Hanoi steps up COVID-19 testing for at-risk people amid new case spike

Hanoi (VNA) – The Hanoi Department of Health urges its preventive medicine units to step up screening COVID-19 testing targeting people considered at-risk as the city has seen a spike in locally-infected cases over the last several days.

From now until July 25, the units are requested to look over records of individuals who have fever and cough without an obvious cause or other suspected COVID-19 symptoms since July 10, in order to conduct screening tests if necessary, the department said in an urgent notice issued on July 18.

These individuals do not necessarily need to have travel history to pandemic-hit areas or close contact with coronavirus carriers, the notice said.

The city also plans to check on and test bus drivers, driver assistants and ticket salesmen as well as people returning from Bac Ninh, Bac Giang and other cities and provinces under city- or province-wide social distancing order. These returnees are required to undergo self-quarantine for 14 days from their date of arrival in Hanoi.

Screening tests can be conducted using pooled sample RT-PCR strategy or antigen rapid testing method, it added.

Hanoi detected a total of 442 COVID-19 cases during the fourth wave starting April 27, including 183 cases from July 5./.