Cabinet leader: Vietnam in golden time to combat COVID-19 outbreak

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the cabinet meeting

He urged the health sector to deploy the best treatment methods and facilities for infected people while asking relevant ministries and agencies to stay active in combating the epidemic and strictly handle those who are highly irresponsible for this work.

To date, Vietnam has conducted more than 7,500 tests for the virus. Nearly 43,000 people who had close contact or entered the country from epidemic-hit areas have been placed in quarantined for strict health monitoring, of which over 10,500 are in concentrated isolation areas.

Regarding the epidemic situation worldwide, according to a report from the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, as of 12pm on March 16, the world recorded 169,610 cases confirmed positive for SARS-CoV-2 across 158 countries and territories and more than 6,518 deaths.

Notably, some European and American nations, especially Italy, Spain, Germany, France, and the UK have seen a sharp upswing in the number of COVID-19 infected cases.