Health workers spray disinfectant at Đồng Nghe Military Reserve Centre in Đà Nẵng's Hòa Vang District, which quarantined 69 Vietnamese people returning from South Korea. — VNA/VNS Photo Võ Văn Dũng

HÀ NỘI — The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday decided to remove Việt Nam from the list of destinations vulnerable to community transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
The decision was made during a teleconference between the Vietnamese Embassy in the US and the US Department of State, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the CDC.
Representatives of the CDC and the HHS praised the Vietnamese Government’s efforts in the fight against the acute respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, saying monitoring, quarantine and treatment have been carried out comprehensively in the country.
The CDC said it plans to dispatch a delegation to Việt Nam in the second half of March in order to enhance medical cooperation between the two countries and accelerate the establishment of a CDC office in the Southeast Asian nation.
The HHS also affirmed its willingness to consider helping Việt Nam with more equipment in service of the fight against the epidemic.
Regarding regional collaboration, the US side expressed its wish to step up cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in epidemic control, which is also expected to be tabled for discussion at the ASEAN-US Summit slated for March 14 in Las Vegas.
In addition to authorities, many US firms have also shown interest in promoting medical collaboration with Việt Nam.
According to the US-ASEAN Business Council, among a delegation of more than 40 US enterprises to visit Việt Nam from March 3-6, there are about 20 specialising in healthcare and pharmaceutical products. — VNS