Keeping Children Safe During COVID-19

- The whole province currently has over 189,000 children, accounting for nearly 21.5% of the population. From the beginning of the year to June 22 , 2025, Lang Son recorded 105 cases of COVID-19, of which 57 were children, accounting for nearly 54 % of the total number of cases. Notably, the number of cases in children tends to increase. During the summer vacation, children often participate in crowded activities such as going to amusement parks, traveling , attending extra classes... which pose a potential risk of spreading the disease. Faced with this reality, the health sector has continued to proactively implement measures to monitor and communicate COVID-19 prevention, contributing to protecting the health of children and the community.

According to the classification of the Ministry of Health, COVID-19 has now been classified as a group B infectious disease. Although it is no longer a dangerous infectious disease as before, COVID-19 can still have a significant impact on human health, especially on children - those with incomplete immune systems and who often participate in group activities.

Doctor Duong Anh Dung, Head of the Department of Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, Provincial Center for Disease Control informed: The number of COVID-19 cases in the past week was the highest since the beginning of the year (36 cases, an increase of 11 cases compared to the previous week), including many COVID-19 cases in children. Most children with COVID-19 have mild symptoms such as fever, cough, fatigue, poor appetite... These symptoms are often confused with the common cold, so parents must proactively monitor their children . If there are unusual symptoms suspected of COVID-19, they need to go to a medical facility for timely examination and treatment according to regulations of the Ministry of Health , do not self-treat at home.

Provincial Center for Disease Control staff instruct children on how to wear masks properly

Faced with the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in children, many parents in the province have proactively increased disease prevention measures for their children, especially during the summer vacation when children often go to playgrounds, parks, and shopping malls.

Ms. Hoang Thi Thuy, residing in Mai Pha commune, Lang Son city, said: My child is only nearly 2 years old, his immune system is still weak, so I am very worried when the COVID-19 epidemic shows signs of returning, especially when there are many cases in young children. Before, I often took my child to the playground on weekends, but now I have limited this. If I need to go out, I always wear a mask for my child, bring hand sanitizer and keep a distance from strangers to protect his health.

Not only Ms. Thuy's family, many parents in the province are also raising their vigilance and proactively preventing epidemics with the spirit of "prevention is better than cure", to ensure children's safety during the summer.

Parents' initiative is also one of the solutions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in young children. Mr. Phan Lac Hoai Thanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Health, said: Young children, especially those with underlying diseases or immunodeficiency, are a vulnerable group when infected with COVID-19. In order to protect children's health, the health sector has stepped up propaganda and guidance on preventive measures such as maintaining personal hygiene, wearing masks, washing hands regularly and limiting children from going to crowded places ; coordinating with schools, especially kindergartens and nurseries (operating during the summer vacation) to propagate and instruct children on proper hand washing, not sharing personal items and monitoring children's health .

In addition, the Department of Health has directed the provincial health system to proactively forecast the situation, strengthen screening, epidemiological surveillance, early detection and timely handling of suspected cases. At the same time, ensure adequate human resources, medicines and medical supplies are ready to respond if cases occur. For cases of children with COVID-19, the health sector guides home isolation, health monitoring and symptomatic treatment with appropriate medication. Close coordination between families and medical facilities will help minimize the risk of spreading and complications caused by the epidemic.

Accordingly, the health sector has increased propaganda on epidemic prevention and control to people in villages and residential groups through propaganda on grassroots loudspeakers, distributing leaflets, hanging banners and posters in public places and posting information on social networking platforms such as Facebook, Zalo, YouTube. Since the beginning of the year, medical facilities in the province have integrated propaganda into health consultation and examination activities for over 400,000 people; posted over 1,100 news, articles and photos on the Department of Health's website and the websites of units, Facebook fanpage, Zalo... on COVID-19 epidemic prevention; communicated through loudspeakers of communes, wards and towns to over 5,500 listeners. The media content focuses on instructing people on epidemic prevention measures such as: wearing masks properly when showing signs of cough or fever, washing hands with soap or antiseptic solution, limiting gatherings in crowded places and proactively making medical declarations when showing unusual signs of health...

In the coming time, to effectively respond to the epidemic situation, the health sector will continue to strengthen epidemiological surveillance, screen suspected cases, promote disease prevention communication, and guide parents on how to care for and treat children at home when they have COVID-19... Along with the companionship and initiative of each family in protecting the health of their children, it is hoped that the number of COVID-19 cases, especially in young children, will gradually decrease, contributing to creating a safe and healthy living environment for children during the summer and the following stages .

Source: https://baolangson.vn/giu-tre-an-toan-trong-dich-covid-19-5051028.html