Outbreak of coronavirus in Vietnam officially announced

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc officially announced an outbreak of coronavirus in Vietnam on Feb 1., Vietnam Breaking News reported. The virus is categorized as a Group A infectious disease. Vietnam is expected to be one of the nations to endure the greatest impact from the outbreak of the virus.

Vietnam has now reported seven cases of the virus, with a further eight suspected victims who have been quarantined.

The PM told ministries, government offices, provincial and city authorities and health facilities to efficiently handle virus prevention duties. Earlier in the week the government made a decision to create 45 rapid response teams to help fight the spread of the virus. Beyond this, four levels of response scenarios have been created and online connections have been made among 22 hospitals.

An emergency response center for public health will be open from Jan. 24 to Feb 24. and will be open longer if needed.

Five working groups of the National Steering Committee for Coronavirus Prevention may be created in high-risk cities and provinces nationwide.

“We must keep calm and take all the necessary solutions to ensure people’s safety,” the PM said, adding that cities and provinces must create plans to handle the virus if necessary.

Other measures include that the Ministry of National Defense must be ready for civil military mobilization, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must be ready for evacuation measures and the Ministry of Industry and Trade must be ready to produce medical equipment for domestic use and export.

Other solutions include banning travel on tracks and self-opened crossing on the border with China, stopping Vietnamese laborers from crossing into China, suspending tourism between the two countries and stopping flights to and from high-risk areas.