Up until Friday (31 July), Vietnam was the golden boy of the coronavirus generation.
Zero deaths. Minimal cases despite a population of around 95 million. Fast and efficient measures to control the outbreak.
If WHO ever had a fetish for countries, it would certainly be Vietnam.
And yet, the question remains;
Will Vietnam, against all odds, remain infallible till the end? Or as Singaporeans would phrase it…
Will Vietnam be able to avoid a fate like Singapore’s, which was in a similar position mere months ago?
Well, as it turns out, the answer’s a no.
Which is certainly regrettable, considering how Vietnam, at one point in time, seemed on course to be one.
Everything About Vietnam COVID-19 Wave, The Country That Used to be a Success Story
On Friday, it was reported that a man, aged 70 and from the central city of Hoi An, had passed away from the Covid-19 epidemic.
Later on in the day, a second death was reported, this time of a 61-year-old man.
And on Saturday, a 68-year-old woman became Vietnam’s third coronavirus death.
All of them have been linked to the hospital in Da Nang, the country’s most popular beach destination.
Which made for a rather ‘sorry’ state of affairs, considering how just days ago, the country was a champion in its own right.
Unlike many other countries, Vietnam chose to act even before it had confirmed cases: it refused entry to almost all travellers, except for returning citizens.
Anyone entering the country would also have to undergo a 14-day quarantine period, as well as a testing phase, in government facilities.
“In Vietnam they responded very quickly, they were able to track the first people coming into the country with it… [they were] all isolated, contacts all isolated,” said Professor Guy Thwaites, the director of the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Ho Chi Minh City.
“They quarantined more than 200,000 people over a period of four months, even with relatively small numbers of cases.”
And the measure seemed to be highly effective, considering how there were no new local transmissions since April.
Or 99 days, to be exact.
Needless to say, the country was commended for its timely efforts to contain the virus, and it was seen as a role model all around the world.
Until the Da Nang incident happened.
Da Nang
According to new sources, tens of thousands of tourists from the across the country were in the popular resort of Da Nang at the time.
And apparently, they are believed to have been the ones who transmitted the virus.
Initially, Vietnamese mainstream newspapers indicated coronavirus as the main cause of the first man’s death.
Moments later, however, the story was deleted from multiple state media websites.
It only resurfaced when the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control finally confirmed the news, leading some to speculate that the government had found it hard to announce the news, due to a fear of public embarrassment.
According to Dr Luong Ngoc Khue, vice-director of the Treatment Subcommittee under the National Covid-19 Taskforce, the person “died of heart attack, kidney cancer, high blood pressure and other severe diseases while positive for coronavirus”.
The second patient died later that day, with reports stating that it was a result of septic shock and chronic kidney failure.
The third was being treated for blood cancer when she passed on.
Aggressive Movement
But in the end, it’s not how you fall…
But you get up that really matters.
And to that end, the relevant authorities in Vietnam are certainly not taking this little ‘mishap’ lying down.
According to sources, the country is carrying out an aggressive prevention strategy to contain the virus.
Multiple quarantine facilities, as well as means and resources, have been mobilised to treat every patient.
The city of Da Nang has also been subjected to lock down, with no one allowed to enter or leave the resort.
A Working Cause
Just today, Vietnam’s health ministry reported four new coronavirus cases, including two locally transmitted and two imported cases.
This brings the country’s current figures to 590 cases, of which 144 infections are linked to the costal city of Danang.
Now, with all due respect, 590 is still not a stretch. After all, there are nations with ten, hundred, thousand times the amount.
But remember: the country has only 355 cases in the beginning of July.
But to Vietnam’s credit, they have shown on multiple occasions that they can handle such crises. And honestly speaking, I’m sure they’ll be able to cope with this latest fiasco…
If they haven’t already.
Over in TikTok, there’s a drama involving property agents that’s caused by us. Here’s what happened:
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