The current Covid-19 wave that started in the central city of Danang poses three main challenges to the country, a leading medical academic in Vietnam has said, according to a Vn Express report.
Bui Vu Binh, Head of Infection Control Department at Hanoi Medical University Hospital, outlined the three specific problems.
First, the latest nCoV outbreak in Danang reveals a new strain that’s more contagious than the previous five in Vietnam, hence it is spreading at a far more rapid rate than with the first wave.
Second, it is difficult to track the original source (F0 patients) this time. The wave started during the holiday season, plus the nation having notched 99 days of no community transmission meant people were travelling more often and freely. Not tracing the source adds extra layers of complexity to preventing further outbreaks.
Third, the rate of medical staff catching Covid-19 is very high. If medical staff start contracting the virus in large numbers, the risks posed to the country heighten considerably. “This is incredibly dangerous,” Bui Vu Binh stressed. “We must protect the medical task force to win against the virus.”
All of these conditions have created a favorable environment for the virus to spread, the report stated.
Vietnam reported its 6th Covid-19 death on Sunday evening. Currently, the nation’s total number of cases has risen to 621, with 241 considered ‘active’ cases in treatment.
The global death toll is approaching 690,000, with over 18 million cases in 213 countries.
