Health checks and body temperature scanning protocols implemented at Vân Đồn international airport in Quảng Ninh Province prior to the entry of 30 Vietnamese citizens from Wuhan, China that were flown back to Việt Nam on February 10. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang WASHINGTON — The US is ready to cooperate with Việt Nam and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the fight against the acute respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), US officials said at a recent meeting with representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy in the US. The meeting, which took place last week, saw the participation of Erika Elvander, Director of the Asia-Pacific Office under the US Department of Health and Human Services, and Mitchell Wolfe, Chief Medical Officer of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The US officials applauded Việt Nam’s medical capacity, especially in the control of the epidemic. Vietnamese leaders, from central to grassroots levels, had issued quick instructions and taken comprehensive, drastic measures to combat the disease, they said, praising Việt Nam’s efforts in improving public awareness of the virus. The US expressed its belief that with a good medical infrastructure system and a widespread vaccination network, Việt…