Vietnam hails mass testing a success as no reports of Covid-19 cases in nine days


Local residents enjoying an outing by the lake as the Vietnam Govt has eased restrictions in the country after Covid-19 cases has not been confirmed locally for the last 16 days. Many locals enjoy the lakeside outing in Hanoi as seen on Saturday evening (May 2). - AFP
HANOI: Vietnam reported no new cases of Covid-19 (coronavirus)infection on Sunday morning, the ninth day in a row, with its total confirmed cases remaining at 270, according to its Ministry of Health.

The country has also reported no new Covid-19 cases in the community for 16 consecutive days, Vietnam News Agency cited the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control as saying on Saturday.

A total of 219 Covid-19 patients have recovered in the country, with no deaths reported, while there are 443 suspected cases and over 30,000 people being monitored and quarantined as of Saturday evening, according to the health ministry.

Vietnam health experts say the country was successful because it made early, decisive moves to restrict travel into the country, put tens of thousands of people into quarantine and quickly scaled up the use of tests and a system to track down people who might have been exposed to the virus.

“The steps are easy to describe but difficult to implement, yet they’ve been very successful at implementing them over and over again,” said Matthew Moore, a Hanoi-based official from the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who has been liaising with Vietnam’s government on the outbreak since early January.

He added that the CDC has “great confidence” in the Vietnamese government’s response to the crisis.

Vietnam increased the number of laboratories that can test for Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, from three at the beginning of the outbreak in January, to 112 by April.

As of Saturday, more than 213,000 tests had been conducted in Vietnam, of which 270 were positive, according to health ministry data.

That ratio of 791 tests to every confirmed case is by far the highest in the world, according to data from health ministries compiled by Reuters. The next highest, Taiwan, has conducted 140 tests for every case. - Vietnam News/Asian News Network

Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access

Monthly Plan

RM 13.90/month

RM 11.12/month

Billed as RM 11.12 for the 1st month, RM 13.90 thereafter.

Best Value

Annual Plan

RM 12.33/month

RM 9.87/month

Billed as RM 118.40 for the 1st year, RM 148 thereafter.

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
Vietnam , No Covid-19 Cases Local , 16 Days

Next In Regional

TikTok darling and Cambodia's famous daughter Princess Norodom Jenna will headline the opening ceremony of the Asean Hyundai Cup
Trump touts Iran inspection deal as Tehran disputes claim
9.3 million�illicit cigarettes seized by Customs
Japan 'robot wolves' in high demand to scare off bears
Lula won’t sideline China or anyone in rare earths, tells Trump refining stays in Brazil
Asean still not ready to accept Myanmar leaders at summits, meetings, says Tok Mat
Anwar holds bilateral talks with S'pore, Laos counterparts
Asean vows to avoid export bans, share fuel as oil prices soar
China AI robot restaurant analyses diners’ faces, tongues to recommend health-focused dishes
Why China’s humanoid robots are still waiting for their ‘ChatGPT moment’

Others Also Read