Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked the Ministry of Health to coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to downgrade COVID-19 to a Group-B infectious disease from one in Group A and declare the end of the pandemic.

Group A infectious diseases are extremely dangerous and highly contagious with high mortality rates or unknown disease-causing agents, according to Vietnam's Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases.

Meanwhile, Group B infectious diseases are dangerous and may spread fast and cause a risk of fatality.

The Ministry of Health will submit dossiers about the announcement of the end of the pandemic to the government chief for consideration and approval, according to the Government Office’s dispatch sent to the minister of health.

The prime minister also required the Ministry of Health to join hands with the Government Office to hold a meeting of the national steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control on May 27 to announce the accomplishment of its missions, signaling its disbandment.

The Ministry of Health was asked to rely on the World Health Organization’s recommendations and the pandemic situation in Vietnam to draw up a long-term pandemic control plan in the 2023-25 period.

Vietnam's COVID-19 tally has reached some 11.6 million, ranking 13th among 231 countries and territories around the world.

The country places 120th in terms of the total COVID-19 cases per one million people.

Vietnam officially declared COVID-19 a national epidemic on April 1, 2020.

The World Health Organization ended the global emergency status for COVID-19 on May 5, more than three years after its original declaration, and said it is still a significant public health problem and looks likely to remain one for the foreseeable future.

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