WHO chief representative: fight against COVID-19 not over yet
Chief Representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Vietnam Dr Angela Pratt on January 6 warned that the fight against COVID-19 is not over yet as many people are getting infected, hospitalised, and dead in many countries around the world.
Hanoi (VNA) – Chief Representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Vietnam Dr. Angela Pratt on January 6 warned that the fight against COVID-19 is not over yet as many people are getting infected, hospitalised, and dead in many countries around the world.
According to the WHO, over 500 different variants of SAR-CoV-2 have been recorded so far. Omicron is now the dominant variant of infection cases globally with many sub-variants. In particular, XBB sub-variant, discovered since October 2022, has so far spread in more than 70 countries.
Pratt said XBB is a recombination of Omicron’s two sub-variants. To date, XBB and its offshoots have been found in more than 10 countries in the West Pacific, including Vietnam, and will spread in the coming time.
They prove more contagious than other sub-variants, which should be worrying, she said.
However, there has been not any evidence of a change in disease severity caused by XBB variant. Current diagnostic and protective measures remain potent, including COVID-19 vaccines approved by WHO.
Therefore, WHO still suggested wearing masks in high-risk places such as crowd and enclosed spaces and washing hands regularly. Adults and children should be fully vaccinated, including all booster shots recommended by health authorities, she said.
She added that though COVID-19 is still circulating in Vietnam, there are no signs showing that hospitals and medical stations are overloaded with COVID-19 cases.
According to her, the Vietnamese Health Ministry is raising public awareness of COVID-19 preventive measures during the upcoming Lunar New Year festival, which, she said, is important to slow down the spread of the virus.
🌟The ministry has directed relevant agencies to enhance supervision at border gates and medical staꦜtions, as well as accelerate genome sequencing to brace for any possible outbreak./.
Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong has emphasised the necessity to strengthen supervision and take more samples for COVID-19 testing at border gates besides maintaining the current pandemic prevention and control measures as usual.
The HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases on January 4 said the COVID-19 Omicron XBB variant, first discovered in India in August, has been found in the southern metropolis.
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Renowned for its expertise in complex surgeries, the hospital has attracted foreign patients seeking treatment for conditions such as kidney and urinary tract stones, urological and gastrointestinal cancers, and male reproductive disorders. Most procedures are performed using advanced techniques, including laparoscopy and robotic surgery. T
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All eligible patients will receive surgical interventions and post-operative care in accordance with Vietnamese medical standards and global care protocols.
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Vietnam’s traditional medicine took centre stage at the International Congress Biopharm Nonclinical Development, BioNCiD 2025, held on May 25-26 in the Cuban city of Varadero, amid growing global interest in sustainable healthcare solutions.
Under the agreement, VNVC and Sanofi will gradually implement technology transfers to enable domestic production of several key Sanofi vaccines that are widely used in Vietnam. In addition, Sanofi will support VNVC in training human resources and quality management in vaccine research and manufacturing.
Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) 
