Vietnam is willing to share with South Africa its research and production of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 test kit so that the two nations could together overcome the pandemic, said a Vietnamese official at a virtual discussion which gathered leaders and experts of the two nations’ military medical corps.

Speaking at the event, which spotlighted pandemic response experience, Colonel Nguyen Van Giang, deputy head of the Ministry of Defence’s Military Medical Department, continued highlighting Vietnam’s willingness to share its practical experience in COVID-19 prevention and control.

He praised South Africa’s efforts in the fight against the pandemic. He noted 600,000 of the country’s 700,000 COVID-19 patients have been recovered, saying the rate is encouraging.

Regarding Vietnam’s current situation, he informed that no community infections have been detected in the past 43 consecutive days. Vietnam, however, stays vigilant as the pandemic developments remain complicated worldwide, the official affirmed.

International researches and exchanges on response measures should be carried out frequently, Giang suggested.

Major General N.P Maphaha, Chief Director of Military Health Force Preparation at the South African Military Service, lauded the organisation of the online meeting, saying it is an opportunity for top military medicine experts of the two nations to exchange knowledge and expertise in combating COVID-19.

He spoke highly of Vietnam’s pandemic response capacity, including the nation’s successful production of a test kit that is highly evaluated by the international medical community.

Maphaha said South Africa needs to learn from Vietnam’s production experience, as the country still has to rely on imported test kits.

At the function, Vietnamese and South African experts exchanged views on a range of issues, including those on the deployment of the medical corps, testing methods and procedures, methods for virus sources tracing and quarantine, and the monitoring of recovered patients, among others.