HCMC – Some 80% of the Covid-19 patients in HCMC in the latest outbreak are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, according to the municipal Department of Health.
The figure was announced as part of a plan to establish two field hospitals with a total capacity of 5,000 beds at the Vietnam National University HCMC, which would accommodate newly-detected Covid-19 patients and those who develop no or mild symptoms, news site Vnexpress reported.
Doctor Nguyen Tri Dung, director of the municipal Center for Disease Control, has also stated that some 1.3% of the patients in the city developed serious symptoms, while 68% were asymptomatic.
These cases have caused multiple difficulties in the tracing work, Dung noted.
In the coming periods, HCMC should protect people with a high risk of infection and those with underlying illnesses. They should be prioritized to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
Director of the HCMC Department of Health Nguyen Tan Binh said the treatment of patients without symptoms in separate areas would help ease the pressure on the healthcare sector.
In some countries, these patients have been asked to monitor their health condition at home. In HCMC, the number of asymptomatic Covid-19 patients has not been too high, so they are still being monitored by healthcare workers, Binh added.
In mid-May, the Medical Services Administration under the Ministry of Health stated that some 60% of Covid-19 patients in this Covid-19 wave showed no clinical symptoms. Therefore, the tracing and testing of suspected people is important in the fight against Covid-19.
In related news, of the over 9,000 Covid-19 patients under treatment, 16 have been put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machines, 114 are in severe condition and 49 others are very critical.
Bac Giang is treating the most number of Covid-19 cases. In HCMC, Covid-19 patients are receiving medical treatment at 12 facilities. Of them, the Can Gio Covid-19 Treatment Hospital is treating the most, at 532, followed by the Cu Chi Covid-19 Treatment Hospital with 408 patients.
