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By: Mathias Peer
The emerging country is demonstrating to the world how Covid-19 can be contained: Vietnam is far ahead of countries in Europe - because the authorities reacted much earlier.
A man wears protective mask as he rides past a propaganda banner promoting prevention against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Hanoi, Vietnam, April 3, 2020.
Vietnam is considered by experts to be one of the few bright spots in the global fight against the corona virus.
There were just six cases of infection in a village 40 kilometers outside Vietnam's capital Hanoi. For the local authorities, however, this was enough to take a radical step: The 10,000-strong community of Son Loi was completely sealed off, and no one was allowed to leave the town for 20 days.
With this decision of February 13, Vietnam was the first country outside of China to launch a mass quarantine in the face of the coronavirus crisis . While the carnival was still crowded together in German cities, the emerging country in Southeast Asia had already switched to crisis mode.
The early determination is now paying off for Vietnam: On Wednesday, the health authorities of the country of 100 million people did not report a single new coronavirus case for the sixth day in a row.
The total number of confirmed infections is 268. There have been no deaths as a result of Covid 19 disease. Vietnam is therefore one of the few bright spots in the global fight against the pandemic among experts - and can also hope to cope comparatively well with the economic crisis.
While large parts of Asia are in danger of slipping into recession, economists believe that Vietnam can still expect noticeable economic growth. Both the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), in their annual forecasts released in April, expect the country to see the strongest growth this year among Southeast Asian economies.
China and India, which have long fought the competition for the title as Asia's growth engine, should also leave Vietnam behind: the exporting country is suffering from the weak global demand. The IMF nevertheless expects the Vietnamese economy to grow by almost three percent this year. The ADB even promises almost five percent.
International observers are also optimistic about viral containment: The World Health Organization (WHO) praised the Vietnamese government on Tuesday for dealing with the virus crisis. The discipline of the population in the implementation of social distancing measures also helped, said WHO director Takeshi Kasai.
An unfavorable starting point
At first glance, Vietnam's success seems almost too good to be true: two months ago, on February 21, both Vietnam and Germany each had a total of 16 confirmed coronavirus cases. In Germany the total number has almost increased by a factor of 10,000 since then, in Vietnam only by a factor of 17.
The starting point for Vietnam was not exactly favorable: the country is in the immediate vicinity of China's first virus epicenter, and Chinese make up a third of Vietnam's tourists.
At the same time, the emerging country, with a per capita income of $ 2600 a year, has significantly fewer resources for its health care system. Under these conditions, can the success figures reported by the communist regime in Hanoi really be trusted?
John MacArthur, who represents the CDC in Southeast Asia, replies a little to his answer to the question: He explains how closely he and his colleagues work with the local health authorities, advising them, jointly tracking infection chains and evaluating data.
"This enables us to get a sense of whether the numbers are correct or whether they can only be traced back to a lack of tests," he said in a press briefing a few days ago, and then issued his Vietnamese colleagues with an extremely positive report: "We have closed at this point in time no indication that these figures would be incorrect. "
According to official figures, Vietnam has carried out a total of around 200,000 tests - more than any other country in Southeast Asia. In April, after a virus outbreak in a village near Hanoi with 13 cases, the authorities tested more than 13,000 potential contacts. Almost all tests have already been evaluated, the Ministry of Health announced on Monday - and have so far brought only negative results.
"Political determination at the highest level"
Overall, the otherwise closed regime in Hanoi was unusually open and transparent in the coronavirus crisis. The government holds daily press conferences and publishes detailed situation reports.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc called on the population with war rhetoric to launch a "spring offensive" against the virus. "There was political high-level determination early on in Vietnam," says CDC expert MacArthur, explaining Vietnam's success in containment.
Vietnam had already closed its border with China in January and closed the schools. In early February, with just a handful of infections, the government launched a national epidemic. Later the country cordoned off completely for tourists.
Tens of thousands of Vietnamese returnees from abroad had to go to state quarantine facilities immediately after entering the country. The cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were put under a lockdown despite Vietnam's relatively low number of cases.
Compared to other success stories in virus control, for example in Taiwan or South Korea, where the government relied on mass tests, Vietnam's approach was relatively cheap: "Vietnam has chosen a budget-friendly approach that has proven to be just as effective," said the Vietnamese social scientist Hong Kong Nguyen. "The country's success provides a model that other developing and emerging countries should follow ."
The success in virus control has now enabled the government in Hanoi to be generous internationally: In early April, it donated half a million medical face masks to countries that apparently need it more. Germany was one of the recipient countries.
https://handelsblatt.com/politik/international/asien-wie-vietnam-zum-ueberraschungssieger-im-kampf-gegen-corona-wurde/
The emerging country is demonstrating to the world how Covid-19 can be contained: Vietnam is far ahead of countries in Europe - because the authorities reacted much earlier.
