Deputy PM urges Mekong Delta localities to raise guard against COVID-19 hinh anh 1Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam chairs a meeting with 12 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam on July 12 asked Mekong Delta localities to raise guard against COVID-19 given a surge in local infections.

All of returnees from pandemic-hit areas have to make health declarations truthfully to facilitate the testing and quarantine work, Dam, who is also head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, said at an online meeting with representatives from 12 cities and provinces in the Mekong Delta region.

Each locality should review their medical equipment, the capacity of concentrated quarantine and treatment facilities, and personnel for COVID-19 testing, the Deputy PM said.

He asked the cities and provinces to step up screen tests in hospitals, promptly activate monitoring systems to get information about people displaying COVID-19 symptoms, and improve testing capacity.

The localities were also requested to re-organise treatment systems for COVID-19 patients, who, Dam said, should be classified into three groups – patients with no or mild symptoms, patients with symptoms, and patients in critical conditions.

At the meeting, the participating officials shared difficulties in pandemic prevention and control in their localities, mainly relating to testing capacity.

Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen said the localities are expected to record more COVID-19 cases in the time ahead, and urged them to better assign tasks, and seriously observe quarantine and lockdown regulations./.
VNA