Viet Nam basically pushes back COVID-19 epidemic, PM Phuc says

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc presides over a meeting on COVID-19 prevention and control in Ha Noi on April 28, 2020. Photo: VGP

The Government leader expressed his delight to see that Viet Nam has reported no new community-transmitted cases for the past 12 consecutive days.

With 270 cases among 100 million people, Viet Nam’s ratio of infection cases per million inhabitants is among the lowest in the world, he said.

As of March 28, the world recorded more than three million COVID-19 cases in 212 countries and territories, including 211,609 deaths, according to the Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Of the figures, 40,766 cases and 1,447 deaths were reported in Southeast Asia, in which Singapore saw the highest number of cases (14,423) and Indonesia registered the largest number of deaths (765), said the committee.

Viet Nam has gone 12 successive days without a new cases of community infection. Among the total 270 patients, 230 have fully recovered from the disease; 48 are under treatment at eight hospitals; and three serious patients (No. 20, 91 and 161) have made positive progress, of whom patients no. 20 and 161 have been weaned off ventilators and are now practicing breathing on their own.

The steering committee also said five recovered patients tested positive for the coronavirus again are being monitored at health facilities.

Recently, the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology has collaborated with Nagasaki University of Japan to research and develop antibody test kits. The Ministry of Health is currently implementing procedures to recognize kits for mass production./.