Anti-Covid-19 regulations are no longer relevant

As of May 5, Vietnam has injected 215 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, basically covering two doses for the population from 12 years old. Localities are speeding up the third dose and injection for children from 5 to 11 years old.

Meanwhile, the number of infections recorded daily decreased rapidly. Yesterday, the whole country recorded more than 3,000 cases; average of 4,400 cases/day in the past week.

From this fact, many epidemic prevention regulations have been relaxed, such as removing the isolation of close contacts (F1); people entering the country are not required to make medical declarations… However, there are still outdated anti-epidemic regulations that have not been adjusted.

Principle of 5K (mask, disinfection, distance, not focusing, medical declaration) was raised by the Ministry of Health in August 2020, when Vietnam was in the second outbreak of the disease. The Ministry of Health said that Vietnam will have to fight the epidemic for a long time, people need to form appropriate lifestyles and behaviors in disease conditions.

To date, Vietnam has experienced four outbreaks of the disease. With the vaccine coverage rate increasing and the Omicron strain popular, the whole country has opened up, the 5K message is hardly feasible. This has been pointed out by Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen since early March 2022, when he said that some contents of the 5K message such as distance, lack of focus “no longer match the current reality”. “.

According to Mr. Nen, in the new situation, it is difficult for students to go to school, agencies and businesses to go to work. Especially at schools, it is even more difficult for students to eat and sleep if this regulation is maintained. Therefore, only two contents are left, which are masks and disinfection can be done.

Doctor Truong Huu Khanh, former head of the Department of Infection – Neurology, Children’s Hospital I, Ho Chi Minh City, also said that the regulations on keeping distance, not concentrating, and making medical declarations were outdated when the whole country opened. Wearing a mask should also not be mandatory, when the whole country has covered vaccines for the majority of the population. He suggested the Ministry of Health to correct and encourage people to maintain personal hygiene.

Answering at the Government press conference at the end of April, Deputy Health Minister Do Xuan Tuyen said that the 5K principle will be applied flexibly, of which 2K needs to be regularly maintained as masks and disinfection; The remaining 3K is distance, medical declaration, not crowded “will be more flexible”.

However, up to now, the Ministry of Health has not yet issued a document to regulate 5K.

People infected with Covid-19 (F0) must be isolated is a barrier in the process of socio-economic recovery in many localities. According to the regulations of the Ministry of Health, F0 treated at home can only be removed from isolation when they have completed 7 days and have negative rapid test results. If after a week, the infected person is still positive, continue to isolate for full 10 days for those who have received the full dose of vaccine; 14 days for people who have not had the full dose.

At the beginning of April, the Ministry of Health issued new guidelines, stating that F0 should limit leaving the isolation room as much as possible, not leaving the house. When leaving the isolation room, you must wear a mask and keep your distance from other people in the house.

In fact, many places still require F0 to go to the medical station for confirmation procedures. Many families, all members are F0, do not have people to supply medicine, food, food, so they have to go out to buy. To solve the labor shortage, many localities such as Long An and Ca Mau have allowed F0 to participate in production and business.

The Ministry of Health has suggested that F0 who are asymptomatic during the isolation period can work voluntarily. However, to date this proposal has not materialized.

Regulations that people entering Vietnam must have negative nCoV test results by PCR or rapid test is also considered unnecessary. Currently, people entering Vietnam by air need a negative test result for nCoV by PCR within 72 hours; if it is a quick test within 24 hours.

People entering by land, waterway or railway shall apply similar regulations. In case there is no test, in the first 24 hours from the time of entry, from the border gate to the place of residence (hotel, private house…) it is necessary to limit stopping and contacting with other people. After having a negative test result, they are free to travel. Children under 2 years old are not required to be tested and are accompanied by parents, relatives…

“Currently, the number of countries that require a negative test before entry is very small, because the epidemic has subsided globally and very few countries have applied the zero Covid-19 policy. Moreover, the value of the test. Covid-19 is very limited at this stage, purely for reference,” Assoc. Dr. Nguyen Lan Hieu, Director of Hanoi Medical University Hospital, expressed his opinion.

Therefore, the requirement to have a negative test on entry makes it difficult for people and international visitors to come to Vietnam. “It is necessary to stop this regulation as soon as possible, so that life can really return to normal,” Mr. Hieu said.

The classification of epidemic levels was set out in October 2021, when Vietnam transitioned to a phase of safe adaptation to Covid-19. There are four epidemic levels, including: grade 1 (low risk – new normal), green; grade 2 (medium risk), yellow; grade 3 (high risk), orange; level 4 (very high risk), red.

Corresponding to each epidemic level, localities will be allowed to open or limit some services and production and business establishments. With level 1, indoor and outdoor events are not limited in number of people. With level 4, many types of services and businesses have to stop operating.

Up to now, according to the statistics of the Ministry of Health, the whole country has more than 50 provinces and cities that no longer have red zones; There are only 80 communes and wards in the red zone nationwide.

Although the whole country has reopened, life has returned to normal, the regulations on classification of epidemic levels and associated service restriction measures have not been adjusted. “The classification of the disease level should only be for specialized agencies to improve their medical capacity, prepare human resources and facilities for outbreaks. Currently, based on the epidemic level to limit the epidemic situation. Travel and services are difficult to implement in practice,” said Mr. Tran Van Hai, Professional Affairs Department (Hai Duong Department of Health).

Dr. Nguyen Si Dung, former Vice Chairman of the Office of the National Assembly, also shared the view that “it is not advisable to assess the risk of the disease and then divide it into red and blue zones, applicable to everyone, including healthy people”.

In early March, the Ministry of Health proposed to stop reporting the number of daily Covid-19 cases to avoid causing confusion, and at the same time not reflecting the true nature of the epidemic situation. The Covid-19 prevention program issued by the Government on March 17 stated that it will switch from controlling the number of new Covid-19 cases to controlling high-risk, very high-risk hospitalizations and deaths.

Expressing support for this policy, Assoc. Dr. Tran Dac Phu, senior advisor of the Center for Emergency Response to Public Health Events, Ministry of Health, assessed this as “appropriate”. “Cases count” is only one of eight indicators to assess the epidemic situation, but does not reflect the true nature of the epidemic situation. The current statistics of infections are only relative and difficult to be precise. In fact, many people are infected but do not declare or some medical places are overloaded, it is difficult for F0 to contact healthcare.

“We cannot bring the epidemic back to zero Covid-19 but should only focus on announcing the number of hospitalized patients and deaths,” Phu said.

However, up to now, the policy of stopping the daily announcement of Covid-19 cases has not been implemented by the Ministry of Health.

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