HCMC – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh was named head of the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Infection Prevention and Control at a meeting of key Party and State leaders held on August 24.
Chairing the meeting, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said that though the anti-virus operations had brought about positive results, the development of Covid-19, especially in HCMC and other southern provinces, remained complicated.
The Covid-19 pandemic is expected to last long, disrupting the economy and negatively affecting the livelihoods of residents, he said.
The appointment of PM Chinh as the steering committee leader was aimed at quickly improving the Covid-safe situation nationwide.
As head of the national anti-virus steering committee, PM Chinh will issue directives, organize a united front for the Covid-19 fight, promptly meet the need for anti-virus forces and adopt effective measures to suppress the pandemic as soon as possible.
Besides, provincial and municipal Party chiefs were told to directly guide and monitor Covid-19 infection prevention and control operations, and review and assess anti-virus measures which have been adopted in provinces and cities to enact more suitable and effective ones.
The Party general secretary also asked provinces and cities to focus on caring for Covid patients, mainly severely ill ones, and the safety of residents, minimize cross infection, reduce the Covid death rate and ensure sufficient food supplies.
In addition, Party General Secretary Trong urged localities, mainly coronavirus hotbeds, to speed up the Covid-19 vaccination process to minimize the negative impact of the disease, the local media reported.