Domestic health declaration scrapped

The Ministry of Health has decided to scrap the domestic health declaration requirement as all cities and provinces have brought the pandemic under control.

According to the ministry, Covid-19 has been put under control across the country, with caseload and fatalities down significantly, while 96% of the population aged 12 and older has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and the inoculation of children aged five to 11 is underway.

Despite dropping the medical declaration requirement, relevant agencies are told to keep watch of Covid transmission and contain Covid infection clusters to protect the health of residents and maintain success in the fight against Covid.

With the suspension of health declaration, along with the previous lifting of restrictions on large gatherings, mask-wearing in public places and disinfection remain the only Covid-19-related public health measures in effect in Vietnam.

Earlier, the Ministry of Health has scrapped the health declaration requirement for international arrivals. The ministry is consulting with members of the national anti-Covid steering committee and other relevant agencies over a draft plan to respond to Covid-19 in 2022-2023. The ministry has worked out two scenarios. In the first scenario, coronavirus variants will continue evolving. However, thanks to herd immunity, serious illness and death are falling and the situation in coronavirus hotspots is not as serious as earlier.

In the second scenario, new coronavirus variants may appear and reduce the effectiveness of herd immunity. As a result, the number of cases in severe condition and deaths will rise, especially among vulnerable groups.

According to the ministry, to proactively respond to the pandemic and minimize its impact, vaccinations should be accelerated while management and treatment should be enhanced.