Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam requested the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Science and Technology to quickly design a plan to strengthen the capability of grassroots healthcare system in order to get ready for future pandemic situations, even for health crises. 

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam (standing) speaks at his working  Ministry of Health,
the Ministry of Science and Technology, and scientists, Ha Noi, October 18, 2021.
Photo: VGP

Vu, who is vice chairman of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, made the request during his working session with the two ministries and scientists on Monday.

He spoke highly of effective contributions by scientists to formulation of COVID-19 prevention and control policies right from the beginning of the pandemic.

Notably, Viet Nam was one of the first countries in the world to culture and isolate SARS-CoV-2 virus, laying foundation for research, development and production of test kits, thus helping Viet Nam to conduct mass testing for COVID-19.

Vietnamese scientists have also made great efforts in research, development and production of COVID-19 vaccines and drugs and put forward technological solutions for epidemiological studies, testing and treatment, online health declaration, evaluation of pandemic risks, and online medical consultation.

At least 10,000 health workers have been mobilized to conduct 800,000 phone calls to help hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 patients in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong.

As the vaccination coverage still remains low in many localities, the containment strategy still remains in effect, said Associate Professor Dr Tran Dac Phu, senior advisor at the Public Health Emergency Operations Center under the Health Ministry.

Tran suggested scientists should focus on studying gene sequencing, antibody responses and efficacy of vaccines used in Viet Nam.

Associate Professor Dr Nguyen Lan Hieu, director of the Ha Noi Medical University Hospital called on scientists to develop a set of criteria for classification of COVID-19 patients based on levels of symptoms in order to design proper treatment methods./.