The Government issues a Program to prevent and control the COVID-19 epidemic

ProgrammeCOVID-19 preventionjust signed and issued by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam in Resolution No. 38/NQ-CP dated March 17, 2022.

This program will be implemented for 2 years, 2022 - 2023. In case the epidemic ends earlier or lasts until 2024, the Ministry of Health will report to the Government for consideration of continuing to implement this program or timely amending and supplementing it, in accordance with the epidemic situation.

The specific goal of the Program is to ensure COVID-19 vaccination coverage: By the end of the first quarter of 2022, complete the second injection for people aged 12 to under 18 years old, and the third injection for people aged 18 and over according to the vaccination schedule, except for subjects with contraindications to vaccination; ensure sufficient vaccines and complete vaccination for children aged 5 to under 12 years old before September 2022.

Regarding the control of the spread of COVID-19, the goal is for all levels of government to have scenarios for COVID-19 prevention and control; all people to comply with appropriate epidemic prevention and control measures; all agencies, organizations and enterprises to conduct infection risk assessments and update and report assessment results.

Have a flexible strategy for monitoring and detecting SARS-CoV-2 infection cases, suitable to the epidemic situation in each stage; reduce the COVID-19 mortality rate per 1 million people to a level lower than the average in Asia.

Improve the capacity of the health system, especially preventive medicine and primary health care; increase investment in medical equipment, have appropriate policies and incentives for those working in preventive medicine and primary health care; improve the quality of emergency care and intensive care at medical examination and treatment facilities at all levels.

All vulnerable groups such as the elderly, people with underlying diseases, people with disabilities, pregnant women, homeless people, orphans, ethnic minorities, migrant workers in urban areas, etc. are guaranteed access to health services.

The resolution also sets out specific tasks and medical solutions. In particular, regarding COVID-19 vaccine coverage: Implement vaccination to ensure the fastest possible progress; increase the mobilization of people to get vaccinated, go to every alley, knock on every door, check every person (including patients coming to medical facilities) to avoid missing out; urgently complete in the first quarter of 2022 the second injection for people from 12 to under 18 years old, the third injection for people from 18 years old and up according to the vaccination schedule, except for subjects with contraindications to vaccination; organize safe, scientific and effective vaccination for children from 5 to under 12 years old as soon as the vaccine is available. Urgently research the fourth injection for adults and the third injection for children from 5 to under 18 years old and vaccination for children from 3 to 5 years old.

Create all favorable conditions, accelerate the progress of production, technology transfer, processing, and domestic vaccine production as soon as possible; deploy the application of the national population database to update information on people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, monitor the COVID-19 vaccine coverage rate, and serve the reasonable and effective vaccine allocation. Connect the national population database with the vaccination database to accurately calculate the vaccination coverage rate.

The Government requested to strengthen the monitoring of COVID-19 prevention and control. Specifically, it is necessary to improve the capacity of epidemiological surveillance; synchronously deploy key surveillance and regular surveillance; enhance the capacity and application of science and technology in monitoring, analyzing and forecasting the epidemic situation at the central and local levels.

Closely monitor the development of the epidemic situation in the world and in the country; promptly revise, supplement, and update professional guidelines to ensure the correct motto of safe and flexible adaptation, effective control of the epidemic, and at the same time restore and develop the economy.

Flexibly implement the principle of "prevention - detection - isolation - localization - suppression of epidemics" on the narrowest possible scale and scope, suitable to the epidemic situation; flexibly apply the anti-epidemic formula "5K + vaccine, medicine + treatment + technology + public awareness + other measures"; research, evaluate and base on the epidemic situation to change measures to prevent and control COVID-19 from group A infectious diseases to group B infectious diseases; agencies, organizations and enterprises must conduct regular and periodic monitoring and update and report the results of the assessment of infection risks.

Carry out appropriate, timely, scientific and effective testing to detect infected cases; establish an epidemiological database to serve forecasting and monitoring work including: (i) epidemic situation; (ii) virus surveillance; (iii) treatment activities; (iv) vaccination; (v) capacity and effectiveness of local disease prevention and control response, treatment effectiveness; assess antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 virus; ensure sharing of disease surveillance information domestically and internationally.

Be ready to set up COVID-19 admission and treatment facilities suitable to the epidemic situation in each locality, ensure adequate equipment, consumables, personal protective equipment, and treatment drugs for COVID-19 admission and treatment facilities; conduct remote medical examination and treatment, and have a mechanism for distributing and supplying appropriate and effective drugs to ensure that COVID-19 patients receive timely treatment.

Implement the improvement of professional capacity, comprehensively consolidate the treatment capacity of the medical examination and treatment system; prepare intensive care beds, ensure intensive care capacity for doctors and nurses; strengthen direction, technical support, mobilize and rotate appropriate human resources, promptly support provinces and cities in case the epidemic exceeds the treatment capacity of the locality.

