If Covid-19 epidemic spreads wider to more countries, Vietnam already has plans to deal with such a scenario, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said at a press meeting on Tuesday.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long speaks at the meeting. Photo: Zing

Epidemic prevention and control in Vietnam has gained initial success and is appreciated by international organizations, Long said. In the prevention of disease, especially against Covid-19, isolation is extremely essential to avoid the transmission of the disease in the community.

He added that the scheme of four rounds of isolation has proven effective in Son Loi commune, Vinh Phuc province, which was the center of epidemic in Vietnam. So far, Son Loi has not detected any new Covid-19 cases after 21 days and its lockdown was removed on March 4.

Regarding the isolation capacity, Deputy Minister Long said that the army alone has over 60 isolation venues to temporarily house over 30,000 people.

However, the Ministry of Health has considered a plan to reduce the number of people in quarantine with medical supervision and questionnaires. Those respondents who did not go through Covid-19-stricken regions will be quarantined at home to avoid overload at isolation areas.

"Should the covid-19 epidemic spread widely in any country, we will immediately take necessary measures to avoid the propagation of the epidemic from that country to Vietnam," Deputy Minister Long stressed.