Vietnam has been seeing a sharp decline in Covid-19 metrics, with falling daily new infections, severe cases, and deaths, suggesting the country has passed its severe period, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH).

The ministry logged 3,088 new Covid-19 infections in Vietnam on May 4, alongside a total of 42,055 Covid-19 patients were given the all-clear, bringing the number of recoveries so far to over 3.9 million.

There are 480 patients in need of breathing support, while three deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours, taking the total fatalities to 43,047, equal to 0.4% of the total caseload.

The newest cases, all local transmissions, were reported in 48 provinces and cities, the health ministry said in a daily report, noting that 2,105 were infected in the community.

Nationwide, the number of new Covid-19 infections dropped in late April and early May. The number of severe cases has also halved over the two past months, from nearly 4,000 cases on March 9 to over 2,000 on May 4.

Hanoi, in particular, recorded 705 of the latest domestic cases. The capital city’s daily average in this period was down nearly 66% compared to the previous week.

Tran Thi Nhi Ha, director of the Hanoi Department of Health, told The Hanoi Times that the city has overcome its peak, with hospitals well capable of handling the number of severe Covid-19 cases.

Hanoi’s streets have returned to their usual hubbub, with nearly all socio-economic activities reopened. Photo: Duy Khanh/The Hanoi Times

“Over the past week, hospitals in Hanoi have been recording fewer Covid-19 cases. Despite a high vaccination rate, new cases could still jump, but there would likely not be many severe cases, and most could be monitored at home,” Ha said.

She added that most socio-economic activities have resumed in the capital city, demonstrating Hanoi’s observance of the Government’s strategy of safe, flexible adaptation to and effective control of Covid-19.

In Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), the former epicenter, the number of new cases has been dropping over the past week. More and more patients are being discharged from hospitals compared to those being admitted, according to the Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.

The number of Covid-19 deaths has also been dropping steadily over the past month, with only one death recorded a day over the past 10 days, the committee noted.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son said Wednesday that the decreasing number of Covid-19 infections was a very good sign. Hanoi and HCMC have resumed many activities including allowing all students to return to school, he added.

“The disease is now under control, this was evidence that the nation's vaccination campaign has been effective,” Son said.

As of May 4, around 99% of Vietnam’s adult population have been fully vaccinated, while 58% have received their third Covid-19 vaccine shots.

The country’s health workers have given more than 215 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, including over 17.3 million shots for children aged 12-17 (accounting for 94%) and nearly 1.6 million first shots for children from 5 to 11 years old.

“However, medical authorities need to continue monitoring the situation and make due recommendations. One of their tasks now is to prepare response plans for new variants,” Son noted.

The deputy health minister advised that people should still stay vigilant despite the decreasing numbers, avoiding large crowds during holidays and festivals.

The MoH has also issued an official letter sent to the People's Committees of provinces and cities on lifting the medical declaration requirements for domestic traveling.

“Vietnam is not tracking down any Covid-19 related cases and is returning to normal, which means health declaration for domestic traveling is unnecessary,” the MoH said and provided specific guidance on removing the protocol.

Health declaration is part of five protocols to contain the spread of Covid-19 issued in August 2020 by the MoH. Accordingly, people were required to wear masks, disinfect their hands frequently, keep a safe distance from each other, avoid crowds and make health declarations (known in Vietnamese as the 5K message).

Yet in recent months, with Covid-19 gradually being brought under control, many cities and provinces proposed the health ministry to adjust the protocol, leaving only the use of facemasks and hand disinfection effective.