Nghe An strengthens measures to prevent Covid-19 epidemic during Tet and the first festival season of the year

Complicated developments

China has just announced that the country has recorded 59,938 deaths related to Covid-19 from December 8, 2022 to January 12. This is the first time the country has released statistics on Covid-19-related deaths since lifting anti-epidemic measures last month. Mr. Xiao Yahui, head of the medical affairs department of China's National Health Commission, said that medical care facilities across the country have recorded 5,503 deaths from respiratory failure due to Covid-19 over the past month.

During the same period, China also recorded 54,435 deaths of Covid-19 patients due to dangerous underlying diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular problems.

China's National Health Commission announced last month that it would only count deaths from respiratory failure in the total number of Covid-19 deaths. The decision was made after China eased a series of measures to limit the spread of the disease, shifting away from the "No Covid" strategy. Several countries, territories and international organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), have expressed concern about China's lack of sharing detailed information about the epidemic situation in the country. International media also revealed many cases of hospitals and funeral homes in China being overloaded due to the soaring number of cases and deaths.

Several countries, including the US, South Korea and Japan, have also imposed entry controls on people coming from China, such as requiring passengers to have a negative Covid-19 test before departure.

Chinese people line up to return home. Photo: Hoang Phuong

According to the leader of Nghe An Department of Health, on January 4, 2023, WHO confirmed that XBB.1.5 has the strongest "growth advantage" compared to all other dominant sub-variants of Omicron. Currently, the sub-variant of Omicron XBB.1.5 is on the rise in the US and many other countries around the world, and it is predicted that the epidemic situation will continue to develop complicatedly in the coming time, with the potential risk of outbreaks of new disease waves due to the new variant.

Deputy Director of the Department of Health Nguyen Van Thuong said that in the coming time, during the Lunar New Year and the festival season, the demand for tourism and trade will increase, and especially from January 8, 2023, China will implement plan B in controlling the Covid-19 pneumonia epidemic with adjustments in epidemic prevention and immigration policies. Along with that, the unusual weather changes during the transitional season are favorable conditions for infectious diseases to spread, which can increase the number of cases, especially in children with weak resistance and the elderly with underlying diseases, susceptible to infectious diseases, potentially causing outbreaks of respiratory diseases, leading to the risk of epidemics overlapping epidemics.

Nghe An has not recorded any Covid-19 cases in recent days. However, most of the people with symptoms similar to Covid-19 are not tested, do not declare their health status, or self-medicate... Therefore, it is difficult to accurately count and announce the number of new cases.

Information about COVID-19 returning with new variants like XBB.1.5 and the rapid spread has been warned by many countries such as the US and South Korea. Although China has decided to open its doors to tourists and immigration, it has also admitted that the number of cases is high and increasing continuously. Japan is also having a "headache" with the situation where up to 300 people die from COVID-19 every day.

China opens up just before Lunar New Year. Tourism in many countries is preparing to welcome visitors from the most populous country with a high number of infections. The hope of economic recovery, starting with tourism and trade, is clear. But we cannot be subjective and underestimate the new variants. Especially in Nghe An, some localities like Tuong Duong have a large number of workers working in China returning home for Tet.

A festival during the New Year in Nghe An. Photo courtesy

Implement many measures

Faced with complicated developments, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Bui Dinh Long has just issued a document on strengthening epidemic prevention and control during the Lunar New Year and the 2023 festival season. In particular, the provincial leaders requested to strengthen close monitoring of the epidemic at border gates to detect suspected cases of COVID-19 for timely handling, especially those entering from areas where the epidemic is breaking out, from places where new and dangerous variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have appeared; strengthen surveillance in the community, at medical examination and treatment facilities to promptly detect outbreaks and clusters of cases with unusual developments and characteristics; proactively coordinate with the Institutes of Hygiene and Epidemiology/Pasteur, hospitals capable of identifying new variants of COVID-19 to take samples for surveillance, research to detect new variants/strains and assess epidemic risks.

Continue to promote COVID-19 vaccination according to the Ministry of Health's instructions to ensure compliance with the plan set out at the Government's request, paying attention to high-risk groups, especially the elderly, people with underlying medical conditions, people with immunodeficiency,... children from 5 to under 18 years old. Review, update messages and strengthen communication on disease prevention and control at border gates, medical facilities, tourist accommodation facilities and the community to raise people's awareness of the message of implementing 2K (masks, disinfection) and vaccinating against COVID-19 with enough doses and on schedule as recommended by the Ministry of Health.

Be ready to carry out the work of triaging, admitting and treating COVID-19 patients; ensure adequate medicines, equipment, chemicals and biological products for disease prevention and control; have plans to respond to epidemic situations, in which localities direct accommodation facilities to arrange quarantine areas for cases of tourists entering the country with mild and moderate COVID-19 who do not need to be hospitalized.

Checking foreigners entering the country at Nam Can international border gate. Photo: Tien Hung

Regarding the Department of Health, in recent days, this unit has also issued a series of documents on strengthening epidemic prevention during Tet. The Department of Health requested the People's Committees of districts, towns, Vinh city and medical units in the province to continue to strictly implement the directions of the Government, the Prime Minister, the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control in disease prevention and control, especially COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination; absolutely not to be negligent or subjective, affecting the results of disease prevention and control and socio-economic development. Focus on synchronously, resolutely and more effectively implementing propaganda work, raising people's awareness and perception in disease prevention and control, especially continuing to promote communication about the effects and effectiveness of vaccines in preventing serious illness and death, encouraging and mobilizing people to participate in full and timely vaccination;

Medical facilities are responsible for continuing to closely monitor the epidemic situation, especially the emergence of new variants of COVID-19, regularly assessing and analyzing the situation and risk factors; proactively developing scenarios and response plans and implementing them to respond to all possible epidemic situations; promptly updating and supplementing professional instructions and supporting localities in preventing and fighting COVID-19.