Indonesia Needs To Learn From Vietnam In Handling COVID-19 Patients

Mask illustration (unsplash)

JAKARTA - Vietman is the only country in Southeast Asia that has been praised by the World Health Organization (WHO) for handling COVID-19 patients. As many as 16 people with coronavirus in Hanoi were reported to have been successfully cured.

Vietnam's Ministry of Health also stated that there were no more COVID-19 cases recorded since February 13, 2020. Following the latest report, a village north of Hanoi had to be isolated for 20 days.

"If the COVID-19 battle is like a war, then we have won the first round but not the whole war because the situation can be very unpredictable," Vietnam Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said.

Vietnam's fast handling of the corona virus cannot be separated from the readiness of the government since knowing the first case of this disease. Not only government agencies, collaboration between communities also contributed to the handling of this SARS-like virus.

As is well known, Vietnam officially declared COVID-19 as an epidemic on February 1, since then the number of reported cases of corona has continued to increase. Without further ado, the Ministry of Health ordered the 10,600 residents of Son Loi not to leave the city and rather spend 20 days at home.

The Vietnamese government also immediately stopped all flights to and from China. All permits granted for flights between Vietnam and China, including Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, have been revoked until further notice, the government said in a statement.

"The country has activated its response system in the early stages of the outbreak, by intensifying surveillance, increasing laboratory testing, ensuring infection prevention and control and case management in health facilities, clear explanation of virus risk, and multi-sectoral collaboration," said Kidong Park, the representative. WHO in Vietnam.

Vietnam made an absolute bop of a coronavirus song and it's been stuck in my head for 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/N3LWcOi7cz

- Janna Karel (@jannainprogress) March 3, 2020

Not only the Ministry of Health, other ministries also contribute so that the spread of the virus can be suppressed. Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Huu Do said the Ministry of Education had instructed schools to disinfect classrooms before students started and continued teaching and learning activities.

Teachers and staff are asked to always remind students about maintaining hygiene such as washing hands and carrying out temperature checks on students upon their arrival. Schools are also required to prepare health forms that are used to monitor student health.

However, Vietnam does not 'relax' itself. Even though they have managed to control the virus well to date, various parties in Vietnam still believe that there are several regulations that must be done so that the virus does not return, namely by prohibiting the trade in wildlife.

On January 28, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered a ban on imports of wild animals into Vietnam. The Department of Forest Protection has also temporarily prohibited the transport of wild animals outside the territory or out of Vietnam. When the COVID-19 virus first broke out in Wuhan, it was believed that the virus originated from the meat of wild animals, such as bats and snakes.

Vietnamese authorities have also suspended a visa-free program for South Korean citizens. In addition, all tourists coming from South Korea, Iran and Italy are required to be isolated for 14 days.

Vietnam sucessfully developed Mobile Sterilization Chambers. It can clean 90% of the bacteria and virus on your bodies and of course our Corona song'll be played during the time you're inside. Capacity: 1000 people / dayTime: 15-20s / personAnd it's FREE too. pic.twitter.com/lVgoGVthJH

- DoTheImpossible😤Luna (@LunaOi_VN) March 13, 2020

About 700 tourists from South Korea are quarantined in Can Tho as a measure to prevent the spread of the virus. In addition, Vietnam Airlines has temporarily suspended all flights to and from South Korea from March 5. Earlier on February 26, Bamboo Airways had suspended all flights to and from South Korea.

"We are at a tipping point in the outbreak. Countries, including Vietnam, should use this time to prepare for a wider possibility of transmission," said Kidong Park.

Although Vietnam has successfully cured all COVID-19 patients in its country. However, that does not mean that Vietnam can lower its vigilance, considering that the spread of this virus infection is still ongoing in a number of surrounding countries.

Until now, the number of cases of the corona virus or COVID-19 worldwide has reached 167,457. According to Johns Hopkins CSSE data, the most COVID-19 patients outside China occurred in Italy with 24,747 cases. Then followed by Iran with 13,938 cases and South Korea with 8,162 cases.

Meanwhile, the number of patients who recovered and were declared free of the COVID-19 corona virus reached 76,851 Spaniards 289 deaths.

In Indonesia, the number of patients identified with the corona virus has reached 117 people, with five of them reported dead. Meanwhile, only five other patients have reportedly recovered and are free from the corona virus.