HCMC – The Ministry of Health is currently developing a plan to address relevant issues before reclassifying Covid-19 from a Group A infectious disease to a Group B disease by the end of this month.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong mentioned the plan at a medical communications talk show held on June 14.

“The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Justice are providing consultations to the prime minister for approval to reclassify Covid at the end of this month,” Huong noted.

Reclassifying Covid to Group B means that the disease will be treated as a common illness, bringing the country one step closer to declaring the end of the Covid pandemic.

When the reclassification is approved, patients will no longer receive free treatment, and local authorities will have increased responsibilities in developing sustainable plans for disease prevention and control, according to Huong.

Earlier, in light of the current disease situation in Vietnam, the Ministry of Health proposed that the Government shift Covid from Group A of highly dangerous infectious diseases to Group B of dangerous infectious diseases.

In addition to the reclassification, the ministry will finalize a plan for sustainable control and management of the pandemic from 2023 to 2025. The ministry will also continue the vaccination program, tailoring it to the specific needs of each locality.

The ministry has also updated treatment regimens and infection control measures, as well as included Covid vaccines in the national vaccination program.

In the year till now, the country has reported over 85,000 Covid cases, which is an 8.5-fold decrease compared to 2021 and 48 times lower than 2022. During the past five months, 20 people died of Covid, accounting for 0.02% of the total cases.