The remark was made by Dr. Kidong Park, World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative to Vietnam, at a meeting with Vietnam's Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long on August 3.

For the current situation of the Covid-19 epidemic in Vietnam, which is currently complicated due to the strong infectious ability and very fast spreading speed of the Delta variant, Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said that the fourth outbreak of COVID-19 will continue for a long time.

In response to the fourth outbreak of COVID-19, Vietnam has applied drastic and stronger measures than in previous outbreaks, including social distancing in many provinces and cities. Some southern provinces have also applied an additional form of almost curfew, not allowing people to go out during certain time frames.

The head of the health sector said the rapid increase in cases in a short time with many serious patients had put great pressure on the health care, especially in the treatment and intensive care unit (ICU).

In parallel with guiding medical facilities to stratify treatment according to patient's condition, the Ministry of Health has set up ICU centres in the southern provinces to be handled by central hospitals, with the participation of enhanced leading experts, to help localities effectively care for and treat Covid-19 patients. There are currently five resuscitation centres in Ho Chi Minh City with a capacity of 2,700 ICU beds.

Regarding vaccines, the Ministry of Health has been making efforts to access all possible sources of vaccines in the fastest way in order to vaccinate people as soon as possible. The Ministry of Health also directed the acceleration of vaccination to increase vaccine coverage. However, vaccine supply is still the biggest challenge in August-September 2021.

At the meeting, the WHO Representative to Vietnam expressed his belief that Vietnam can overcome the pandemic with the participation of both the political system and the people. WHO Vietnam is ready to accompany the Vietnam's Government of and the Ministry of Health in epidemic prevention and control.

Dr. Kidong Park highly appreciated the fact that the Ministry of Health has urgently established ICU centres in Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces to treat severe and critical Covid-19 patients towards minimising the mortality rate.

The WHO representative to Vietnam said he is ready to support the Vietnam Ministry of Health in enhancing professional training for staff and infection prevention measures for health workers.

Regarding vaccines, he affirmed that all Covid-19 vaccines approved by this organisation are safe and effective.

Kidong Park affirmed his willingness to support the Vietnam Ministry of Health in capacity building, testing, evaluation and licensing of domestically produced vaccines through the NRA system (national vaccine regulatory quality management system) in accordance with regulations. Vietnam is currently one of 39 countries certified by WHO to meet this standard. WHO will soon exchange and discuss to implement relevant work.

The Minister of Health emphasised the view that Vietnam encourages agencies and organisations to research and develop domestically produced vaccines. The Ministry of Health will provide maximum support in reducing administrative procedures; however, the licensing must comply with regulations and processes, ensure objectivity, science, reference, and meet all requirements while not burning the stage with the goal of putting people's health first.