Vietnam’s Ministry of Health has stated it had not consulted any individual in the prevention of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), rebutting a false report by an Israeli newspaper.

Israel’s Haaretz newspaper on Friday published an article titled "What Israel can learn from Vietnam on how to beat the coronavirus," in which it said Rafi Kot, an Israeli doctor living in Hanoi, had been giving advice to the Vietnamese government regarding the fight against the COVID-19.

The Vietnamese health ministry affirmed it has only consulted the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than 120 Vietnamese experts are working at the two organizations and have been sharing information and coordinating with the ministry in the prevention of the viral disease.

Although the health ministry is open to all opinions regarding the disease, it did not invite any individual to be an advisor in its efforts to contain the epidemic.

The COVID-19 has killed 2,982 people and infected over 86,900 globally since it first hit the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, according to the South China Morning Post.

Vietnam has so far confirmed 16 cases of the viral infection, including 13 Vietnamese, one Vietnamese American, and two Chinese.

All of them have fully recovered and have been discharged from the hospital.

The country has reported no new cases since February 13.

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