Official Dispatch 9830/BYT-DP 2021 continuing to strictly and effectively implement measures to prevent COVID-19 pandemic

 To: People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities.

Over the past few days, the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in key localities, such as Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Long An, Dong Nai, and some others, has been basically put under control. However, over the past time, a number of people have moved from pandemic-hit areas to other localities after the lockdown was lifted, posing the risk of possible pandemic outbreaks anywhere and anytime. In order to continue intensifying measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic in a safe and flexible manner, effectively control the pandemic and restore economic development; following the directions of the Prime Minister; the Ministry of Health (as the standing body of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control) hereby requests the People’s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities to implement the following contents:

1. To continue thoroughly grasping as well as strictly, comprehensively, drastically and effectively implement the directions of the Prime Minister, the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control; regulations and guidelines of the Ministry of Health on the COVID-19 prevention and control. To direct the People’s Committees at all levels to strictly implement Resolution 128/NQ-CP dated October 11, 2021 of the Government on “safe and flexible adaptation to, and effective control over the COVID-19 pandemic” and Decision No. 4800/QD-BYT dated October 12, 2021 of the Ministry of Health, ensuring consistency and transparency across the country, promoting the initiative and creativity of local authorities, and avoiding localizing, self-ruling and promulgating unnecessary regulations.

2. To proactively work out specific, detailed and feasible scenarios in response to pandemic situations in the respective localities, and ensure safe, flexible adaptation to, and effective control over the COVID-19 pandemic in strict accordance with the policies that they must be applicable to all people and take the people as the center and the grassroots level as the foundation in preventing and controlling the pandemic; of which the attention must be paid to speeding up the vaccination and enlarge the vaccine coverage for the people; improving the capacity of the health system, especially the grassroots-level health facilities, to respond regularly and promptly to the pandemic; getting ready to set up mobile health stations in communes, wards and townships, in pandemic outbreaks and complicated pandemic-hit areas so that people can access medical services early, remotely, from grassroots level; strengthening and deploying more staff to health stations in communes, wards and townships when the number of COVID-19 cases increases; preparing enough therapeutic drugs and medical equipment; zoning and quarantining the possible narrowest areas; continuing to implement the 5K rules and raising the people’s awareness of pandemic prevention and control. To lift the lockdown, resume production and business activities, reopen the economy with a roadmap in safe and eligible places.

3. To enhance the sentinel surveillance of influenza-like illness (ILI), severe viral pneumonia (SVP), and COVID-19, event-based surveillance (EBS) and surveillance for early detection of suspected COVID-19 cases in the community, take samples for testing of suspected cases who suffer cough and/or fever in order to early detect and quarantine COVID-19 cases, promptly zone and thoroughly handle the outbreak so that it cannot spread in the community; at the same time, take medical measures to prevent cross-infection in quarantined and locked-down areas. To strictly control and manage border areas, especially cross-border trails and border crossings.

4. Depending on the risk assessment level as specified in Resolution No. 128/QD-CP dated October 11, 2021 of the Government, to consider quick tracing and testing is the key measure to effectively and early control the pandemic as well as safely and flexibly adapt to the developments of the pandemic, thus gradually turning level-2, 3, and 4 areas to level-1 ones under the interim guidance on medical expertise promulgated together with Decision No. 4800/QD-BYT dated October 12, 2021 of the Ministry of Health. To strengthen the dissemination of information on the mass media so that people in COVID-19-hit and at-risk areas proactively make medical declarations to local health authorities for guidance on monitoring their health and take preventive measures as prescribed.

5. To direct medical examination and treatment facilities to strictly separate people who come for medical examination and treatment into different groups, ask them to make medical declarations, check their body temperature, and request them to comply with regulations on COVID-19 prevention; medical staff as well as high-risk departments and sections must be vigilant and strictly follow the patient screening and classification procedures, do not transfer mild patients or those with no symptoms to higher levels so as to prevent overcrowding and the risk of infection at medical facilities; ensure adequate oxygen, ventilators, emergency beds and other necessary facilities as soon as possible; well coordinate in implementing the three-storey COVID-19 treatment model with the priority of treatment given to the 1^st  and 2^nd  stories, limit the number of seriously ill patients, and ensure that the patients are hospitalized, given first aid, and treated in a timely manner.

To complete plans to be ready to set up a treatment system including Intensive Care Centers and Field Hospitals, especially mobile health stations and teams to take care of people infected with the COVID-19 at home so that people can access medical services early and remotely.

6. To speed ​​up the vaccination against the COVID-19 for people aged 18 and over (with the priority given to those aged 50 years and older, people with underlying medical conditions) as soon as the vaccines are distributed, in a safe and effective manner; to promote the application of Electronic Health Record platform to manage and track vaccination progress. To rapidly increase the vaccine coverage with the first dose, give the second dose to those who have had the first dose after the interval, and administer the vaccination to children aged 12-17 under the guidance of the Ministry of Health.

7. To direct agencies, units, businesses, schools, etc. to take measures to ensure safety against the COVID-19, regularly evaluate and update their situations on the COVID-19 Safety system. To ensure safety against the COVID-19 pandemic in industrial parks and schools; maintain production and business activities in places where conditions are met on the principle of “conducting production activities only when safety is ensured, and safety must be ensured while conducting production activities”. To intensify the inspection of the pandemic prevention and control of agencies, units, organizations and enterprises, especially at hospitals, production facilities, markets, supermarkets, railway stations, airports, bus stations, etc. To request them to regularly update their situations on the Map of Safe Adaption to the COVID-19; promote the mobilization of people to continue implementing 5K rules and uphold their vigilance despite being fully vaccinated; strictly handle violations of regulations on the pandemic prevention and control.

8. To strictly control the traveling of people as well as firmly grasp the information of citizens leaving and entering the respective localities, at-risk people who are staying or working in the respective localities and businesses (such as long-distance, inter-provincial drivers and assistant drivers; people returning to their residences from other provinces, residents of other provinces working in the respective localities, etc.) to take appropriate preventive measures and regularly make medical declarations.

9. To strictly follow the mechanism of daily briefing and reporting the results of monitoring, investigation and prevention of the COVID-19 pandemic to the Ministry of Health (via the Department of Preventive Medicine at email: [email protected]) as prescribed.

The Ministry of Health (as the standing body of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control) then requests the People’s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities to direct the implementation hereof.

Kind regards./.