"Made in Vietnam" protective suits delivered to US for COVID-19 fight

The US needs a large number of protective suits to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Source: Global Times

The first of two initial shipments of over 450,000 DuPont protective suits made in Vietnam departed Hanoi to the United State on April 7. The suits will be delivered to the US Strategic National Stockpile in order to address the urgent need for protective equipment for frontline providers responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in the US.

“This shipment demonstrates the strength of the US-Vietnam partnership,” said American ambassador to Vietnam, Dan Kritenbrink.

According to Kritenbrink, earlier the US Department of Health and Human Services contracted with FedEx Express to expedite delivery of the suits to the US. The United States Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam, and the Government of Vietnam worked together to facilitate the logistics and secure the approvals necessary to expedite the delivery.

So far, the US has the highest number of COVID-19 positive cases and deaths, while Vietnam is in quite good control of the disease.

Since the beginning of this crisis, the US and Vietnamese governments have co-operated extensively in the COVID-19 fight. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have been collaborating with Vietnamese officials to monitor and respond to the evolving COVID-19 situation.

“Over the past 20 years, the US has invested more than $706 million in health assistance for Vietnam, and over the past decade has provided substantial technical and financial support to prevent, detect, and respond to emerging and serious infectious diseases,” the ambassador said. “These investments by our two countries are paying off at this critical time. The connections established between American and Vietnamese health professionals have been instrumental as we fight this epidemic together.”

Recently, USAID has announced an additional support of $2.9 million which will help the Vietnamese government to accelerate laboratory systems, strengthen case-finding and event-based surveillance, and support technical experts for rapid response, risk communication, and infection prevention and control.