Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chairs the 17th meeting of the Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control. (Photo: VGP)

Prime Minister Chinh on Tuesday chaired the 17th meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, which was held online connecting the Government headquarters and 63 provinces and cities. He underlined the importance of vaccination.

“Vaccines are weapons to fight this disease and have been proven effective in practice. Science has also proven that vaccines immunize over time, so it is necessary to increase vaccination, we must continue to do so,” Mr. Chinh said. 

The Prime Minister suggested that participants focus on discussing the situation, tasks and solutions to further accelerate the vaccination, which has not yet achieved the set target. He urged for efforts to overcome the shortage of drugs, medical equipment and supplies, ensure human resources for healthcare, and further raise the people's awareness of pandemic prevention.

Prime Minister Chinh highlighted the importance of issuing the Government’s Resolution 128 on making Vietnam’s response to the pandemic more flexible. He said it was key to the work and to socio-economic recovery and development. He added that after nearly one year of implementing the Resolution, the response has proved effective, with the pandemic put under control, macroeconomics kept stable, the economy and labor market recovering, and national territorial sovereignty, politics, and social security ensured. People's living standards have improved, according to the preliminary survey, 82.2% of households have had their income unchanged or increased.