Morning of May 18: 19 more domestic cases; epidemic spreads to 28 provinces and cities

On the morning of May 18, the Ministry of Health recorded 19 positive cases of nCoV in the country, all in quarantine areas including 13 in Hanoi, 3 in Ha Nam, 2 in Dien Bien, and 1 in Son La.

The new infections bring the total number of cases in Hanoi to 239 (including 89 cases at the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, 26 cases at K Hospital), Ha Nam 33, Dien Bien 26, and the new province where Covid-19 appeared is Son La. Thus, the number of provinces and cities that have recorded Covid-19 since April 27 is now 28, with a total of 1,340 infections.

At the Government Standing Committee meeting on Covid-19 prevention and control and vaccine import, production and injection on the afternoon of May 17, the Prime Minister emphasized that "the risk is still very high, the epidemic can happen at any time, anywhere if we are subjective, negligent, and lose vigilance". Forecasting that the situation will continue to develop rapidly and unpredictably, the Prime Minister requested stronger and faster solutions. This epidemic with the new virus strain spreads quickly, occurring in many localities, especially industrial parks in Bac Giang and Bac Ninh.

Spraying disinfectant chemicals in Quynh Lap. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Analyzing the cause of the outbreak, the Prime Minister stated that "the pathogen originated from outside, showing loopholes in control, immigration management, quarantine and post-quarantine management". Some agencies, units, localities, and people were subjective and lost vigilance.
The Government leader requested a review of the compliance with the operating principles of the 5-person team (including diplomacy, health, police, defense, and transportation); handling of violations. Some places were not fully prepared, so when the epidemic occurred, they were confused, lacking supplies, biological products, and human resources. Localities that had never experienced an epidemic lacked experience in responding.