Active response to COVID-19 urged as new sub-variant emerges globally

Illustrative image (Photo: vietnamnet.vn)

Hanoi (VNA) – The has sent a dispatch to authorities
of centrally-run cities and provinces requesting active response to COVID-19 as
the number of new infected cases globally surged by 80% last month.

In its
recent report, the World Health Organisation (WHO) identified the new
EG.5 sub-variant of Omicron as a “significant concern.”

The
report also revealed that during July 10-August 6, there were nearly 1.5
million new infections worldwide, marking an 80% increase compared to the
previous four weeks. However, the number of COVID-19-related deaths fell by
57%, totaling 2,500 cases.

Accordingly,
cities and provinces were urged to seriously follow the Government and Prime
Minister’s directives on pandemic prevention and control, effectively realise
the Government’s Resolution and the Health Ministry’s guidelines on prevention and
control of COVID-19 and other such as dengue fever,
hand-foot-and-mouth disease.

Assoc. Prof Tran Dac Phu, former Director of the ministry’s
General Department of Preventive Medicine, said in the current context, Vietnam
needs to continue closely monitoring the WHO’s information on the
transmissibility and virulence of new variants, including the .

Preventive measures in the public should continue, such as
wearing masks in high-risk areas, regularly washing hands and receiving vaccination,
and others, he said./.