HCMC – Praising the Ministry of Health and localities for their support in dealing with the coronavirus hotspots and efforts in Covid-19 prevention, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc noted that the battle against Covid-19 had entered its peak period.

“The image of doctors saying goodbye to their family members and leaving Haiphong City for the coronavirus hotspots is deeply touching, while many donors have given ventilators, medical equipment and money to fight Covid-19,” PM Phuc told a regular Government meeting today, August 7. Speaking at the meeting, he said that Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, is rapidly spreading across many countries, so Vietnam with its deep international integration should not be inattentive and negligent. A high risk of local transmissions of the disease has forced the ministries and other State agencies to step up efforts to fight Covid-19 with stronger determination in the next two weeks, the Government news website reported, citing the prime minister. “We must be patient to practice social distancing and lock down coronavirus clusters strictly and promptly,” PM Phuc noted, urging the leaders of provinces and cities to come up with suitable solutions to fight against the virus based on the situation in localities. It is necessary to build a spirit of high concentration and quick response to effectively ward off the deadly virus, he said. Localities must stay alert and efficiently prevent Covid-19 infections in hospitals, he said, adding that producing accurate and fast test results is the key to successfully eliminating the disease. The Ministry of Health was tasked with supporting the localities in a timely manner with vehicles, tests, materials, medical equipment and staff. Wearing face masks is now a mandatory requirement in public, so localities must ensure the supply of face masks is sufficient and the prices are affordable, according to the prime minister. Apart from this, he said that economic activities should continue while the country is continuing to fight the disease. Goods and food should also be supplied adequately to residents, mainly in Danang, Hanoi, HCMC and Quang Nam, among other localities.