Early access to specific drugs to treat COVID-19; at the same time, create all conditions to promote the fastest production, technology transfer, and processing of drugs to treat COVID-19 in Vietnam; ensure proactive availability of basic drugs to meet early treatment requirements.

Establish a health monitoring system through primary health care and accompanying physicians (support via phone or internet, etc.); establish mobile health stations when necessary to ensure people have access to health services early, remotely and at the grassroots level. Implement activities on management, care, treatment and support for people at risk of severe illness right in the community.

Medical examination and treatment facilities managing and treating COVID-19 patients update medical examination and treatment data; flexibly, scientifically and effectively monitor, examine and rehabilitate COVID-19 patients after recovery within 12 months.

Ensure that medical examination and treatment facilities both carry out epidemic control and prevention work and provide medical examination and treatment for people; increase remote medical examination and treatment in accordance with reality.

Review, revise, and update COVID-19 treatment regimens using modern medicine, combining modern medicine with traditional medicine to ensure scientific and effective results.

Mobilize human resources from neighboring localities and units when an epidemic breaks out; mobilize non-public medical forces to participate in epidemic prevention and control work. Have a policy of reasonable allocation of human resources for preventive medicine and grassroots medicine, implement social responsibility and a limited-term rotation regime.

Ensure a reasonable structure of human resources including doctors and nurses with adequate capacity for emergency resuscitation; improve the capacity of forces in the health sector, local forces, and mobilized forces participating in epidemic prevention and control, especially cadres in remote, border, and island areas.

Apply 100% preferential allowance for preventive and grassroots medical staff; research special and preferential regimes for armed forces participating in epidemic prevention and control.

Regarding finance and logistics, ensure adequate supplies of medicines, biological products, chemicals, materials, equipment, etc. according to the "four on-site" principle to be ready for epidemic prevention and control scenarios. For some essential medicines and materials, there must be sufficient reserves for the worst case scenario and added to the national reserve list. Proactively plan for the use of equipment after the end of the epidemic.

The State ensures financial resources for COVID-19 prevention and control based on the mobilization of all state resources (central budget, local budget, funding sources and other legal funding sources); localities must allocate at least 30% of the health budget for preventive medicine according to Resolution No. 18/2008/NQ-QH12 dated June 3, 2008 of the National Assembly.

Continue to mobilize and encourage the participation and contributions of businesses, organizations and individuals; and voluntary payment of COVID-19 patients for examination and treatment upon request.

Establish a COVID-19 Prevention and Control Fund on the basis of the COVID-19 Vaccine Fund to ensure effective, public, and transparent use.

Shorten and simplify payment documents; remove current barriers, overlaps, difficulties and inadequacies in medical cost payment policies for medical examination and treatment activities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Implement financial support policies to ensure social security according to the Socio-Economic Recovery and Development Program issued together with Resolution No. 11/NQ-CP dated January 30, 2022 of the Government.

The funding for the implementation of the COVID-19 Prevention and Control Program is allocated from the state budget and other legal financial sources (including funding sources in the Socio-Economic Recovery and Development Program issued together with Resolution No. 11/NQ-CP dated January 30, 2022 of the Government), the Health Insurance Fund, self-funded sources and funds mobilized from organizations, individuals and enterprises.

The use of funds for epidemic prevention and control must ensure efficiency, and prevent negativity and waste. The authorities must closely monitor, publicly and transparently use funds for epidemic prevention and control.

The other main tasks and solutions of the Program are to ensure both epidemic prevention and control and socio-economic development and stabilize people's lives.

Specifically, localities continue to implement the Plan for safe and flexible adaptation, effectively controlling the COVID-19 epidemic according to Resolution No. 128/NQ-CP dated October 11, 2021 of the Government, ensuring consistent implementation according to regulations and unified instructions of ministries and branches while promoting the proactiveness and creativity of localities in controlling the epidemic situation, creating conditions for restoring production, business, socio-economic development, bringing people's lives gradually back to a new normal state; not allowing localism and separatism in issuing and implementing solutions beyond the necessary level, causing negative impacts on production, business, and social life.

Agencies, organizations and enterprises proactively develop and effectively implement epidemic prevention and control plans associated with local operation, production and business plans (down to communes, wards and residential groups) and update and report assessment results.

Continue to implement measures to ensure scientific, safe and effective epidemic prevention and control at educational institutions when students study in person; base on the epidemic situation to organize appropriate teaching and learning methods, not to let students study online for a long time; continuously update good practices in the world on reopening educational institutions safely and promptly; regularly check and evaluate to understand the negative impacts of online learning, especially on children, to have timely solutions.

Implement epidemic prevention and control measures in production, transportation, and circulation and transportation of goods to ensure no interruptions.