1 Dead, 7 Infected by Vietnamese Man Who Was Found Guilty Spreading COVID-19

A court had found a Vietnamese man guilty for spreading COVID-19 virus in the country and sentenced him 5 years in jail.

Le Van Tri defied the COVID-19 restrictions and transmitted the dangerous infectious diseases to eight people, one of whom had died in due course.

Tri, 28, had reportedly travelled by motorcycle in early July from Ho Chi Minh City to his home province Ca Mau in the south of the country.

As he arrived at Ca Mau, authorities said he lied on his health declaration form and did not disclose his recent travel history, a violation to the compliance of isolation rules and mandatory provision that people who have travelled from other provinces into Ca Mau had to undergo self-quarantine for 21 days.

Later on, Tri tested positive for Covid. Unfortunately, the infection had been transmitted to members of his family, including the staff at a welfare center he visited.

Tri was fined the equivalent of $880 (£630) and then sentenced 5 years to jail at the end of a one-day trial.

Keeping Up with COVID-19 Surge

Vietnam had been successful with containing coronavirus variant earlier in the year with their tight restrictions and actually had one of the most effective COVID-19 responses in the world. Their comparatively low record and number of cases, as well as its 'impressive economic performance' amidst global pandemic, boosted the country's reputation internationally.

However, the recent surge of the delta variant and surprisingly low vaccination rates impaired its performance.

In the last few months, Vietnam had seen more than 530,000 cases with over 13,300 deaths. Many of those cases have been found in Ho Chi Minh City.

Just like many other countries in Asia, Vietnam is struggling to contain the spread of the variant, which first arrived in the country late April of this year.

Why the Country's Previous Strategy is not Any More Effective

Basically, the delta variant has a very different transmission pattern than previous strains. In addition, the country has slow vaccine rollout which impaired their COVID-19 response, among other factors.

Their low infection rate seemed to relax their restrictions and lowered urgency, especially in securing a vaccine supply. Vietnam lagged behind more developed countries in this air, thus impairing their previously effective response to the pandemic.

Moreover, Vietnam authorities thought they could hang around a little bit more to develop their own homegrown COVID-19 vaccines; an 'optimistic outlook' that they would be able to work around its vaccine shortage by being producing their own vaccine.

It is still likely that new variants will continue to emerge and mutate, crippling the response of many countries, as well as their management strategies. Which is why Vietnam has set an example that "accelerating vaccination is imperative for securing human security, economic recovery, and political confidence."