Hanoi, June 27 (VNA) – The Ministry of Health has proposed considering COVID-19 a Group A infectious disease, not an endemic disease in its latest draft on COVID-19 prevention and control measures in the new situation.

Per the draft, Vietnam is still in the transition period between pandemic prevention and sustainable management.

Regarding the reason why COVID-19 has not been considered an endemic disease in Vietnam yet, the Ministry of Health said that most countries in the world are in a state of unstable cases and deaths, with an erratic increase and decrease trend when new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus appear. At the same time, acquired immunity (due to vaccines and infection) has not been stable for a long time and decreases over time.

As a result, the application of epidemic prevention and control measures should be flexible and gradually moves towards the "new normal".

The announcement of the end of the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam may be considered when the World Health Organisation declares the end of the pandemic or public health event of concern globally; and when the country’s situation continues to be well controlled./.