No grounds yet to view COVID-19 as seasonal flu: HCM City official
Though the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Ho Chi Minh City has been falling, there haven’t been grounds for viewing COVID-19 as a seasonal flu and treating it as a common illness, a local official has said.
A student gets vaccinated against COVID-19 in HCM City (Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNA) –Though the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Ho Chi Minh City has been falling,there haven’t been grounds for viewing COVID-19 as a seasonal flu and treatingit as a common illness, a local official has said.
The coronavirus deaths in the country's biggest hub have been very low over the past one week, less than four fatalities perday.
However, the pandemic is an unprecedented event, and there hasn’t been sufficientunderstanding about it to conclude that COVID-19 is similar to dengue fever ora popular illness, Chief of the municipal Health Department’s Office Nguyen ThiHuynh Mai told a meeting of the city’s steering committee for pandemic combatand economic recovery on February 14.
She urged people to continueenhancing anti-pandemic measures and not lower their guard.
Nguyen Hong Tam, DeputyDirector of the HCM City Centre for Disease Control, said the Ministry ofHealth hasn’t issued detailed guidance on the vaccination of children aged 5 -11, but the Health Department has proposed a plan on the work for 970,000local children of this age group to the municipal People’s Committee.
The inoculation of childrenwill be carried out on a voluntary basis, and unvaccinated ones are stillallowed to go to school as normal, he noted, adding that the health andeducational sectors will strive to persuade parents to allow their children be vaccinated.
After the Lunar New Yearholiday, the longest festival that always sees heavy traffic as people often rush for their family reunion, COVID-19 cases in HCM City grew slightly but have declined to lessthan 200 on February 13 and 14. The most important thing is that the number ofrelated deaths remains very low, Tam said, describing this as a highly positivesign.
New infections may increaseas schools have reopened, but the health and educational sectors are pledging utmostefforts to prevent virus transmission in schools, according to the official./.
The HCM City Department of Health has recommended that the People’s Committee should close down the 1,000-bed Covid-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in Thu Duc city saying there are few severely ill patients.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has asked the Ministry of Health (MoH) to urgently complete and issue guidelines on COVID-19 treatment protocols for people under 18 years old, especially children under 12.
Hanoi authorities have been urging all its districts to make records of people at a high risk of contracting COVID-19 and give them vaccine booster shots, according to a notice signed by Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh on February 13.
Vietnam began the Spring COVID-19 vaccination campaign on January 29, with an aim to give booster shots to all eligible adults within the first quarter of 2022. The campaign, launched by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, targets to reduce the number of fatal cases, and enable the reopening of schools in a safe manner.
Vietnam recorded 29,413 cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours to 4pm on February 14, up over 3,000 cases from the previous day, according to the Ministry of Health.
Despite storm-related disruptions and flight delays, the organs were successfully transported via a combination of air and ground travel. All patients are currently stable and recovering well.
The patient, Tieu Viet But, born in 1970 and residing in Binh Tri commune, Binh Son district, the central province of Quang Ngai, was working aboard fishing vessel Qng – 95657TS when the incident occurred at 7:00 am.
All drugs entering hospitals must have a clear origin, so counterfeit drugs are only in the market, not in hospital, affirmed Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan.
To achieve its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2045, Vietnam is prioritising the integration of AI and digital tools into the training of future doctors, said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Viet Nhung, Dean of Medicine at University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vietnam National University (VNU) Hanoi.
Health experts called for collective disease prevention and integrated solutions to achieve zero dengue deaths in the country at an online talk show on June 14.
The PM called for closer, broader, and more effective cooperation with Vietnamese partners, guided by the principles of mutual benefit, joint efforts, shared outcomes, and common development, including promoting stronger public-private partnerships and collaboration with businesses.
Renowned for its expertise in complex surgeries, the hospital has attracted foreign patients seeking treatment for conditions such as kidney and urinary tract stones, urological and gastrointestinal cancers, and male reproductive disorders. Most procedures are performed using advanced techniques, including laparoscopy and robotic surgery. T
Leading Vietnamese companies specialising in respiratory and dermatological treatments, traditional medicine, immune support supplements, and functional foods will have an opportunity to connect with international distributors and secure export deals.
The project aimed to enable early detection and reduce the risk of dangerous complications, targeting patients with chronic diabetes, cardiovascular conditions and metabolic disorders.
A 2023 report by the Vietnam Health Economics Association estimated that the total cost of tobacco-related healthcare and economic losses reached 108 trillion VND (4.14 billion USD) annually – equivalent to 1.14% of GDP and five times higher than the budget revenue generated by the tobacco industry.
All eligible patients will receive surgical interventions and post-operative care in accordance with Vietnamese medical standards and global care protocols.
Medical screenings and surgical interventions for children with disabilities are being carried out at health centers across Dien Bien. So far this year, 242 children have been identified for diagnosis, treatment, surgery, and the provision of assistive devices.
The Red Journey has become the country’s largest and most effective blood donation campaign, leaving a strong impression on the national voluntary blood donation movement.
This case marks the ninth fetal cardiac intervention conducted in HCM City, and it was considered the most technically demanding to date due to the fetus’s extremely early gestational age and the severity of the condition as diagnosed with aortic atresia.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place one day after the VNVC Vaccine JS Company and Sanofi Group exchanged cooperation documents on vaccine production technology transfer under the witness of State President Luong Cuong and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Vietnam’s traditional medicine took centre stage at the International Congress Biopharm Nonclinical Development, BioNCiD 2025, held on May 25-26 in the Cuban city of Varadero, amid growing global interest in sustainable healthcare solutions.
Under the agreement, VNVC and Sanofi will gradually implement technology transfers to enable domestic production of several key Sanofi vaccines that are widely used in Vietnam. In addition, Sanofi will support VNVC in training human resources and quality management in vaccine research and manufacturing.
Despite the ongoing global circulation and unpredictable developments of SARS-CoV-2, the World Health Organisation (WHO) hasn’t issued new warnings about COVID-19, said the Ministry of Health.
A student gets vaccinated against COVID-19 in HCM City (Photo: VNA) 
