Reasons why the Ministry of Health proposed temporarily suspending the daily announcement of COVID-19 cases.

In the report on the implementation of COVID-19 prevention and control measures at the meeting ofNational Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and ControlOn March 5th, the Ministry of Health assessed that the epidemic is now basically under control nationwide. All localities have shifted to the state of "Safe, flexible adaptation and effective control of COVID-19" according to Resolution 128.

However, the number of new cases has tended to increase rapidly in most provinces and cities over the past month (with approximately 50,000-75,000 cases per day, the highest day being over 141,000 cases - PV), the number of cases has increased more in the unvaccinated group, especially those under 12 years old; the number of severe and critical cases has started to increase by 37.6% compared to the previous month, the number of deaths is around 100 cases per day and is currently still within the capacity of the healthcare system.

The Omicron variant has shown a tendency to spread rapidly in recent times, becoming prevalent in provinces and cities, especially Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, gradually replacing the Delta variant. According to reports from Hanoi, the Omicron variant has been detected in 20 out of 30 districts; the BA.2 variant accounts for 87% of all samples found to be Omicron variants; in Ho Chi Minh City, the Omicron variant accounts for 76% of samples with gene sequencing results.

The BA.2 variant, also known as "stealth occitron," is spreading across 82 countries, and reinfection with BA.1 is possible in most young, unvaccinated individuals.

However, due to high vaccine coverage nationwide, especially with the provision of care for high-risk individuals, the death rate/case ratio across the country has decreased significantly.

The Ministry of Health is seeking the Steering Committee's approval to temporarily suspend the daily announcement of COVID-19 case numbers to avoid causing panic. (Photo: Duc Anh)

The mortality rate/case rate over the past 30 days was 0.2%, down from the previous month (1%), 0.9% on February 1st, and 0.1% on March 3rd. Compared to the previous month, the number of community cases nationwide increased by 197.9%, but the number of deaths decreased by 47.1%, the number of cases under hospital treatment decreased by 24.5%, and the number of severe and critical cases decreased by 43.1%.

The distribution of infection rates by age group in February 2022 compared to the previous month is as follows: the 18-49 age group accounted for 54.3% (871,083 cases), a 2.5-fold increase compared to the previous month; the 50-65 age group accounted for 10.8% (173,254 cases), a 2.2-fold increase compared to the previous month; and the over-65 age group accounted for 4.5% (72,189 cases), a 2-fold increase compared to the previous month.

The Ministry of Health stated that it continues to direct medical examination and treatment facilities nationwide to strengthen epidemic prevention and control efforts and effectively organize patient triage and treatment pathways. The Ministry of Health has issued guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19; guidelines for medical isolation of COVID-19 cases and close contacts...

The number of infections is only one of eight indicators used to assess the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Ministry of Health, all 63 provinces and cities have now implemented the assessment and announcement of epidemic levels, which are published on the Ministry of Health's electronic portal in accordance with the Ministry of Health's guidelines in Decision 218/QD-BYT to implement epidemic prevention and control measures according to Resolution 128/NQ-CP; Based on the assessment results, localities flexibly implement appropriate response measures to effectively control the epidemic in their areas.

Currently, there are 2,150 communes and wards at level 3 - high risk (accounting for 20.3% of all communes and wards nationwide); and 401 communes and wards at level 4 - very high risk (3.8%) in 22 provinces and cities.

The Ministry of Health continues to coordinate with other ministries, sectors, and localities to strengthen communication on disease prevention and control; raise individual awareness in proactively and voluntarily implementing disease prevention and control measures; strictly adhere to the regulations and guidelines of the Ministry of Health in managing and treating COVID-19 infected individuals at home, and not apply guidance from unreliable or unverified sources.

The Ministry of Health also continues to urge localities to urgently accelerate the progress of COVID-19 vaccination, review and propose the quantity and types of vaccines needed so that the Ministry of Health can allocate them promptly and appropriately, ensuring effective use of vaccines.

At the same time, strengthen the screening of people who have not been vaccinated/have not received the full basic dose of COVID-19 vaccine or cannot come to vaccination facilities to receive catch-up vaccinations, organize home vaccinations (if necessary) to ensure that no one is missed, and strengthen the implementation of the third dose vaccination.

Strengthen communication efforts and raise public awareness about the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination...

The Ministry of Health is seeking the Steering Committee's approval to temporarily suspend the daily announcement of COVID-19 case numbers to avoid causing panic, as the number of infections is only one of eight indicators used to assess the severity of the epidemic and does not accurately reflect the true nature of the disease situation.