Vietnam impresses with its post-Covid-19 recovery

Vietnam has risen 48 places to 14th place in the ranking of 121 countries and territories based on the Covid-19 Recovery Index published by Nikkei Asia. (Japan) announced on June 3.

According to the article, this impressive result comes from Vietnam’s efforts to relax measures to prevent the Covid-19 epidemic, while maintaining the number of new cases at a low level.

The article also highlights the Covid-19 recovery index that assesses countries and territories in terms of disease response, vaccination deployment, and social mobility. This indicator is characterized by low infection and death rates, better vaccination coverage, and fewer travel restrictions. The higher the ranking position, the closer the country or territory is to recovery.

However, Nikkei Asia notes that the testing criterion is no longer included in the May rankings because there is not enough data to make a fair comparison, especially as some countries change related guidelines. .

Notably, Vietnam, along with the Philippines, was at the bottom of the table in 2021 before having a great improvement this year. According to Nikkei Asia, with more than 80% of the population fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and 60% of the population having received booster shots, Vietnam received 27/30 points for vaccine coverage.

According to the World Health Organization, of the Covid-19 vaccines deployed in Vietnam as of May 8, 46% are vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna (both from the US), 28 % of AstraZeneca (UK – Sweden), 23% of Sinopharm (China).

A group of international tourists arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on April 8 Photo: TAN THANH.

Meanwhile, the Philippines last week recorded a daily number of cases below 200 and no deaths. The decline in the number of cases helped the country jump 40 places to 33. The Philippines in February reopened its borders to international travelers with full vaccinations.

This week, the Philippines also dropped the requirement that foreigners who have received a booster dose must present a negative Covid-19 test result upon entry. In the country, most businesses have reopened while the government encourages all schools to hold face-to-face learning this month.

At the top of the list is Qatar. In the top 10, there are 2 countries from Asia, Cambodia (2nd) and South Korea (8th). These two countries are both implementing “living with Covid-19” and have high vaccination rates. Other names in the top 10 are the United Arab Emirates, Rwanda, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malta, the Dominican Republic and Nepal.

Notably, China rose 1 place, to 93. Its mobility score dropped to 4.5/30, lower than the rest of the names in the ranking.

According to Nikkei Asia, Beijing is still implementing blockade measures to control the epidemic. The latest data shows that the number of passengers using public transport in 36 major cities in China has decreased by nearly 50% compared to the same period in 2019.

Some experts expect China to open its borders to international travel and tourism after the first quarter of 2023, helping to sustain the sector’s recovery.