Gia Lai steps up COVID-19 prevention, control efforts

Assoc. Prof. Dr Phan Trong Lan, Director of the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, speaks at the working session (Photo: VNA)

Gia Lai (VNA) – A delegation from the ,
led by Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen, joined a working session on February 3 with
authorities in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai amid a surge of
locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases in the area.

The province had documented 14 infections as of 7am on February 3. Tracing
and quarantine of F1 cases who had close contact with COVID-19 patients have
been stepped up since the first positive cases were detected.

The local health sector has mobilised all personnel and resources, in
combination with assistance from other agencies, to conduct contact tracing.
More than 1,320 citizens are now under quarantine at 14 establishments in the
province.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Vo Ngoc Thanh asked the
Ministry of Health to send medical equipment and experts to the province for
the establishment of a 200-bed .

Testing devices capable of collecting about 1,500 – 3,000 samples a day
are set to arrive in Gia Lai in the next few days, according to Assoc. Prof. Dr
Phan Trong Lan, Director of the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City.

The ministry has ordered relevant agencies to compile health
regulations in pandemic-hit localities and review all local medical
establishments to help the COVID-19 hospitals.

The province was also requested to bolster communications work on
prevention and control among ethnic minority groups and impose strict
fines on those not wearing facemasks in public./.