According to health experts, the number of Covid-19 cases in Vietnam will increase after the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, while the "most contagious" sub-variant of Omicron will appear.

According to statistics of the Ministry of Health, in recent days, the number of Covid-19 cases in Vietnam has fallen sharply. From December 31, 2022 to January 8, 2023, the number of new infection cases each day was below 100. Vietnam did not record any death from the disease. 

Epidemiologists said that Covid-19 has been basically controlled, but disease development is still unpredictable and unstable.

Dr. Do Van Dung, Head of the Faculty of Public Health at HCM City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, told VietNamNet that after the Tet holiday, which will fall from January 18 to 26, the number of Covid-19 cases will rise. The assessment is based on analysis and experience of epidemiological assessments of other countries. 

Specifically, the number of new cases in many countries increased rapidly during the holiday season (Christmas, New Year). About 15-30 days after Tet, a difference in the number of new cases will be clear. 

Sharing the same view, Dr. Tran Dac Phu, Advisor for the Vietnam Center for Emergency Response to Public Health Events, said that the risk of an outbreak not only comes from the increased demand for trade and tourism during the Tet holiday, but also the weather changes, which is favorable for the spread of infectious diseases.

Responding to the information that Vietnam had detected XBB variant infections in Ho Chi Minh City and Tay Ninh province, Dr. Dung said: "XBB.1.5 has not yet appeared in Vietnam, but the increase in travel in the Tet season, together with the border reopening of many countries, this variant will definitely appear in Vietnam."

Variants and sub-variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are constantly changing. The Vietnamese Ministry of Health forecasts that besides the constant change of strains and sub-variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, border reopening of many countries, and the reducing effect of vaccination over time will lead to the risk of an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases.

The key to cope with COVID-19

Dr. Dung said that the number of Covid cases and deaths in Vietnam are controlled thanks to its high vaccination rate. Therefore, in the future, the increase in new cases is not too worrisome. However, it is needed to issue warnings to reduce the risk to people and the burden on the health sector.

Dr. Phu said that Vietnam should continue the vaccination campaign. In addition, people must actively prevent disease for themselves and the community. Wearing masks and disinfecting regularly not only helps prevent Covid-19 but also other respiratory diseases.

For the upcoming 2023 Tet, Ms. Angela Pratt - Representative of the World Health Organization in Vietnam - recommended that Vietnamese people should pay high vigilance to protect their own health through wearing a mask in crowded places and in enclosed spaces, washing hands frequently, and getting vaccinated. In addition, Vietnam needs to closely monitor the epidemic situation in the world to come up with appropriate response measures.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has issued Dispatch 05 on strengthening epidemic prevention and control during Tet and festival season 2023, especially dealing with variant XBB.1.5. 

The National Assembly on January 9 adopted a resolution on the extension of some COVID-19 prevention and control policies and the continued use of registration certificates for medicines and medicinal ingredients that expired from January 1, 2023.

Ngoc Trang