HCMC – Once Vietnam meets its vaccination target, the country needs to map out ways to live with the Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told a meeting yesterday, September 5.
Chinh said he had asked the relevant agencies to draw up scenarios to restore socioeconomic activity and live safely with Covid, especially in provinces and cities with high vaccination rates.
At another meeting on August 29 with representatives of over 1,000 communes and wards in 20 provinces and cities where the stay-at-home mandate has been in force, Chinh said that the country was set to bring the pandemic under control, but needs to be aware that the Covid fight would be long and people have to live with the disease with proper measures, instead of continuing to adopt lockdown restrictions.
Three days later, at a meeting with healthcare experts, the head of the Government stressed that it was impossible to implement the lockdown order forever as it would take a heavy toll on the daily lives of the population and the local economy.
Vietnam’s goal is to slow the spread of the disease, work out measures to adapt to the pandemic and reduce the fatality rate through vaccination and medication. He added that many countries have changed their anti-Covid strategies and were determined to set out a path from pandemic to endemic for Covid.
The Cabinet leader at the meeting yesterday called for the compassion of residents and encouraged them to actively take part in the Covid fight, especially complying with the social distancing requirements to slow the spread of the virus.
He added that Vietnam’s current response to the latest outbreak was a result of its two-year-long experience, the feedback from local residents and scientists and experiences from across the world. However, the outcomes have fallen short of expectations. One of the reasons behind the unexpected results is the inadequate implementation of anti-virus measures. Some localities did not take drastic measures to combat the virus or set a specific goal.
Addressing the meeting, Bui Thanh Son, Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that Vietnam has received 33 million Covid vaccine doses to date, up twofold against the figure in early August. The country is expected to get a total of 50 million vaccine doses by the end of this month.
