When Covid-19 is classified as a group B infectious disease, people infected with Covid-19 will not be treated for free, but people with health insurance cards will be paid according to regulations, treatment regimens and methods will remain the same as before.
This is the information shared by Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong at the discussion on medical communication on the afternoon of June 14 at the Ministry of Health.
3 reasons for transferring Covid-19 from group A to group B
According to the Ministry of Health, from the beginning of 2023 to May 29, 2023, the whole country recorded 85,493 cases, an average of 17,000 cases per month (8.5 times lower than in 2021, 48 times lower than in 2022); recorded 20 deaths due to Covid-19, the mortality rate dropped sharply to 0.02% (1.86% in 2021, 0.1% in 2022).
The deaths recorded during this period were all cases with serious underlying diseases that were being treated before, most of whom had a history of not receiving enough doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Currently, the rate Covid-19 patient Hospitalization rates were lower; severity rates were also reduced to the same or lower levels than some group B infectious diseases.
The number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered per 100 people in Vietnam is 1.6 times higher than the world average. The rate of primary vaccination is 1.4 times higher than the world average and the rate of booster vaccination is 2 times higher than the world average.
To date, the total number of vaccine doses administered is more than 266 million. The rate of basic vaccination for people aged 12 and over is approximately 100%; the rate of 3rd vaccination for people aged 18 and over is 82.0%; the rate of 4th vaccination for people aged 18 and over at high risk is 89.3%; the rate of 3rd vaccination for children aged 12 to under 18 is 69.4%; the rate of 1st and 2nd vaccination for children aged 5 to under 12 is 92.5% and 76.6%.
Based on the development of the Covid-19 epidemic in Vietnam, comparing the provisions of the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases and following the updated recommendations of the World Health Organization, the Ministry of Health has proposed to adjust the Covid-19 disease from group A to group B for the following reasons:
Firstly, according to the World Health Organization, SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19) is still a virus with a fast transmission rate. However, in Vietnam, the number of cases and mortality rates have decreased sharply, equivalent to or lower than the mortality rates of some group B infectious diseases in the past 5 years such as: dengue fever, malaria, diphtheria, whooping cough, etc.
Second, the world has clearly identified the causative agent of Covid-19 as the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Third, the current Covid-19 disease meets the criteria for group B infectious diseases as prescribed in Point b, Clause 1, Article 3, Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases: Group B includes dangerous infectious diseases that can spread rapidly and can cause death.
On June 3, 2023, at the 20th Session, National Steering Committee agreed to meet the conditions to transfer Covid-19 from group A to group B. This is an important milestone marking the success in preventing and fighting the Covid-19 epidemic in Vietnam.
Covid-19 patients will not be treated for free when transferred to group B
When Covid-19 was transferred from group A to group B, people were concerned about whether the treatment costs would be free as before. In response to this issue, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong said that people infected with Covid-19 would not be treated for free, but people with health insurance cards would be paid according to health insurance regulations. This is a change in payment, while the treatment regimen and method remain the same as before.
Currently, the Ministry of Health is revising professional guidelines such as diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of Covid-19 infection so that when it moves from group A to group B, it will be implemented immediately.
The transfer of Covid-19 from group A to group B is expected to take place in June 2023. When the Prime Minister signed the announcement of the expiration of Decision No. 447/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister: On the declaration of the Covid-19 epidemic, the Ministry of Health simultaneously signed and issued instructions on the transfer of Covid-19 from group A to group B.
Professor, Dr. Phan Trong Lan, Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine, Ministry of Health, said that Vietnam's infectious disease surveillance system always monitors the epidemic situation synchronously.
According to Director Phan Trong Lan, when changing from group A to group B, according to the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, classification is mainly based on pathology.
In Vietnam, group A infectious diseases mainly involve social administrative measures, while group B eliminates social administrative control activities.
Implement appropriate measures to prevent and control Covid-19
According to Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong, in the coming time, the Ministry of Health will issue guidelines on transferring Covid-19 from group A to group B; and complete the Plan for sustainable control and management of the Covid-19 epidemic in the period of 2023-2025.
The Ministry of Health is revising professional guidelines such as diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of Covid-19 infection so that it can be implemented immediately when moving from group A to group B. |
The Ministry of Health continues to complete guidelines for implementing Covid-19 vaccination in accordance with the situation; review, revise, and update guidelines for monitoring, preventing, and controlling Covid-19 in accordance with the epidemic situation; review, revise, and update treatment regimens, manage Covid-19 patients, and control hospital infections in accordance with the new situation.
For localities, the Ministry of Health requires reviewing the epidemic situation in the locality and implementing appropriate epidemic prevention and control measures. In particular, focusing on ensuring effective and sustainable control of the Covid-19 epidemic along with the management of other infectious diseases, contributing to socio-economic development.
Localities need to integrate Covid-19 surveillance into the respiratory pathogen surveillance system, including sentinel surveillance; continue to conduct gene sequencing surveillance and monitor severe pneumonia cases, severe cases, and outbreaks with unusual developments at medical facilities and in the community; ensure emergency and intensive care capacity at medical examination and treatment facilities; deploy vaccination as one of the regular vaccination activities...
In addition, it is necessary to strengthen disease prevention communication to raise awareness and change people's behavior in protecting their own health, their families' and communities' health and getting vaccinated.
The local health sector also needs to continue to organize regular training for health workers on epidemiology, case handling, vaccination, treatment, and communication.
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