Health Minister requests faster testing of COVID-19

(standing) speaks at the meeting on COVID-19 prevention and control on November 24 (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long on November 24 urged testing for
COVID-19 to be accelerated, warning about very high risks of coronavirus
transmissions from other countries as the pandemic situation remains tense
around the world.

However, it has still seen imported cases
boarding flights from foreign destinations. Meanwhile, although the Ministry of
Health (MoH) has issued a number of guidelines for quarantine sites, the lack
of vigilance remains at several establishments, especially hotels and other
civil accommodation facilities, he pointed out.

Long underlined local authorities’ role in
ensuring strict management of quarantine sites, asking them to gear up for the
possible appearance of COVID-19 cases in the community.

Noting transmission risks at medical
establishments, the minister said some hospitals, especially private ones, are
still off guard.

Long said the MoH has continually requested
testing be increased, but the number of tested samples is only about 4,000 per
day, which has almost doubled the figure in July but is still very low compared
to the number of people with flu and pneumonia symptoms.

If the testing speed is not increased, COVID-19
infections could be missed, he noted, adding that the faster tests are
conducted, the sooner new cases are detected and the transmission is curbed.

The minister also emphasised the need to monitor
imported food, noting that the MoH has ordered that frozen food shipped from
pandemic-hit countries must undergo COVID-19 testing since the can
survive for a long time.

At the meeting, he also warned about
transmission risks posed by illegal entries, adding that 77 people had been
caught while trying to illegally enter Vietnam on November 23 alone.

Giving more details, Maj. Gen. Nguyen Duc Manh,
Deputy Commander of the Border Guards, said since the year’s beginning, the
force has kept guarding on more than 6,000 border paths and crossings and
handled entry procedures for over 2.7 million people, during which it has
recorded more than 20,000 cases of illegal entry.

The COVID-19 tally in Vietnam currently stands
at 1,316, including 691 locally infected cases. As many as 1,153 patients have
recovered from the disease while the fatalities are maintained at 35./.