Testing – one of “weapons” in COVID-19 fight

Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Health has mobilised forces for COVID-19 testing at four venues in the central city of Da Nang, home to a new outbreak involving more than one hundreds of cases, according to Deputy Minister Nguyen Truong Son.

The four testing sites are the city disease control centre, Da Nang Lung Hospital, Da Nang General Hospital and Hospital 199 of the Ministry of Public Security, Son said at a meeting with leaders of the municipal People’s Committee on August 1.

In addition, machinery and test kits have been transported from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang, Son said, describing quarantine, contact tracing and extended testing as Vietnam’s “weapons” in the pandemic fight.

The ministry also plans to set up a national emergency storage facility to store necessary medical supplies, possibly at the Da Nang University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy, Son continued.

Another urgent task is to “clean” up local hospital from COVID-19, and separate those “clean” ones with those which treat COVID-19 patients.
Regarding the building of a field hospital in Da Nang, he said the ministry will establish a consultation group in charge of assessing the hospital’s design quality.

The hospital would be used to treat COVID-19 patients or quarantine F1 cases (which have direct contact with patients) based on the latest situation, he added.

The health ministry on August 1 sent an urgent notice to People’s Committees of cities and provinces, asking them to invest in equipment and workforce for local COVID-19 testing laboratories.

Eligible private medical establishments should be encouraged to participate in providing testing, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, in Hanoi, 481 out of 72,257 people returning from Da Nang have taken PCR testing for the coronavirus, of whom 424 have turned out negative while the remainder are waiting for the result, heard a meeting of the city steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control on August 1.

Local authorities have also identified 127 F1 cases who were quarantined and tested for the virus, with all of their test results were negative.
Meanwhile, 49,829 people have taken quick tests, with 11 positive cases but PCR testing later showed 10 cases were negative and one remaining case is still pending result.

The municipal health department reported there have been no quick test kits left in the city as all have been delivered to medical facilities in districts. Therefore, those returning from Da Nang should quarantine themselves at home and come to medical facilities for check-ups and treatment if they display symptoms of cough and fever.

Given this, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung asked the health department to ask the Ministry of Health for another 20,000 test kits, striving to complete the quick testing on August 2./.