Summary of the COVID-19 outbreak in Vietnam – Lessons and suggestions

Since the first case of COVID-19 was announced on January 23, there have been only 123 infected cases with zero death confirmed [1,2]. [...]we write this letter to shed more light about epidemiological maps of cases in Vietnam and also provide helpful information for epidemiologists and policy makers to address specific measures in response to the pandemic. While the infection rates of COVID-19 in countries like China and Italy are significantly higher among the elderly, the most cases (79 out of 123) reported in Vietnam have been observed for the young (aged 11 – 40) (Fig. 2).3 The Vietnam response Although Vietnam is not one of the countries with the highest number of confirmed cases, the novel coronavirus outbreak in Vietnam is considered complex and unpredictable. [...]Vietnamese government, personally the Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, directed and deployed prevention and control measures rapidly from the early stage in Vinh Phuc province to current situations of the overall national epidemic. To further prevent the spread from overseas, the Vietnamese government has been imposing a series of rigorous measures, including a temporary suspension of entry of all foreigners who have come from or transited through the COVID-19 affected areas, and a new mandatory regulation that all incoming travelers to Vietnam have to be quarantined at centralized facilities for 14 days [4].4 Suggestions for COVID-19 infection control In regard to the 14-day mandatory quarantine, we speculate that this implementation might sooner or later lead to shortage of space for quarantine, especially in the two metropolitan areas, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. [...]the Vietnamese government may consider a combination of strict self-quarantine in the community and use of new technology, such as application of big data and artificial intelligence to improve contact tracing and the management of potentially infected patients.