PM requests HCM City to test all residents as infection cases surge
Ho Chi Minh City must test every resident during its ongoing extended social distancing period, according to the Prime Minister’s telegram dated August 22.
The move is to early detect and separate all infection cases from the community, the PM said in the telegram.
HCM City has recorded approximately 4,000 new cases daily, becoming the largest coronavirus hotspot in Vietnam. It has so far documented more than 170,000 cases since the resurgence of the virus nearly four months ago, or more than half of the country’s total.
The southern metropolis has recently decided to extend its ongoing social distancing measures for another month till September 15 to curb the spread of the virus. Experts say the city should make use of this golden time to isolate the virus in the community in the last, important battle.
In the telegram dispatched to HCM City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Long An, the PM asked the Ministry of Health to prioritise allocating COVID-19 vaccines to these localities and carry out the ongoing free vaccination campaign in a timely, safe and effective manner.
He requested the administrations of the designed localities to strictly implement social distancing measures. All residents are required to stay indoors, and on-duty staff at checkpoints are deployed to assist locals, including vulnerable groups, with basic daily necessities.
He also asked relevant ministries and agencies to provide adequate food, medicine and medical equipment to the COVID hit localities to ensure no locals are left hungry and patients are admitted to hospital on time.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread to 62 out of 63 cities and provinces across the country since its resurgence in late April. Daily caseload has hit more than 10,000 over the past few days, with August 21 seeing more than 11,300 cases detected, a record high figure.
The Vietnamese Government has set a goal of keeping the fresh coronavirus outbreak nationwide in check in September. Coronavirus hotspots like Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Long An are set to contain the outbreak before September 1, while the largest coronavirus hotspot of HCM City is expected to halt the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus before September 15.
