At the technical subcommittee meeting of the Ministry of National Defense’s Steering Committee for nCoV epidemic prevention on the afternoon of February 4, Colonel Phan Dinh Hoai, Head of the Military Medical Department of the Border Guard, said that the number of masks received from the Military Medical Department was only enough.

With a land border with China of nearly 1,500 km in 7 northern provinces, including 7 international border gates, 6 main border gates, 21 secondary border gates and 44 open entrances, the number of border guards on duty is estimated at 1,000.

According to Colonel Hoai, local units have now purchased their own soap, hand sanitizer, and masks to prevent the epidemic.

Colonel Phan Dinh Hoai, Head of the Military Medical Department of the Border Guard.

The Head of the Military Medical Department of the Border Guard expressed concern that the amount of masks in Vietnam is lacking, the Ministry of Health announced that production facilities lack raw materials, not to mention the situation of consolidating goods from the lowlands to the border.

`We have asked the Ministry of Health and the Military Medical Department for support, but currently it is not enough. This is a huge difficulty. We hope that branches and levels will have solutions to have enough masks for officers and soldiers on duty.

Mr. Hoai informed that on the morning of February 4, Son La border guards reported that a person returning from China had a fever.

Noting the shortage of Border Guard soldiers, especially masks, Lieutenant General Do Quyet, Director of the Military Medical Academy (Deputy Head of Technical Department) affirmed that it is impossible for soldiers on the border to be infected with pneumonia.

General Quyet requested the Military Medical Department to call for the production of masks and dry hand sanitizer to supply Border Guard soldiers.

Lieutenant General Do Quyet, Director of the Military Medical Academy.

Associate Professor Nguyen Thai Son, Head of the Department of Microbial Sciences, Military Hospital 103, does not agree with the production of alternative cloth masks, because disposable medical masks are thrown in the trash, while cloth masks are

Head of the Equipment Department of the Military Medical Department Mai Ngoc Chien said that in the first phase, the Department issued 28,000 medical masks to military regions and corps on the list of quarantine areas.

By February 4, Vietnam had 10 positive cases of nCoV, 200 Vietnamese citizens were being quarantined in military barracks.

To prepare to welcome Vietnamese people back from China, the military regions and army corps have prepared about 31,000 beds, accommodation, military equipment, food… for the people.

Hoang Thuy