Stigma and self-stigma

Currently, discrimination against people suspected of being infected and people returning from epidemic areas is taking place seriously. In Nam Dan district, a mother and child returned from Korea, and after 12 days of quarantine, the 7-month-old child had a high fever due to teething. Immediately, the upper and lower villages were noisy, looking at this mother and child as if they were a virus. Similarly, in the same commune, a person who returned home to self-isolate as required after participating in the Nghe An province delegation working with the Ministry of Planning and Investment delegation was also looked at with cold eyes. Another person who returned home to self-isolate was also chased away by relatives, even asked to "rent a hotel room" to quarantine.

It must be noted that: discrimination against suspected cases and people returning from epidemic areas will not improve Covid-19 prevention work but will cause harm. People returning from epidemic areas, for fear of being discriminated against, will not honestly declare their health status, will not thoroughly quarantine, and even avoid authorities. This will multiply the risk of Covid-19 many times.

Besides discrimination, self-discrimination is equally dangerous. Due to fear of the disease, many people have deluded themselves into having a mental illness with symptoms of cough and fever. After going to the doctor, although the medical agency determined that they did not have Covid-19 and were excluded from the list of subjects requiring centralized quarantine, these people still insisted on centralized quarantine, medical quarantine and testing. When this was not met, they posted negative content on social media. It must be seen that Vietnam's resources are limited and cannot accommodate everyone's wishes. If healthy people are sent to medical facilities, there will come a time when there will be no more room for people infected with Covid-19. When infected people appear, this is when the medical agency will collapse. Everyone needs to listen and follow the instructions of the medical agency, not self-discriminate. Covid-19 has not yet been seen but has already caused many negative manifestations. Advice from the medical industry: Everyone needs to be calm and clear-headed in preventing Covid-19

At the Government Standing Committee meeting on Covid-19 prevention and control, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked each citizen, family, organization and business to receive information about the Covid-19 epidemic reasonably and selectively, and to remain calm. People's fear is more dangerous than the epidemic. Vietnam will control and stop the epidemic in the coming time. The Prime Minister emphasized: the available vaccine of the Vietnamese people is the spirit of diligence, solidarity and resilience. The more difficult it is, the stronger we are, the more we move forward..." Discrimination and self-discrimination that go against national ethics can cause us to lose that vaccine.

Thanh Son