Hanoi (VNA) – In the face of complexdevelopments of the acute respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus (nCoV),Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chaired an urgent meeting with officials ofrelevant ministries and sectors in Hanoi on January 27 to discusscountermeasures.

The Government leader pointed out that Vietnam faces highrisks of being affected by this dangerous and rapidly spreading disease,against which there hasn’t been a vaccine, since it is a popular destination ofChinese tourists and shares a long borderline with China.

He requested that relevant agencies, sectors and localitiesmust not be subjective or underestimate the disease so as to ensure theultimate goal of protecting people’s health and lives, curb the virus fromspreading on a large scale, and minimise deaths from this disease. He toldthem to prevent fears in the public as well as discrimination against patientsor people of foreign nationalities.

“Fighting the nCoV-caused disease is like fighting an enemy,” PM Phuc said, urging the political system across the 63provincial-level localities to promptly take actions.

He also ordered effective prevention of disease transmissionvia tourism activities and air, waterway and road transportation, adding thatinternational points of entry must be equipped with thermal scanners. Besides,the Ministry of Health needs to publicise the medical establishments providingtreatment of this disease to minimise the movement of patients to reduce infectionrisks.

Describing stronger communications to raise public awarenessas a top priority, the PM noted a national steering committee chaired by DeputyPM Vu Duc Dam will be set up to cope with the nCoV disease.

“The Government accepts economic losses to protect the livesand health of people,” he stressed.

The leader also asked the Foreign Ministry to coordinatewith the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to review the numberof Chinese working in Vietnam to take necessary measures to guarantee thepublic’s health.

According to the World Health Organisation, cases of acute pneumonia caused by nCoV were first reported in Wuhan city of China’s Hubei province. The first patient developed symptoms on December 12, 2019.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Health said that there have been almost 2,800 nCoV-infected cases around the world, including 80 deaths all of whom are in Wuhan city. China alone has recorded 2,747 cases in 30 provinces and cities. Fifteen other countries and territories have reported 50 patients of the disease.

In Vietnam, there have been 63 cases who showed fever symptoms and returned from nCoV-affected areas. They consist of 25 negative for the virus and 38 still kept in quarantine, including the two Chinese nationals initially tested positive for nCoV at the Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

Information from the health ministry revealed that Li Ding, 66, went to Hanoi from Wuhan on January 13, before going to Nha Trang city in central Khanh Hoa province, while his son Li Zichao, 28, who has lived in the Mekong Delta province of Long An near HCM City for the past four months, went to visit him in Nha Trang. Both of them then traveled to HCM City and Long An. The father got fever on January 17, while the son had similar symptoms January 20. Both were admitted to the Cho Ray Hospital on January 22 night.

Vietnam is one of the countries with a high risk of being affected by this disease as it has a long borderline, frequent exchanges and large trading with China. Those with coughing and fever symptoms are advised to proactively come to medical establishments to have examinations.

The Ministry of Health has also warned people to keep their distance from people with acute respiratory infections and wear a mask when talking to them, as the WHO has confirmed that the new coronavirus could be contagious between humans./.