VIETNAM'S WINNING FEAT AGAINST COVID-19

Vietnam has been heaped with praises from the United Nations and the World Health Organizations for its exemplary efforts in containing the Covid-19 pandemic. As a developing nation, it has adopted some extreme measures but was sensible enough to choose prevention early. Having faced such pandemics earlier, Vietnam shows the way in combating the deadly virus. Mumeninaz Zaman writes

- Mumeninaz Zaman

After discovering just six infected patients in the country Vietnam declared the virus an epidemic, one of the first countries to do so. The World Health Organization was quick to praise the country saying: “Early detection, early isolation, and active treatment is extremely important. Vietnam’s early actions stopped the further spread of the disease, saving thousands of lives.”

Despite sharing a 1400km long border with China, the epicentre of the Covid-19 outbreak, Vietnam with a population of 96 million has been able to halt the spread of the virus in a considerable way. While the country is facing poor economic conditions with limited technological capacities, the country's response to the outbreak has received acclaim for its immediacy, effectiveness and transparency, in contrast to the alleged cover-up in China, and the poor preparation in the United States and in European countries.

While the pandemic showed some powerful countries working cluelessly, Vietnam demonstrated how early prevention could be a chain breaker of the deadly virus. As on September 25, Vietnam recorded no new COVID-19 infections, with a tally of 1,069, the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control announced. This day also marks the 23rd consecutive day without community transmissions. The fatalities in the country stand at 35.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has characterized Vietnam's efforts against the COVID-19 as the spring general offensive of 2020, a reference to the military offensive that defeated U.S. imperialism in 1975.