It is still early to consider COVID-19 as seasonal influenza so local residents must continue complying with pandemic prevention and control measures, according to a health official in Ho Chi Minh City.

Ho Chi Minh City is providing treatment to 739 COVID-19 patients, of whom 38 are under 16 years old, 72 need breathing aid, and 12 require outside-the-body life support, Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai, head of the municipal Department of Health Office, said at a meeting on Monday.

The number of coronavirus-related deaths in the metropolis has remained at a low level in the past seven days, Mai continued, adding that the death toll fell to zero on several days.

However, it is still early to see COVID-19 as seasonal influenza, the health official stressed.

“We have yet to fully understand the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.

Mai called on local residents to stick to pandemic prevention and control measures.

It is also too soon to conclude that the virus causes no serious symptoms in children, although no COVID-19 deaths among children have been documented in the city.

Parents and health workers have to pay closer attention to young patients with malnutrition, obesity, and serious underlying conditions, Mai underscored.

The health official also encouraged parents to vaccinate their kids and make sure they follow all pandemic response protocols.

Ho Chi Minh City has documented more than 516,000 local infections since the fourth virus wave hit Vietnam last April.

The city has recorded daily jumps of less than 300 cases over the past week.

Health workers in the city of nine million have administered 8.1 million first vaccine doses, nearly 7.3 million second shots, and 4.6 million third jabs.

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