Addressing a National Assembly session, Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said that as Vietnam enters a "new normal" period the coronavirus is making a comeback in certain localities. Despite ongoing outbreaks, many people have been neglecting Covid-19 prevention measures like keeping distances, wearing masks or medical declarations, he added.

A restaurant is packed with people on Hanoi's Pham Van Dong Street, November 3, 2021.

"Northern Vietnam is entering a cold period and Tet is near, meaning there will be many activities with large gatherings. We are worried about the risks of new Covid-19 outbreaks," Long said.

Temperatures in Hanoi have hovered at 15-25 degrees Celsius in recent days, and would get lower as winter approaches. Experts say the cold weather may help the novel coronavirus survive longer outside, presenting greater infection risks than in hotter months.

The Delta variant, much more infectious and sturdy than other strains, has become a formidable threat in the fight against Covid-19. Experts are concerned about the variant’s short incubation time and high capacity for infection within closed environments, especially as more people stay indoors during cold weather.

The variant has remained the dominant coronavirus strain in Vietnam over the past five months, Long noted, adding that he was worried about how the virus would spread in the cold weather of northern Vietnam. He urged localities to hasten vaccine coverage to reduce the number of infections, severe cases and deaths.

"Switching gears to adaptation means infections are inevitable, but the important thing is we should be able to manage the risks regarding severe cases and deaths," he said.

The health ministry would provide additional training to its personnel on the virus, including how to take better care of Covid-19 cases. It would also discuss with schools and hospitals the possibility of introducing Covid-19 as a subject and setting up research centers for infectious diseases like H5N1, SARS, MERS and Covid-19.

Long said Vietnam, like the rest of the world, has found it difficult to anticipate the trajectory of the pandemic. Most countries don’t have long-term predictions about the disease, and even the WHO has only warned that the coronavirus would not go away in 2022, and may become something similar to seasonal flu in 2023.

The health ministry has said it would work with the WHO on making predictions regarding Covid-19.

Vietnam has recorded over 991,000 Covid-19 cases and lost 22,765 lives. The country has vaccinated 62.8 million people with at least one Covid-19 vaccine shot, and 31.2 million people have received two doses.

Bac Giang concentrates on Covid-19 fights in IPs to secure production and supply chains

(BGO)- This wave of Covid-19 in some enterprises in the industrial parks (IPs) in the northern province of Bac Giang is evaluated a dangerous outbreak. Aiming to protect the supply chain in line with the experience in the pandemic fight so far, Bac Giang has striven to localize and rapidly contain the pandemic to maintain stable production of the enterprises in the IPs.

Bac Giang urged to quickly contain Covid-19 pandemic

(BGO)- Duong Van Thai, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, Head of the provincial Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control of Bac Giang province (Steering Committee) on November 3 chaired a meeting on guidelines for the Covid-19 pandemic fight.

Chairman of provincial People's Committee urges Yen The’s determination to stamp out Covid-19 in a week

(BGO) - On the afternoon of November 2, Chairman of Bac Giang provincial People's Committee Le Anh Duong, who is also deputy head of the Standing Board of the provincial Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, and Commander of the provincial Covid-19 Prevention and Control Command Centre, inspected anti-pandemic efforts in Yen The district.

Vietnam remains attractive to Japanese investors amid Covid-19

Vietnamese ministries and agencies have paid attention to supporting foreign investors, including those from Japan, said Fujimoto Masayoshi, Chairman of the Japan-Vietnam Economic Committee.

Vietnam records 5,613 new local Covid-19 cases

Vietnam’s Covid-19 tally in the fourth wave starting late April rose to 927,494 after the Health Ministry confirmed 5,613 new cases Tuesday.

Source: VnExpress