The number of new cases in Vietnam has decreased slightly compared to the previous week, but still is fluctuating at 14,000-16,000 cases/day.

January 23 marked two years since Vietnam's first two cases of Covid-19 were detected. They were a father and son of Chinese nationality. The son moved from Wuhan (China) to work in Vietnam. Both he and his father, who was visiting him, were hospitalized and treated at Cho Ray Hospital in HCM City.

Since then, Vietnam has recorded a total of 2,141,422 infections, ranking 28th out of 224 countries and territories. For the ratio of infections per million people, Vietnam ranks 143rd out of 224 countries and territories (on average, there are 21,697 infections per 1 million people).

During the fourth outbreak (from April 27, 2021 to present), the number of new infections recorded in Vietnam was 2,134,788, of which 1,802,032 have recovered.

Since the beginning of 2020, Vietnam has experienced four Covid-19 outbreaks of a more complicated scale, location and spread.

According to the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, the number of Covid-19 cases in the recent period increased rapidly due to the rapid spread of the Delta variant, leading to an increase in the number of people suffering severe complications, Covid-19 related deaths, and overloading of the health system in some localities.

After two years, many medical workers are exhausted because they have had to work in a high-pressure environment, facing high risk of infection.

The health sector has recorded thousands of resignations, leading to a risk of shortage of human resources. There is also a staff shortage for preventive medicine in both quantity and quality. The Ministry of Health has been seeking solutions for the problem.

After Delta, the Omicron strain, first discovered in South Africa, is gradually becoming the dominant strain in many countries. According to international documents, this variant has a higher infection rate than Delta among unvaccinated people, but the rate of serious illness and death is not as high.

By January 29, Vietnam recorded 166 cases of Covid-19 caused by Omicron in Ho Chi Minh City (92), Quang Nam (27), Hanoi (14), Khanh Hoa (11), Da Nang (8), Kien Giang (4), Quang Ninh (2), Thanh Hoa (2), Hai Duong (1), Hai Phong (1), Long An (1), Ba Ria - Vung Tau (1), Binh Duong (1) and Lam Dong (1).

Mai Lan

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