HCMC – The Ministry of Health has asked provinces practicing social distancing under the prime minister’s Directive 16 to conduct Covid-19 tests for all residents at their homes by September 15.
According to the ministry, the pandemic has yet to be brought under control in provinces where Directive 16 is being deployed and the level of community transmission is still high, the local media reported.
To detect Covid-19 cases early and reduce the transmission risk, the Ministry of Health asked localities practicing social distancing to accelerate testing, especially in areas under lockdown and extremely-high-risk and high-risk areas.
The testing results must be worked out in the course of the day.
By September 15, medical workers must visit households in extremely high-risk and high-risk areas to take their samples for Covid-19 testing, at least three times, using rapid antigen tests or RT-PCR tests for groups of households.
In other areas, all residents will be swabbed at home every five to seven days. They will undergo RT-PCR tests in groups of households.
Moreover, localities will continue testing people with symptoms of cough, fever and shortness of breath.
Employees of hospitals, production and business units, industrial parks and essential service providers will be tested every three days.
The Ministry of Health also asked cities and provinces to instruct residents to do a self-test under the supervision of medical workers.
As for localities which are not practicing social distancing, the local healthcare sectors must conduct tests depending on the pandemic situation there to detect infections early.
Family members of those working at enterprises providing essential services, banks, traditional wet markets, supermarkets and trade centers as well as those living in boarding houses and areas with a high population density will also be tested.
Meanwhile, staff in hospitals, production and business entities, industrial parks and essential service providers will be tested every five to seven days.
