Vietnam let down its guard, and cases surged

It’s a familiar story in Asia: Vietnam seemed like a miracle, where months went by without a single coronavirus death or even local transmission. 

 

The economy reopened, travel restarted and residents began leaving their masks at home. But over the weekend, the country announced that the virus was lurking after all — and spreading. Experts do not know the source. 

 

It followed a pattern in places that seemed to have done everything right: Japan, China, Australia and South Korea all recorded spikes on Wednesday. And the mystery is worrying medical experts and residents alike. 

 

Details: Shortly after a 57-year-old man from Danang tested positive, clusters emerged in five hospitals. By Wednesday, the virus had spread north to Hanoi, south to Ho Chi Minh City, to two provinces in the country’s center and even the remote Central Highlands. 

 

Quotable: “In my opinion, this outbreak is more dangerous than the previous one because it is happening at the same time in many places,” said the dean of public health at Quang Trung University.

Read here (New York Times, June 29, 2020)

The second wave: How did the fight go wrong? (Singapore)

‘The government was blindsided by the spread among our foreign workers... But it needs to be pointed out that the new cases outside this group is worrying in itself. Of the record 287 new cases reported two days ago on 9 April (surpassed again yesterday), 202 were linked to foreign worker dormitories. But a large number (85 cases) were not, including 48 unlinked to existing cases. We are now fighting the virus now on not one but two raging fronts.’

COMMENT: The second front could have been opened up due to an underestimation of how effectively the virus could spread within the community especially by asymptomatic carriers

Read here (Tan Tarn How, April 11, 2020)