With a population of nearly 100 million, Vietnam has so far spent less than US$400 million on pushing back the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the National Steering Committee on Covid-19 Prevention and Control.

Overview of the meeting. Photo: VGP.

In the coming time, in order to ensure the dual target of containing the pandemic and boosting economic growth, the priority should be to resume international commercial flights for foreign experts and investors to return to Vietnam, along with various international exchange activities that are expected to benefit the country, said members of the Committee at a meeting on September 3.

To realize this plan, Vietnam needs to revise the current testing strategy, including quick testing at international airports, border checkpoints, and public places, to timely identify potential Covid-19 cases.

Countries around the world, including the US, Japan, South Korea, or European countries, are adopting the similar quick testing method to screen people arriving through international airports.

Currently, the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing is highly efficient but time-consuming. It is, therefore, necessary to develop new Covid-19 test kits that are not only fast in giving results, but also accurate.

At present, three companies and institutes in Vietnam are at the final stage of developing such test kits, namely Sao Thai Duong Company, the National Institute for Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE), and Medical Construction and Equipment (Medicon) Company.

Experts said while test kits are under development, Vietnam could consider import high quality ones for use at airports.