The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on February 27 decided to remove Vietnam 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 Vietnam 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 Vietnam with more equipment in service of the epidemic combat.

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.

Over the past time, apart from authorities, many US firms have also shown their interest in promoting medical collaboration with Vietnam.

According to the US-ASEAN Business Council, among a delegation of more than 40 US enterprises to visit Vietnam from March 3-6, there are about 20 specialising in health care and pharmaceutical products.-VNA