Sci-tech sector mobilizes to control the Covid-19 pandemic

Robots, ventilators and vaccines

Under the direction of the government and Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, the Ministry of Science and Technology urgently mobilized leading scientists and experts in Vietnam to seek solutions for the pandemic’s control as soon as it broke out.

Many research projects have been applied in the pandemic’s control

The Vietnamese sci-tech sector has been working with researchers in other countries to exchange and test equipment, technologies and pandemic control products. At the same time, it has taken on accelerated epidemiological research, created a SARS-CoV-2 detection kit, developed treatment regimens and production of monoclonal antibodies, robots, ventilators and Covid-19 vaccines.

These efforts have resulted in encouraging achievements. The National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) successfully cultivated and isolated the SARS-CoV-2 virus, contributing to further research on the virus, and provided materials and support for research and manufacture of SARS-CoV-2 virus detection kits, monoclonal antibodies and vaccines.

The made-in-Vietnam Covid-19 test kit, co-developed by the Viet A Technology Joint Stock Company and the Vietnam Military Medical University, has been licensed by the Vietnamese Ministry of Health and certified as meeting European standards by the UK’s Department of Health and Social Care, whilst obtaining a Certificate of Free Sale (CFS) in Europe. It has been recognized by the Emergency Use Listing (EUL) procedure of the World Health Organization (WHO).

On August 16, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan said his ministry supports the expansion of areas eligible for the third phase of clinical trials of Nanocovax, a product of Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC based on recombinant DNA/protein technology. The vaccine underwent first-phase testing from December 18, 2020, the second phase from February 26, 2021 and the third from June 11, 2021. According to the approved plan, the third-phase trials aim to assess the vaccine’s efficacy and are carried out in many centers worldwide with 13,000 volunteers.

Assisting business

The Ministry of Science and Technology coordinated with the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Health, Vietnam Post Corporation, and DTT Technology Company that operates the Vietnamese digital knowledge system (itrithuc.vn) to provide a free platform for online teaching and interaction in the field of health and education nationwide.

The ministry is also prioritizing the development of pandemic control applications, such as Vmap (used for mapping pandemic-hit areas), a platform to track the movements of foreign visitors in tourist attractions, and medical declaration software, among others.

The sci-tech sector is consistently realizing tasks and solutions on standards, quality control and measurement, intellectual property, and information for businesses, especially start-ups, to help them overcome difficulties and boost production and trading. Specifically, the latest national and international standards related to medical equipment and tools serving pandemic control (ventilators, respirators, and medical masks, among others) are being provided for free. Companies are also being assisted in the production of medical equipment such as ventilators and medical masks.

Departments of standards, metrology and quality control in provinces and cities have been asked to help local enterprises receive registration dossiers for use of foreign codes while proposing that the Ministry of Finance consider a 50-percent reduction in the foreign code granting fee, and applying extension measures for intellectual property applicants, including foreign applicants affected by Covid-19.