Top 6 Key Health and Medical Events in Vietnam in March 2022

On March 10th, the Poison Control Center at Bach Mai Hospital received a 54-year-old male patient from Doi Can, Hanoi, suffering from poisoning after mistakenly ingesting 100ml of alcohol. Notably, the bottle of alcohol he consumed contained industrial methanol at a concentration of 56%.

The patient was brought to the hospital in a state of severe headache, blurred vision, and dizziness. According to the patient's family, they had purchased alcohol to place one bottle in each room for sanitization during the COVID-19 pandemic. They bought a 70% alcohol bottle from a local pharmacy, trusting it for sanitization purposes without carefully reading the label, which stated: 'For use as fuel and glass cleaner.' The patient received timely treatment, including emergency dialysis, and survived the critical condition, although he still suffers from lingering blurred vision.

Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen, Director of the Poison Control Center at Bach Mai Hospital, stated that ethanol is the appropriate disinfectant alcohol commonly used, while industrial methanol is a harmful chemical that should never be used as a disinfectant.

Dr. Nguyen warns that the methanol product in question poses a high risk of poisoning. First, the label indicates its use for 'fuel and glass cleaning,' meaning it's a toxic substance unrelated to medical use, yet it's being sold at pharmacies. Second, the packaging closely resembles that of regular disinfectant alcohol, labeled '70% alcohol,' which could mislead consumers.

Dr. Nguyen advises the public to carefully check the label and ensure the ingredients and usage instructions are clearly stated before using any alcohol for disinfection to avoid harmful consequences.

According to the Ministry of Health's report on the implementation of Covid-19 prevention and control measures during the National Steering Committee meeting on March 5, Covid-19 cases across the nation have increased by 197.9% compared to the previous month, while the number of deaths has decreased by 47.1%. The number of patients currently being treated in hospitals has dropped by 24.5%, and severe cases have reduced by 43.1%. The fatality rate over the past 30 days is 0.2%, which is a decrease from 1% in the previous month.

The Ministry reports that the situation is generally under control across the country, and all provinces have moved into the status of 'Safe Adaptation, Flexibility, and Effective Control of Covid-19' as outlined in Resolution 128.

However, new cases are rising rapidly across most provinces, with daily numbers ranging from 50,000 to 75,000 (peaking at over 125,000 on some days). The increase is particularly pronounced among the unvaccinated, especially children under 12. The Omicron variant, which is now dominant, is spreading faster, particularly in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, gradually replacing the Delta variant. Despite this, due to high vaccination coverage nationwide, particularly among high-risk groups, the fatality rate has significantly decreased.

Currently, all 63 provinces and cities have evaluated and published the Covid-19 risk levels, which are available on the Ministry of Health's official portal in accordance with the guidelines and Resolution 128. Based on these evaluations, local authorities are implementing flexible measures to effectively control the disease.

The Ministry of Health is seeking the Steering Committee's approval to suspend daily Covid-19 case reports to avoid causing public panic. The number of cases is just one of eight indicators used to assess the severity of the pandemic and does not fully represent the true state of the disease.

On the evening of March 14, more than half a day after the regulation allowing F0 patients to leave their isolation area if they wear a mask and maintain distance, the Ministry of Health issued a correction, stating that the interpretation of F0 patients being allowed to leave their house was a 'misunderstanding.'

The Ministry clarified that the term 'isolation area' in the guidelines should be understood as the 'isolation room' within the house. F0 patients are allowed to leave the isolation room and move within the house, but they must wear a mask and maintain physical distance from others inside. The guideline does not authorize F0 patients to leave the house. COVID-19 is still considered a communicable disease, and the World Health Organization has not declared the end of the pandemic phase for the virus. Therefore, the current regulations still mandate isolation for F0 patients and adherence to preventive measures as instructed by the Ministry of Health.

Earlier, on the afternoon of March 14, due to the unclear wording of the Ministry's directive, many raised concerns that allowing F0 patients to leave their homes would make it difficult to maintain adequate distancing, increasing the risk of spreading COVID-19.

In practice, while F0 patients are not permitted to leave their homes, many asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic individuals still go out for errands like shopping, visiting doctors, or picking up medication. Some medical facilities even encourage asymptomatic F0 patients or those with a CT value above 30 to return to work (caring for COVID-19 patients), as many healthcare workers in hospitals are also F0 patients.