Testing – one of “weapons” in COVID-19 fight

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The has
mobilised forces for COVID-19 testing at four venues in the central city of Da
Nang, home to a new outbreak involving more than one hundreds of cases,
according to Deputy Minister Nguyen Truong Son.

The four testing sites are the city disease control
centre, , General Hospital and Hospital 199 of the
Ministry of Public Security, Son said at a meeting with leaders of the
municipal People’s Committee on August 1.

In addition, machinery and test kits have been
transported from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang, Son said, describing
quarantine, contact tracing and extended testing as Vietnam’s “weapons” in the
pandemic fight.

The ministry also plans to set up a national emergency
storage facility to store necessary medical supplies, possibly at the Da Nang
University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy, Son continued.

Another urgent task is to “clean” up local hospital
from , and separate those “clean” ones with those which treat COVID-19
patients.
Regarding the building of a field hospital in Da Nang,
he said the ministry will establish a consultation group in charge of assessing
the hospital’s design quality.

The hospital would be used to treat COVID-19 patients
or quarantine F1 cases (which have direct contact with patients) based on the
latest situation, he added.

The health ministry on August 1 sent an urgent notice
to People’s Committees of cities and provinces, asking them to invest in
equipment and workforce for local COVID-19 testing laboratories.

Eligible private medical establishments should be
encouraged to participate in providing testing, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, in Hanoi, 481 out of 72,257 people
returning from Da Nang have taken PCR testing for the coronavirus, of whom 424
have turned out negative while the remainder are waiting for the result, heard
a meeting of the city steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control on
August 1.

Local authorities have also identified 127 F1 cases who
were quarantined and tested for the virus, with all of their test results were
negative.
Meanwhile, 49,829 people have taken quick tests, with
11 positive cases but PCR testing later showed 10 cases were negative and one
remaining case is still pending result.

The municipal health department reported there have
been no quick test kits left in the city as all have been delivered to medical
facilities in districts. Therefore, those returning from Da Nang should
quarantine themselves at home and come to medical facilities for check-ups and
treatment if they display symptoms of cough and fever.

Given this, Chairman of the municipal People’s
Committee Nguyen Duc Chung asked the health department to ask the Ministry of
Health for another 20,000 test kits, striving to complete the quick testing on
August 2./.