Localities take COVID-19 prevention measures

A training exercise on how to deal with patients who are suspected of infection
was held on February 11 in the .

Bui Khac Hung, Director of Krong Pak district’s Health Centre, said the premise
of the drill was how to detect a patient showing infection symptoms and
determine if they had come into contact with people returning from
virus-stricken areas.

The exercise providing necessary knowledge for health workers in the province
while enhancing the response capacity for the health sector in case of
outbreak, he said.

The province has reported 15 people with suspected as of
February 11. Twelve of them tested negative and have been discharged.

In Kien Giang province, Nguyen Van Thanh, Vice Rector of the Kien Giang University,
said all buildings, student dormitory, library and departments have been
disinfected ahead of students returning.

Nearly 4,100 students are studying in the university including 150 from Laos
and Cambodia. 500 are living at the dormitory.

The university has organised training classes to provide knowledge related to
COVID-19 to all students and also distributed 4,500 free face masks.

In the central province of Quang Nam, two people with suspected COVID-19
infection have tested negative, said Nguyen Van Hai, Director of the provincial
Health Department.

Despite being free of suspected cases, the province will continue monitoring
and managing people entering the province.

Measures for combating and preventing COVID-19 have been adopted at other
provinces and cities including Bac Giang, Dien Bien, Lam Dong and HCM City.

Three facilities have been set up for quarantine in the northern province of Bac
Giang. The authorities have quarantined 27 people including 10 Chinese
nationals by February 10.

As many as 48 people who came from or transit via virus-hit areas of China were
put under 14-day quarantine in Lam Dong province.

Similar actions are underway in the northern province of Dien Bien which
borders China and where a lot of trade activities take place.

“Muong Nhe district’s health centre has set up a steering committee and joint
task to cope with the disease. Health equipment and human resources are ready
to treat patients in case an outbreak occurs,” said Nguyen Danh, Deputy Director
of the district’s health centre.

The provincial agencies also tightened monitoring anybody entering the province
and the country.

In HCM City, Li Ding, a Chinese national, has been discharged from Cho Ray Hospital
on February 12, becoming the seventh patient to be successfully treated in
Vietnam.

Li Ding and his son, Li Zichao, were the first people infected with the virus
in the country.

His son was discharged on February 4. But Ding was treated for longer as he has
different ailments including diabetes, lung cancer and hypertension.

According to the HCM City Centre for Disease Control, the city still has one
suspected case and more than 2,580 people quarantined. Of these, 2,521
people are being monitored at home.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has requested ministries,
agencies and localities to tighten supervision to stamp out any outbreak and
prevent transmission.

Speaking at a meeting held in Hanoi on February 12, Dam said although the
number of cases in Vietnam remained small and there were positive signs in
treatment, the disease was expected to develop and there was high risk of
outbreak.

He asked forces to step up communication work to raise awareness of quarantined
people about their responsibilities towards families and society. The Deputy PM
also instructed ministries and agencies to provide support in human resources
and medical equipment to Vinh Phuc province, which has the most infection cases
so far.

Deputy Minister of Health Truong Quoc Cuong said in accordance with research
data, the fatalities rate was 2-3 percent, the epidemic was more contagious
than severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and other coronavirus with
infection rate of between 2.5 and 4.

He emphasised the need to prevent disease transmission by improving quarantine
work and stamping out disease on the spot./.