Vietnam has reported no deaths from COVID-19 and just 268 confirmed cases. Experts say that's because of the country's experience dealing with prior pandemics and early implementation of social distancing — as well as the muscle of an authoritarian state.
People wearing face masks wait for free food being given away at a Happy Mart store in Hanoi on Thursday.People wearing face masks wait for free food being given away at a Happy Mart store in Hanoi on Thursday.Vietnam shares a border with China, yet it has reported no deaths from COVID-19 and just 268 confirmed cases, when other Southeast Asian nations are reporting thousands.
Experts say experience dealing with prior pandemics, early implementation of aggressive social distancing policies, strong action from political leaders and the muscle of a one-party authoritarian state have helped Vietnam. "They had political commitment early on at the highest level," says John MacArthur, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's country representative in neighboring Thailand."And that political commitment went from central level all the way down to the hamlet level."
With experience gained from dealing with the 2003 SARS and 2009 H1N1 bird flu pandemics, Vietnam's government started organizing its response in January — as soon as reports from Wuhan, where the virus is believed to have originated, began trickling in. The country quickly came up with a variety of tactics, including widespread quarantining and aggressive contact tracing.
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