Hanoi (VNA)ꦅ - The Ministry of Health has just issued a decision guiding the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic which will be applied at preventive health, and medical examination and treatment facilities nationwide.

This guidance replaces the ministry’s Decision No. 3638/QD-BYT dated July 30, 2021 on promulgating temporary guidance on COVID-19 prevention and control. According to the health ministry, people infected with SARS-CoV-2 have diverse clinical manifestations, may be asymptomatic, have mild symptoms or have severe illness such as severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome with sepsis, and multi-organ dysfunction, and even death. Groups at risk of serious illness include the elderly, people with serious underlying diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, people with immunodeficiency diseases, and pregnant women. Currently, there are vaccines to prevent the disease and antiviral drugs to treat it. To prevent COVID-19, the ministry asked each person to strictly follow the 2K message (Mask - Disinfection), by wearing masks in crowded places and on public transport. People should also regularly wash hands with clean water and soap or hand sanitiser, rinse with mouthwash, avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth, and covering up when coughing or sneezing. People with COVID-19 must wear masks. Self-quarantine is recommended at home for at least five days from the first symptom or positive SARS-CoV-2 test result. The patient must wear a face mask until the 10th day to avoid infecting others. Caregivers or people living in the same house must also wear a mask when in contact with the sick person. Recently, the Ministry of Health also issued a dispatch to ministries, government agencies, and people's committees of centrally run localities regarding the prevention and control of COVID-19 as a Group B disease. Following a decision issued by the ministry on October 19, COVID-19 is no longer an infectious disease in Group A but downgraded to Group B starting October 20. To ensure a cohesive approach to the current prevention and control activities, the ministry recommends the making of official announcements based on the practical situation. They must be made in accordance with the law on prevention and control of infectious diseases, and the proper restructuring of COVID-19 prevention and control steering committees. Accordingly, localities and units involved are required to review, repeal, or amend any regulations and guidance issued under their jurisdiction that are no longer applicable due to the reclassification of COVID-19 from Group A to Group B. Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha signed Decision No. 1269/QD-TTg on removing some documents on COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control that were issued by the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control and the Prime Minister. One of the abolished documents is the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 447/QD-TTg dated April 1, 2020 announcing the COVID-19 pandemic. Other documents include 20 decisions, 13 official dispatches and four official telegrams issued by the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, and eight directives and three decisions of the Prime Minister./.