarantine.

Local authorities need to strengthen inspections and make adjustments to ensure that quarantine facilities operate effectively. Those quarantined in hotels must be monitored by cameras 24/7. Local authorities need to ensure good conditions and create a safe and peaceful Tet holiday for people in quarantine facilities.