Community-Based Measures to Against the COVID-19: An Experience From Vietnam With Consecutive 3 Months of no New Infection in the Community During the First Wave of Pandemic

Abstract

Vietnam has faced a high risk of transmission of COVID-19 during the pandemic. Despite the specific challenges that come with a low-resource country, the Vietnamese government has provided a sustainable response, demonstrating both great capacity and rapid decision-making to manage the entirety of the COVID-19 outbreak with lessons learned from the SARS and H1N1 epidemics in 2003 and 2009, respectively. A rapid response, specific epidemiological F0–F5 tracing system, and public education are some of the key measures that have helped Vietnam to control the outbreak. As of July 15, 2020, Vietnam has reported 373 accumulated confirmed cases and no deaths within the last 90 consecutive days of no new infections in the community. Vietnam can now consider declaring an end to the COVID-19 crisis on their part.

A problem of self-isolation in Japan: The relationship between self-isolation and COVID-19 community case

“…In more details, the tracing should not only focus on closed contacts but also expand their contacts as well. 6 , 35 The closed contacts should test via PCR and stay home until the result is available ( Figure 4 and 5 ). The undeniable efficacy of the Japan cluster-based approach will surge, paying more attention to F2 (contact of closed contact with confirmed cases), who were ignored.…”

“…The efficacy of F2 monitoring appeared in Vietnam, where the classification procedure of COVID-19 defines patients and their contacts from F0 to F5 (first generation of infection, second to fifth generation of infection). 6 , 35 During the period of March to April 2020, a successful containment of a localized outbreak of COVID-19 in Bach Mai Hospital, Vietnam involved identification of 27893 F1 and F2 contacts who were traced, tested and quarantined at centralised centres; and about 24346 F3 and F4 cases were traced and quarantined at home. 36 As of April 18th, 2021 with 2784 COVID-19 positive cases, the Government of Vietnam has already quarantined more than 15.7 million people.…”

“…Nam Xuan Ha 1 ,2# , Truong Le-Van 2 ,3# , Nguyen Hai Nam 2 , 4 , 5 , Akshay Raut 2 , 6 , Joseph Varney 2 , 7 , Nguyen Tien Huy 2 ,8*…”

“…In some countries such as Vietnam, the government has started to control the declaration of health status and history of the movement by using a BlueTooth-based mobile application that serves to caution its users with close contact with a COVID-19 patient. 6 Either home-based or institution-based isolation accomplishes this. Institution-based isolation is better in controlling community transmission of COVID-19, 7 , 8 though home-based isolation is understandably the preferred method.…”