Covid-19 cases increase again: Should we be concerned about a new outbreak?

According to the latest information from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health , over the past month, the city's infectious disease surveillance system recorded 40 Covid-19 cases treated at the hospital.

Since the beginning of the year, the city has had a total of 51 cases, down 83% compared to the same period last year.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, the increase in travel and gatherings of people at recent festival events is the cause of the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in recent weeks and possibly in the following weeks.

On May 14, the Ministry of Health also released information on the Covid-19 epidemic situation in response to the increasing trend in a number of countries around the world.

In Vietnam, since the beginning of the year, our country has recorded 148 scattered cases in 27 provinces and cities, with no deaths.

Our country has not recorded any concentrated outbreaks, however there has been a slight increase in the past 3 weeks, with an average of 20 cases/week.

Should we be concerned about a new wave of Covid-19?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency from May 2023. This reflects the fact that the epidemic has been better controlled, community immunity has been formed thanks to vaccines and people's ability to self-infect and self-recover.

Compared to the same period last year, the total number of Covid-19 cases recorded in Ho Chi Minh City in 2023 decreased by 83% (Photo: Huu Khoa).

In Vietnam, from October 20, 2023, the Ministry of Health has moved Covid-19 from the group of particularly dangerous infectious diseases (group A) to group B.

This means that Covid-19 is no longer considered the serious threat to public health it once was.

Dr. Le Van Thieu, Department of General Infection, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, said that Covid-19 can still spread seasonally, but the risk of death or serious complications has decreased significantly.

This is why we need to approach Covid-19 as a normal infectious disease, not subjectively but also without panic.

Identify Covid-19 symptoms

Testing is the way to confirm Covid-19 infection (Photo: MN).

According to Dr. Le Van Thieu, most current Covid-19 cases have mild symptoms, progressing like the common flu such as mild fever, sore throat, dry cough, stuffy nose, and fatigue.

Some cases do not have obvious symptoms so they do not know they are infected, leading to unintentionally infecting others during daily activities.

"It is worth noting that at the current stage, it is very difficult to distinguish between Covid-19 and seasonal flu based on external symptoms alone. While the flu usually starts abruptly, Covid-19 is more silent and persistent, making patients more subjective. Testing is the only tool to accurately determine," said Dr. Thieu.

How to effectively block the source of infection

According to Dr. Thieu, proactively monitoring one's own health, self-isolating if there are suspicious signs, and raising awareness of infection prevention for others are still the most effective measures to stop the source of infection in the community.

"The habit of wearing a mask in crowded places, washing hands properly, covering your mouth when coughing, and maintaining a clean living environment not only helps prevent Covid-19 but also prevents many other respiratory diseases.

Wearing masks and limiting contact with crowds are effective ways to prevent disease (Photo: Manh Quan).

An important point that cannot be ignored is building good resistance. A healthy lifestyle, a nutritious diet, regular sleep and reasonable physical activity are "natural vaccines" that help the body better fight viruses," said Dr. Thieu.

In case of fever, cough, sore throat, people should proactively rest, limit contact and go to medical facilities when necessary.

"We don't need to be too scared when we hear about new cases. What is necessary is to stay calm, be proactive, and act properly to block the source of infection. A mask, a hand wash - sometimes it is the boundary between a healthy individual and a safe community," Dr. Thieu emphasized.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/ca-covid-19-gia-tang-tro-lai-co-nen-lo-ngai-dot-dich-moi-20250516093056095.htm