PM requires localities to candidly identify hindrances of COVID-19 combat
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on December 16 chaired an online meeting with localities to find out the root cause of the surge in COVID-19 cases within the community, and seek drastic measures to curb the pandemic spread.
PM Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the meeting. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham MinhChinh on December 16 chaired an online meeting with localities to find out theroot cause of the surge in COVID-19 cases within the community, and seekdrastic measures to curb the pandemic spread.
The PM, who is also head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, stressed that the pandemic is unpredictable with the emergence of the Omicron variant, while COVID-19 infections and death toll in the country keep rising, hence the meeting.
He required localities to candidly identify problems and difficulties in the pandemicfight, and raise proposals regarding vaccines, treatment drugs, medicalsupplies as well as the direction and implementation work.
Chinh stressed that extra efforts are needed to reducethe numbers of new cases, severe cases, and fatalities.
He asked localities to continue implementing theGovernment’s Resolution 128/NQ-CP dated October 11, 2021 on safe and flexibleadaptation to and effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic. No locality isallowed to issue regulations contrary to those by the upper level.
The Ministry of Health reported that in the fourth wave of outbreaks to December15, the country recorded more than 1.4 million cases of COVID-19, with 28,500deaths. Over 1 million patients hadrecovered.
In the week from December 9 to 15, the country detected 106,918new infections, including 64,723 found in the community. Most of the new caseswere reported in the southern region (71.2 percent).
The ministry forecast that new infections and deathswould increase in many localities in the time ahead as social activities havebeen resumed, people begin to let guard down and new variants spread quickly,among other reasons./.
The Vietnamese community abroad has donated more than 3 billion VND (130,264 USD) to the National COVID-19 Vaccine Fund and pandemic prevention and control activities at home.
Despite suffering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam-UK trade see positive developments with two-way trade turnover reached more than 5.4 billion USD in the first ten months of this year, representing a year-on-year rise of 16 percent, Ta Hoang Linh, director of the Europe-America Market Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), has said.
The Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela and Colombia held a webinar on sharing experience in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic and measures for the economic recovery of Vietnam and Colombia on December 15.
Vietnam now boasts a nationwide healthcare network with 1,665 hospitals, 384 of which are non-public, supported by local commune- and ward-level stations. At the end of 2024, hospital bed capacity reached 34 per 10,000 people, slightly above the global average.
The 56-year-old patient from Quang Tri province was discharged in stable condition as he no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute, said that under the MoU, the two sides committed to promoting diverse and practical collaborative activities, including joint conferences and workshops, exchanges of scholars, researchers and students, sharing academic materials, and the development of specific programmes and projects in scientific research, training, and epidemic prevention.
TytoCare, a leading Israeli telemedicine company based in Netanya, is willing to work with Vietnamese regulators, insurers, and healthcare providers to develop a sustainable digital health ecosystem.
The partnership is under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding on the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control, signed in Hanoi on July 22.
An estimated 7 million Vietnamese are currently living with diabetes, but about 50% remain undiagnosed, a dangerous gap that is fuelling serious, preventable complications and increasing the burden on the healthcare system.
In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019.
Health authorities in HCM City have issued an urgent alert after six people died from dengue fever, amid a spike in infections driven by the onset of the rainy season.
During the peak months of July and August 2025, the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) needs at least 90,000 units of blood to supply 180 hospitals in the northern region. However, despite continuous efforts, the reserve blood is still short of 30,000 units.
The Hanoi ceremony highlighted efforts to ensure all citizens, especially women and youth, can access accurate information and healthcare services to make informed reproductive choices.
After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
Currently, cardiovascular specialists from the 108 Military Central Hospital are working alongside a team of Prof.Dr. Jan D. Schmitto, Deputy Director of MHH’s Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery on clinical trials for MCS devices, implanted in heart failure patients either as a bridge to transplantation or as permanent treatment.
The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
Not only does Vietnam attract international tourists with its landscapes, culture, and cuisine, but it is also gradually becoming a reliable destination for medical treatment, offering high-quality services at reasonable costs.
Over the past six months, 150 communal health stations in provinces including Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, Ben Tre and Ca Mau have been equipped with information technology systems. In addition, 117 key provincial healthcare workers have received training, with thousands more expected to follow.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ministry of Health swiftly launched a telemedicine programme, connecting more than 1,000 medical establishments nationwide. The model, which remains in operation, has benefited tens of thousands of patients, including foreign nationals.
After more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the patient's pneumonia improved, breathing stabilised, sedation was reduced, and the breathing tube was removed. He is now conscious, able to eat orally, and in recovery.
PM Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the meeting. (Photo: VNA) 
