Community engagement in the prevention and control of COVID-19: Insights from Vietnam

Abstract

Introduction Community engagement (CE) is an effective public health strategy for improving health outcomes. There is limited published knowledge about effective approaches to CE in ensuring effective responses to COVID-19 throughout lockdowns, travel restrictions and social distancing. In this paper, we contribute to bridging this gap by highlighting experience of CE in Vietnam, specifically focusing on migrant workers in Vietnam. Methods A cross-sectional qualitative study design was used with qualitative data collection was carried out during August-October 2020. Two districts were purposefully selected from two large industrial zones. Data was collected using in-depth interviews (n = 36) with individuals and households, migrants and owners of dormitories, industrial zone factory representatives, community representatives and health authorities. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis approach. The study received ethics approval from the Hanoi University Institutional Review Board. Results The government’s response to COVID-19 was spearheaded by the multi-sectoral National Steering Committee for the Prevention and Control of COVID-19, chaired by the Vice Prime Minister and comprised different members from 23 ministries. This structure was replicated throughout the province and local levels and all public and private organizations. Different activities were carried out by local communities, following four key principles of infection control: early detection, isolation, quarantine and hospitalization. We found three key determinants of engagement of migrant workers with COVID-19 prevention and control: availability of resources, appropriate capacity strengthening, transparent and continuous communication and a sense of trust in government legitimacy. Discussion and conclusion Our results support the current literature on CE in infection control which highlights the importance of context and suggests that future CE should consider five key components: multi-sectoral collaboration with a whole-of-community approach to strengthen governance structures with context-specific partnerships; mobilization of resources and decentralization of decision making to encourage self-reliance and building of local capacity; capacity building through training and supervision to local institutions; transparent and clear communication of health risks and sensitization of local communities to improve compliance and foster trust in the government measures; and understanding the urgent needs ensuring of social security and engaging all parts of the community, specifically the vulnerable groups.

Global Experiences of Community Responses to COVID-19: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Six studies addressed the theme of community screening for COVID-19 ( 48 , 53 , 58 , 62 , 63 , 67 ). There were two subthemes relating to this theme: biotechnology-based detection methods and non-biotechnology-based detection methods.…”

“…Thus, besides biotechnology-based detection methods, non-biotechnology-based detection methods were also used in community responses to COVID-19. In Vietnam, the community volunteers collected epidemic-related data from residents, including daily temperature and symptoms of household members ( 53 ). In addition, community officials collected residents' travel history and their close contact information in order to identify at-risk cases ( 53 ).…”

“…In Vietnam, the community volunteers collected epidemic-related data from residents, including daily temperature and symptoms of household members ( 53 ). In addition, community officials collected residents' travel history and their close contact information in order to identify at-risk cases ( 53 ). The suspected cases were reported to the local health authority, which decided whether they needed testing, isolation, quarantine, or hospitalization.…”

“…In Vietnam, the community volunteers collected epidemicrelated data from residents, including daily temperature and symptoms of household members (53). In addition, community officials collected residents' travel history and their close contact information in order to identify at-risk cases (53).…”

COVID-19 prevention policies through the lens of intermediary organisations and networks: Five lessons for pandemic policy making

“…Several studies on specific communities (e.g., migrants in Vietnam) mention the importance of key persons in communities during the pandemic [7] . We did not find any studies, however, that explicitly focused on the role of intermediary stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”