After evading the virus for so long, Vietnam is starting to see a new wave that is shattering those that came before.
Vietnam had an aggressive stance right from the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic. They were taking no chances. They stopped the country, started quarantining the sick, and closed everything down until the threat had passed. As a result, they managed to escape both the first and the second outbreak of the disease.
While the rest of the world was impatiently awaiting a way out of the lockdown, Vietnam was already back to business as usual. A massive community effort ended up with volunteers going into quarantine to save their fellows voluntarily, and with Vietnamese companies making donations to make their stays comfortable. For example, Ru9 donated 1500 beds (called nệm in Vietnamese) and pillows so they would have a better sleep.
That’s right, the reaction of the Vietnamese people to coming together to fight Covid-19 would have brought a tear to the eye. However, the tables are starting to turn, and the cases are rising, proving for all of us that this third wave will be worse than anything we have seen yet.
17,000 Cases and Rising in Vietnam
At the time of writing, WHO declared there were 17,727 covid cases and there had been 81 deaths in Vietnam. Numbers rose to more than 2k new infections per day for the first time in June this year. Up until late March, the Vietnamese government had experienced no deaths and had extraordinarily little infection rates.
One of the first cases in the country was when a man and his son traveled home from Wuhan, the epicenter of the crisis. Although the man and his son did cause an initial wave of infections, the pandemic was quickly controlled, and further damage quashed.
Battling the Third Wave
At the beginning of June, WHO had to then denounce claims that a new variant had developed in Vietnam. When studied, it was found to be the same as the strains developed in India and the UK. These mutations of the virus are the precise reason that we are struggling to gain control over it.
Tackling the third wave has become a bit of a bugbear of the Vietnamese government. In early June it was reported (Sky News) that the government had sent mass texts to citizens, asking them for funds to help tackle research. They intended to set up a $777million fund aimed at providing vaccinations for the people. Russia stepped in early, offering to help them with 20 million doses of the Sputnik vaccine by the end of the year.
Despite speculation, the Vietnam government is on track to acquiring 150 million doses of the vaccine for its people. They have delivered almost 3 million vaccinations so far and show no signs of stopping. Regardless of worldwide speculation, Russia is also doing its part as the largest country, looking after those in the east. We only wish that we could see this level of generosity the world over.