HCMC – Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long has proposed HCMC lock down high-risk areas, while the entire city will practice social distancing under the prime minister’s Directive 16 from tomorrow, heard an online anti-Covid-19 meeting today, July 8.
The city’s fight against Covid-19 will decide the success or failure of suppressing the pandemic in nearby provinces such as Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Long An and the country, Long said, proposing some solutions to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Covid-19 tests should be conducted every five or seven days at high-risk areas, said Long, while other parts of the city should take group samples in households for testing.
The Ministry of Health will dispatch some 10,000 medical workers to HCMC to help the city collect samples for testing and treat Covid-19 patients.
Besides, Minister Long said that HCMC should prepare 50,000 beds at treatment areas for Covid-19 patients who are asymptomatic as these patients account for 70% of the total number of patients reported in the city.
All hospitals citywide must make themselves ready to treat ill patients, while Cho Ray Hospital, the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Hospital 115 and Gia Dinh People’s Hospital will be in charge of treating seriously ill patients.
Also, Long said that in July, some 8.7 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine would arrive in Vietnam and HCMC and nearby provinces would be prioritized for vaccination.
The city should run a number of vaccination sites, especially at some residential areas, and arrange different time frames to avoid mass gatherings and ensure safety.
Chairing the online meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked HCMC to adopt more drastic anti-virus measures and make all-out efforts to ward off community spread.
Since the current fourth wave of Covid-19 emerged on April 27, HCMC has reported over 8,500 domestic Covid-19 cases to become the country’s largest coronavirus hotspot.
