By Shankar Man Singh
The Vietnamese leadership started the war with quick, decisive action on Covid-19. As soon as the first incidents were discovered, the government recognized COVID-19 as a major threat and acted cautiously above and beyond the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). The National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Control was immediately set up and a multi-sectoral response plan was developed. The outbreak came a week after the outbreak was recognized as a public health emergency of international concern and more than a month after the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a global epidemic. The National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Control was immediately set up and a multi-sectoral response plan was developed.
As many countries discussed their health and economic choices, the Vietnam government made a clear decision to prioritize health over economic growth, “fighting the epidemic as an enemy.” The commitment of the high-level leadership paved the way for the Ministry of Health and other concerned ministries to implement unprecedented measures for the COVID-19 response.
Entry points were strictly controlled and suspicious cases were immediately quarantined. Vietnam is one of the first countries to block passenger flights from high-risk areas and quarantine international passengers. Since January 2020, the government has required all people from China to submit a health declaration and stay in government-controlled facilities for 15 days. These requirements were gradually extended to those from South Korea, the United States, and the EU.
The country was given time to prepare further. Epidemic control teams conducted targeted testing and aggressive contact tracing.
Cases confirmed in Vietnam are considered first-class and should be isolated and treated at a health facility. Home-based segregation of confirmed cases in Vietnam to prevent transmission to family members is not permitted.
Currently, hospitals and health centers are neither facing high demand nor adequate resources for all Covid-19 patients due to lack of supply.
Tier Two is for close contact with confirmed cases, which must be tested and quarantined by the government. In tier three, the man had a close relationship with tier two cases: they had to self-isolate at home. The fourth level involves isolating entire communities.
Local authorities separated two villages, a commune and a hospital.
Last year, Vietnam’s targeted testing, aggressive contact tracing, and multi-level isolation system contributed to its success in controlling Covid-19. The people there are well-informed about private security measures. The Ministry of Health informs the public about positive cases and potential risks and provides guidelines for disease prevention on its websites.
The government-run media campaign, including a viral music video, has promoted personal security practices, while public and private telecom companies have collectively sent billions of messages to mobile phone users to prevent Covid-19.
Public compliance with precautionary measures, including social distance, was adopted and still is. Face masks are mandatory in public places, and alcohol-based hand sanitisers are widely available. Religious sites and schools have been closed.
The private sector has grown. The factory is focused on building medical supplies, preventing the health center from lacking personal protective equipment and ventilators. Philanthropists have set up “rice ATMs” to feed vulnerable people amid the economic downturn.
History of epidemic preparedness
Vietnam’s relative success is the result of continued efforts to prepare for the epidemic. Following the outbreak of SARS in 2003, Vietnam continued to strengthen its national capacity to control emerging infectious diseases with the support of the World Bank.
The World Bank has funded a series of three operations for avian and human influenza control and preparedness, which have enhanced disease surveillance and response systems and therapeutic care preparations.
Recently, the Bank had supported the Vietnam Health Security Financing Assessment; Risk communication status analysis; “We may have won a battle, but this war is still going on,” said Vietnam’s deputy prime minister last year.
Vietnam’s economy is resilient, expanding by 2.9 percent in 2020 – the world’s highest growth rate – and is projected to grow by 6.5 percent in 2021. According to the IMF’s latest annual assessment of the country’s economy, it appears to be based on government support.
Moving forward to a recovery in Asia, policymakers need to limit sustainable economic growth and support a strong recovery, while establishing a phase of reform to increase productivity and reduce economic duplication.
The epidemic has had a devastating effect on the economy, but Vietnam appears to have taken decisive steps to limit both health and economic outcomes.
Aggressive contact tracing targeted testing, and the rapid introduction of corrective measures, except for cases of suspected COVID-19, seem to have succeeded in keeping record infections and mortality rates significantly lower per capita. Successful reform measures, with timely policy support, helped limit the incidence of the disease through economic outcomes and the size of the emergency reform package.
In 2020, the Vietnamese economy expanded by 2.9 percent, the world’s highest growth rate, as evidenced by the initial numbers of domestic activity and strong export performance, especially high-tech electronics exports from around the world.
Vietnam entered the epidemic with solid economic fundamentals and policy buffers, although some structural challenges remain to be addressed. Since the advent of the market-oriented “Do Moi” reform in 1986, Vietnam has become one of the poorest countries in the world and a low-middle-income country. The structural transformation from a foreign direct investment-led agriculture to a modern economy and the emphasis on “leaving no one behind” has also helped raise living standards. Strong foreign investment and current account savings strengthened external resilience.
With higher profits, liquidity, and lower non-performing loans than in the past, the health of the banking system has improved, although weaknesses remain. And before Covid-19, the country has made significant progress in public finance integration. The construction of these financial, external, and financial buffers before the epidemic made Vietnam more resilient to shock. However, despite these favorable results and ongoing structural reforms, there is still significant room for productivity and economic resilience.
Entered the crisis with weak balance sheets, especially small and medium enterprises that dominate hard-hit areas.Covid-19 worsened their liquidity and soluble position by raising financial stability concerns through bank exposure. The monetary, financial, and financial sector policies implemented by the government have helped reduce corporate defaults and the immediate risks to the general public.
Such support should be aimed at the best liquid but viable firms. Continuous strict supervision helps to address financial system risks with timely efforts to address problem debt and strengthen the regulatory and supervisory framework.
Nepal’s health workers and officials are struggling with a massive increase in the number of Covid-19 cases as the infection spread from neighboring India’s deadly second wave. In the last three weeks, one in two of Nepal’s daily events tested positive. “Health facilities have been flooded by symptomatic events…the situation could get worse in the coming days,” said a spokesman for Nepal’s Epidemiology and Disease Control Division. ”
As the transition progresses, will Nepal be the next Covid-19 hotspot?
Earlier this week, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was criticized for facing an epidemic and called on the international community to supply vaccines and medical supplies to Nepal to fight the virus.
The vaccination campaign from Nepal, which began in January, faced uncertainty after only half of the demand-supply from India was distributed. In a country of about 30 million, only 2.2 million shots have been made available from India and China, and only a small number have received both vaccines.
Vietnam on high alert after the recent outbreak
After more than a month of local infections, Vietnam has confirmed 176 cases of the cervical virus in one province in the past 10 days, according to the Ministry of Health.
Developing countries in Asia are at risk amid India’s coronavirus crisis
“The current situation is worrisome because we are spreading across the country with unclear sources of infection and multiple types of viruses,” he said.
The writer is the ex-CEO, NEPSE and SEZ. Currently associated with the private sector.
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