At the seminar, delegates emphasized that the national strategy on COVID-19 prevention and control has been adjusted flexibly in line with reality, bringing positive effects to disease control and socio-economic development.

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Delegates at the seminar

Since the fourth COVID-19 outbreak in Vietnam in late April 2021, the government has been consistent with the view of putting the people’s health and lives first and issued a number of policies, such as vaccine strategy, reaching the entire people, taking communes and wards as fortresses, and mobilizing military and public security forces to support Southern localities, and flexible and safe adaption and effective COVID-19 control.

Since early last October, Vietnam has basically controlled the pandemic and gradually opened its doors. As a result, the country's economy has enjoyed promising growth. Though Vietnam’s economic growth rate in 2021 was estimated at only 2.58%, as the General Statistics Office said, it was still a great success.

According to Deputy Health Minister Do Xuan Tuyen, after the effective implementation of the national vaccination program, the Government changed “Zero COVID” strategy to safe and flexible adaptation, which has shown positive results in both COVID-19 control and socio-economic development.

Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu emphasized important principles drawn from the pandemic prevention and control efforts that health is the mainstay; economy is the basis; security and social stability are important and regular; technology and data are the key issue; vaccines, drugs, public awareness are prerequisites and production must be safe.

In his speech, Lieutenant General Ngo Minh Tien, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Head of the Ministry of National Defense’s Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control in Ho Chi Minh City and Southern Localities underlined the government’s decision on mobilizing the military, public security force and medical students to reinforce Southern localities. He said that the decision brought about a turning point in the COVID-19 fight in these localities, shortening the control time to three months.

The military general also attributed the success of the pandemic prevention and control in Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces to the unified direction from the Party Central Committee to the Government and relevant ministries and departments as well as the engagement of the whole political system and people. 

Translated by Mai Huong