Government: Study on transferring COVID-19 from group A infectious disease to B

The Government has set a research task to switch COVID-19 prevention and control measures from group A infectious disease to group B.

The Government has just issued a Resolution on the epidemic prevention and control program COVID-19. The program sets out specific medical tasks and solutions.

In which, researching, assessing and basing on the epidemic situation to switch measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 epidemic from a group A infectious disease to a group B infectious disease; agencies, organizations and enterprises must carry out regular, periodical and updatereport the results of the infection risk assessment.

Government requests research to transfer Covid-19 from group A infectious disease to group B

The program on COVID-19 prevention and control will be implemented in the period of 2 years from 2022 to 2023. In case the epidemic ends earlier or lasts until 2024, the Ministry of Health reports to the Government to consider continuing the implementation. This program is either modified or supplemented in a timely manner, in accordance with the epidemic situation.

The specific goal of the Program is to ensure the coverage of the COVID-19 vaccine, by the end of the first quarter of 2022, to complete the 2nd injection for people aged 12 to under 18 years, and the 3rd injection for those from 12 years old to under 18 years old. 18 years or older up to the vaccination schedule, except for subjects with contraindications to vaccination; ensure adequate vaccines and complete vaccination for children from 5 years old to under 12 years old by September 2022.

Regarding the control of the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic, the goal is for all levels of government to have a scenario for COVID-19 prevention and control; all people comply with appropriate epidemic prevention and control measures; all agencies, organizations and enterprises carry out the infection risk assessment and update and report the assessment results.

Have a strategy to monitor and detect infections SARS-CoV-2 flexible and suitable to the epidemic situation in each period; reduce the death rate from COVID-19 per million population to a level lower than the Asian average.

Improve capacity of the health system, especially preventive medicine and grassroots health; increase investment in equipment and facilities for medical facilities, have remuneration policies suitable for those in charge of preventive medicine and grassroots health; enhancing the quality of first aid and active resuscitation in medical examination and treatment establishments at all levels.

All vulnerable groups such as the elderly, people with underlying medical conditions, people with disabilities, pregnant women, helpless people, orphans, ethnic minorities, and migrant workers residents in urban areas… are guaranteed access to health services.

Regarding COVID-19 vaccine coverage, the Program sets out the goal of deploying vaccination to ensure the fastest progress possible; strengthen the mobilization of people to vaccinate, go to each alley, knock from door to door, check each person (including sick people who come to medical facilities) to avoid missing out.

Complete in the first quarter of 2022, the 2nd injection for people from 12 years old to under 18 years old, the 3rd injection for people 18 years old and older up to the vaccination schedule, except for subjects with contraindications to injection; organize the implementation of safe, scientific and effective injections for children from 5 years old to under 12 years old as soon as vaccines are available.

Urgently research into vaccination with the 4th dose for adults and the 3rd dose for children from 5 years old to under 18 years old and vaccinate children from 3 years old to 5 years old.

The newly issued program also requires creating all favorable conditions, speeding up production, technology transfer, processing and domestic vaccine production as soon as possible; deploying the application of a national database on population to update information on people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, monitor the coverage of COVID-19 vaccines and serve reasonable vaccine allocation, effective. Implement the connection of the national population database with the vaccination database to accurately calculate the vaccination coverage rate.

The Program’s other main tasks and solutions are to ensure both epidemic prevention and control, socio-economic development and stabilize people’s lives.