COVID-19: Ministry to mobilise 10,000 medical workers to aid HCM City

A medical worker collects samples for COVID-19 testing (Photo: VNA)

HCM City (VNA) – The Ministry of Health will mobilise about 10,000 medical workers to aid Ho Chi Minh City in the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said on July 7.

More than 3,300 health workers, and students of medical schools are present in the southern metropolis that is now the country’s biggest pandemic hotspot.

The ministry will also establish 24 working groups to support the city in the fight, Long said.

Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong said the city will impose social distancing in line with the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 16 for 15 days, starting July 9.

Medical workers disinfect a school ahead of the national high school graduation exam. (Photo: VNA)

Accordingly, local residents are asked to stay at home and only go outside for essential trips such as buying food and medicines, or emergency care. Essential good delivery services are allowed.

The ministry reported that additional 314 new COVID-19 cases were added to the national tally from 7:30pm on July 7 to 6:00am on July 8, raising the caseload to 23,385 which include 1,891 imported cases.

Among the new infections, 234 were recorded in HCM City and the remaining in its neighbouring province of Binh Duong. Of the total, 264 were detected in quarantine sites or sealed-off areas./.

VNA