Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam
"That means we are on the right path. Since before Tet, when no one mentioned an epidemic in Vietnam, the Ministry of Health had already held meetings and even invited retired experts to discuss the problem," he said. "We have prepared for the worst-case scenario and we also have prepared multiple plans for various situations. The number of confirmed cases is lower than predicted. Our forecast is not wrong and the results are better."
The official said that Vietnam has adopted a containment strategy to discover and quarantine suspected cases, determine the dangerous zones and stamp out small outbreaks. Vietnam has used the experiences from previous outbreaks and natural disasters as well as learning from the world and experts.
"We have a synchronised approach to the problem," Dam said. "We wholeheartedly want to learn. We know our strengths and weaknesses."
As a developing country, Vietnam's economy and the healthcare system have many weaknesses compared to other countries. That's why the government's strategy is to minimise the number of infected people. The strong point is a well-organised system to fight against disasters from top to bottom.
"The army were used in the strategy since before Tet. We consider this a drill for future non-traditional security incidents," he said.
The authorities were aware, Dam said, of the public playing the leading role in the fight against the outbreak and public awareness must be the first priority. As of now, the majority of the people have shown awareness and responded well to the measures. Dam also thanked the volunteers and IT experts from all companies and universities who have silently help them with contact-tracing tasks. Whenever a new patient is confirmed, Vietnam can quickly trace their subsequent contacts.
When being asked about the coming work, Dam said, "Firstly, we have to believe in our preventive measures and continue. We can't take our guard down. There are days the situation seem good but we still have the whole battle ahead. "
There is still no cure or vaccine yet. Vietnam is also flat-out carrying out research as other countries. Dam said he believed in the doctors' treatment method since Vietnam was the first in the world to have succeeded in the effective control of SARS. Each patient has different underlying conditions and mentality so it wholly depends on the doctors.
"The most important thing is everyone should trust the doctors and be optimistic. I hope we will unite and defeat this epidemic. In the coming days, more cases will appear and this is normal and in our prediction. We must not let our guard down," he said, but "We can be optimistic."
