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| Health workers guide people to their quarters at a quarantine zone in Hoa Binh province (Photo: VNA) |
"Vietnam shows how you can contain COVID-19 with limited resources" is the title of an article by senior writer Sean Fleming published on the World Economic Forum (WEF) website on March 30.
Fleming started the article highlighting that Vietnam has had no fatalities as a result of the global pandemic, which “has brought many developed countries’ healthcare systems to a breaking point”.
"Vietnam has instead stood out as a beacon of how to do more with less," he affirmed.
“By focusing on measures that are within its control, the country has won praise from the international community.”
On February 1, Vietnam kicked off a series of initiatives to tackle the spread of COVID-19. It suspended all flights to and from China and also decided to keep schools closed after the traditional Lunar New Year holidays.
Two weeks later, a 21-day quarantine was imposed in the northern province of Vinh Phuc, home to some workers returning from China’s Wuhan, where the virus originated.
The article listed various actions of Vietnam to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, including mandatory 14-day quarantines for anyone arriving in the country and the cancellation of all foreign flights.
The Southeast Asian nation has also isolated infected people and then set about tracking down anyone they might have come into contact with.
The writer noted that the country’s proactive efforts come after two decades in which it has experienced a large improvement in quality of life.
“Between 2002 and 2018, an economic transformation helped to lift more than 45 million Vietnamese out of poverty. Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita has more than doubled, to over 2,500 USD in 2018, when the country saw real GDP growth of 7.1 percent. The health of the nation has improved, too – life expectancy rose from 71 years in 1990 to 76 years in 2015”.
Vietnam has seemingly managed to get the outbreak under control, Fleming noted.
