HCMC – HCMC detected nearly 42,400 Covid-19 infections through mass community testing from August 23 to 28.
According to the HCMC Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDC), positive cases accounted for 3.5% of the total collected samples.
Hospitals citywide are currently treating over 38,500 Covid-19 patients. The city’s Department of Health has asked Covid-19 treatment hospitals to transfer asymptomatic patients that are in stable condition to quarantine centers so that they can receive more patients with moderate and serious symptoms.
The hospitals should also increase the use of Remdesivir for Covid patients with moderate and serious symptoms following guidance of the Ministry of Health.
On August 28, the Department of Health wrote to the HCMC People’s Committee suggesting that the city increase home quarantine for Covid-19 patients with no or mild symptoms to reduce the strain on overloaded Covid treatment hospitals.
Critically ill Covid-19 patients account for 11.4%
According to Vuong Anh Duong, deputy director of the Agency of Health Examination and Treatment under the Ministry of Health, among over 53,600 Covid patients that are undergoing treatment in the country, 79.4% have mild or no symptoms, 9.2% suffer from moderate symptoms and 11.4% are critically ill.
Duong said the most dangerous and common symptom among critically ill Covid patients is dyspnea, or shortness of breath.
An average critically ill patient undergoing high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy needs 86,400 liters of oxygen a day, or 604,800 liters a week. Therefore, Covid treatment hospitals should be equipped with enough oxygen cylinders and tanks of compressed liquid oxygen based on the number and health condition of their patients.
