HCM City keeps close eye on COVID-19 amid surge in travel during Tet
Ho Chi Minh City set up 45 COVID-19 vaccination sites during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays, and immunised around 300 people, according to its Department of Health.
A man gets a COVID-19 vaccination shot at the District 3 Medical Centre in HCM City on January 31.(Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNS/VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City set up 45COVID-19 vaccination sites during the Tet (LunarNew Year) holidays, and immunised around 300 people, according to itsDepartment of Health.
Health authorities had a “thoughtful” plan for potentialCOVID-19 outbreaks since a huge number of people were travelling duringthe period, Dr Nguyen Van Vinh Chau, deputy director of the department, said.
The city operated field hospital No 13 to provide treatment toCOVID-19 patients as part of the response plan, he told a meeting hisdepartment held with the Ministry of Health on January 31 in HCM City.
The HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases closely coordinatedwith the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit for surveillance ofSARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID, he said.
Nguyen Thanh Dung, Director of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases,said the hospital’s Department of Infectious Diseases D, which receivespatients critically ill with COVID from other medical facilities in the city,saw a decline in admissions during Tet.
It treated 17 during the holidays and now only three remain. “Itis a very optimistic sign for the COVID-19 situation in the city,” he said
However, the number of dengue fever cases was high, with nearly300 of them coming to the hospital last week, including 79 children, he said.
Luong Chan Quang, deputy head of the HCM City Pasteur Institute’sdepartment of diseases control and prevention, said the COVID-19 response planfocused on high-risk residents, including seniors and people with underlyingmedical conditions.
"Disease surveillance in the community remains crucial,"he added.
"The HCM City Pasteur Institute and HCM City Hospital forTropical Diseases are capable of early detection of new mutations and variantsthrough whole-genome sequencing," he said.
The city’s authorities needed to step up communications campaignsfor providing COVID booster vaccines, he added./.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has sent a document to Secretaries of provincial/municipal Party Committees and Chairpersons of provincial/municipal People’s Committees, asking for faster vaccinations against COVID-19.
The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City have requested authorities of districts and Thu Duc city to speed up COVID-19 vaccination for children aged five to under 18, in preparation for the new academic year 2023.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on December 23 chaired a teleconference of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control with leaders of 63 provinces and centrally-run cities.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has signed a dispatch directing ministers, heads of ministerial-level and State agencies, and chairmen of People’s Committees of centrally-run cities and provinces to strengthen measures to prevent the spreading of COVID-19 during the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) Festival and the festive season of 2023.
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 man gets a COVID-19 vaccination shot at the District 3 Medical Centre in HCM City on January 31.(Photo: VNA) 
