COVID-19 still requires vigilance

Recently, the media has reported an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases compared to previous months and the same period last year. The increase in COVID-19 cases has been causing concern among many people, with some going to vaccination centers to get a booster shot.

People's concerns are understandable because COVID-19 has caused an extremely dangerous pandemic that has infected 696 million people in 231 countries and territories; over 6.9 million deaths. In Vietnam, the pandemic has infected 11.6 million people and killed more than 43,200. It can be said that in more than 2 years (2020-2022), the "COVID-19 storm" has caused extremely large losses to the health and lives of people around the world .

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, humanity has learned from experience in disease prevention, changed awareness and attitudes about the disease, and from there proposed effective methods to prevent and control the pandemic. In particular, after a period of vaccination for the population to create community immunity, the pandemic has gradually been pushed back. On May 5, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 no longer a global health emergency. On October 20, 2023, Vietnam officially declared COVID-19 a group B infectious disease. The world has overcome the COVID-19 storm to return to normal life.

After a while, a subjective mentality of underestimating COVID-19 has appeared. Many people do not comply with measures to prevent respiratory diseases in general and COVID-19 in particular, which increases the risk of disease.

So how to react when COVID-19 cases increase in some localities?

The proportion of people vaccinated against COVID-19 is very high, enough to create community immunity. Moreover, although the SARS-CoV-2 virus mutates rapidly to form new strains, the virulence of the strains tends to decrease. Everyone has experience in preventing the epidemic for themselves and has applied the recommendations of the authorities quite skillfully.

However, people need to know that even if they are fully vaccinated and have community immunity, if there are no good disease prevention measures, the disease will still spread and cause an epidemic. Many people get sick, which will lead to overloading the health system. And when the number of people infected increases, there may be many people who are seriously ill, especially the elderly, those with underlying diseases, and those with weak immune systems...

Although COVID-19 is no longer a group A epidemic, the risk of an outbreak is still possible; a widespread outbreak will threaten the health of the people and the community. Therefore, everyone should not be too worried but must also be vigilant and avoid subjectivity, contempt, and neglect of disease prevention measures. Based on awareness of the COVID-19 epidemic, each person and each family must comply with the instructions of the authorities on disease prevention.

Authorities have increased updates on COVID-19, the evolution of the epidemic, mutations, and virulence of the virus type to improve people's knowledge; and prepared countermeasures. Medical facilities have fully prepared the necessary human and material resources to respond if the epidemic breaks out.

Each person, each family, and community needs to take measures to prevent respiratory diseases in general and COVID-19 in particular, such as wearing masks in public places, not gathering in crowds if not necessary, washing hands regularly with soap and clean water, covering mouth when coughing or sneezing, etc.

COVID-19 is not a concern, but we still need to be vigilant.

Source: https://baophuyen.vn/suc-khoe/202506/covid-19-vancan-canh-giac-b341a10/