A man wears protective mask as he rides past a propaganda banner promoting prevention against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Hanoi, Vietnam, April 3, 2020.
Vietnam is considered by experts to be one of the few bright spots in the global fight against the corona virus.
There were just six cases of infection in a village 40 kilometers outside Vietnam's capital Hanoi. For the local authorities, however, this was enough to take a radical step: The 10,000-strong community of Son Loi was completely sealed off, and no one was allowed to leave the town for 20 days.
With this decision of February 13, Vietnam was the first country outside of China to launch a mass quarantine in the face of the coronavirus crisis . While the carnival was still crowded together in German cities, the emerging country in Southeast Asia had already switched to crisis mode.
The early determination is now paying off for Vietnam: On Wednesday, the health authorities of the country of 100 million people did not report a single new coronavirus case for the sixth day in a row.
The total number of confirmed infections is 268. There have been no deaths as a result of Covid 19 disease. Vietnam is therefore one of the few bright spots in the global fight against the pandemic among experts - and can also hope to cope comparatively well with the economic crisis.
While large parts of Asia are in danger of slipping into recession, economists believe that Vietnam can still expect noticeable economic growth. Both the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), in their annual forecasts released in April, expect the country to see the strongest growth this year among Southeast Asian economies.
China and India, which have long fought the competition for the title as Asia's growth engine, should also leave Vietnam behind: the exporting country is suffering from the weak global demand. The IMF nevertheless expects the Vietnamese economy to grow by almost three percent this year. The ADB even promises almost five percent.
International observers are also optimistic about viral containment: The World Health Organization (WHO) praised the Vietnamese government on Tuesday for dealing with the virus crisis. The discipline of the population in the implementation of social distancing measures also helped, said WHO director Takeshi Kasai.
An unfavorable starting point
At first glance, Vietnam's success seems almost too good to be true: two months ago, on February 21, both Vietnam and Germany each had a total of 16 confirmed coronavirus cases. In Germany the total number has almost increased by a factor of 10,000 since then, in Vietnam only by a factor of 17.
The starting point for Vietnam was not exactly favorable: the country is in the immediate vicinity of China's first virus epicenter, and Chinese make up a third of Vietnam's tourists.
At the same time, the emerging country, with a per capita income of $ 2600 a year, has significantly fewer resources for its health care system. Under these conditions, can the success figures reported by the communist regime in Hanoi really be trusted?
John MacArthur, who represents the CDC in Southeast Asia, replies a little to his answer to the question: He explains how closely he and his colleagues work with the local health authorities, advising them, jointly tracking infection chains and evaluating data.
"This enables us to get a sense of whether the numbers are correct or whether they can only be traced back to a lack of tests," he said in a press briefing a few days ago, and then issued his Vietnamese colleagues with an extremely positive report: "We have closed at this point in time no indication that these figures would be incorrect. "
According to official figures, Vietnam has carried out a total of around 200,000 tests - more than any other country in Southeast Asia. In April, after a virus outbreak in a village near Hanoi with 13 cases, the authorities tested more than 13,000 potential contacts. Almost all tests have already been evaluated, the Ministry of Health announced on Monday - and have so far brought only negative results.
"Political determination at the highest level"
Overall, the otherwise closed regime in Hanoi was unusually open and transparent in the coronavirus crisis. The government holds daily press conferences and publishes detailed situation reports.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc called on the population with war rhetoric to launch a "spring offensive" against the virus. "There was political high-level determination early on in Vietnam," says CDC expert MacArthur, explaining Vietnam's success in containment.
Vietnam had already closed its border with China in January and closed the schools. In early February, with just a handful of infections, the government launched a national epidemic. Later the country cordoned off completely for tourists.
Tens of thousands of Vietnamese returnees from abroad had to go to state quarantine facilities immediately after entering the country. The cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were put under a lockdown despite Vietnam's relatively low number of cases.
Compared to other success stories in virus control, for example in Taiwan or South Korea, where the government relied on mass tests, Vietnam's approach was relatively cheap: "Vietnam has chosen a budget-friendly approach that has proven to be just as effective," said the Vietnamese social scientist Hong Kong Nguyen. "The country's success provides a model that other developing and emerging countries should follow ."
The success in virus control has now enabled the government in Hanoi to be generous internationally: In early April, it donated half a million medical face masks to countries that apparently need it more. Germany was one of the recipient countries.
https://handelsblatt.com/politik/international/asien-wie-vietnam-zum-ueberraschungssieger-im-kampf-gegen-corona-wurde/
