Collecting samples for COVID-19 testing (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The National SteeringCommittee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control has ordered Ho Chi Minh City’sauthorities to soon apply information technology such as automatic switchboardscalling local residents to ask about symptoms of cough and fever for timely collectionof samples for COVID-19 testing.
This request was made at an online meeting of the steering committee on June 2under the chair by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, who is also head of thesteering committee.
Director of the municipal Department of healthNguyen Tan Binh reported that HCM City recorded 227 COVID-19 cases since May26, with most of those linked to the infection cluster at “Hoi thanh truyengiao Phuc Hung” (Revival Ekklesia Mission).
Up to 20 out of the city’s 22districts have reported infections, except for district 11 and Can Gio district.The districts with infections have a high population density, posing ahigh-risk of rapid spread in the community if the city has no specific measuresto stamp out the pandemic.
According to Binh, the city’s health sector averagely collected 100,000 samplesfor COVID-19 testing, with 50 percent of those tested every day.
It has also prepared a standbyplan for quarantine and treatment, while strengthening preventive measures toensure safety in medical facilities, Binh added.
Dang Quang Tan, Director of the Ministry of Health (MoH)’s Department ofPreventive Medicine, said HCM City needs to conduct COVID-19 screen testing ona large scale, especially in high-risk areas.
Associate Prof. Dr. Tran Dac Phu, head of the advisory group for SARS-CoV-2testing and diagnosis of the MoH, revealed the ministry’s plan to build draftguidelines for testing and quarantine for imported cases.
Regarding vaccine, the steering committee requested the MoH to create allfavorable conditions for the import of COVID-19 vaccines, and have flexibleplans to reasonably distribute vaccines.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Science and Technology was asked to urgently promoteresearch of technology and new testing methods and equipment in order to meetthe demand of screen testing./.
VNA
