Improving testing capacity for Covid-19 According to the explanation of Minister Nguyen Thanh Long, this outbreak in Ho Chi Minh City is different from previous times when it was not possible to completely trace all sources of infection. The cause is the appearance of clusters of cases, pathogens can spread and spread quickly, thereby causing potential case misses. Besides, the epidemic in the city has a very fast rate of transmission. When a case is recorded, many people in the family, production line or company have also been infected. Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long held a meeting with the Ho Chi Minh City Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on the afternoon of June 19. Photo: Khoi Nguyen. Regarding the orientation in the coming time, the Minister of Health emphasized that improving testing capacity is one of the strategic solutions so that Ho Chi Minh City can quickly control and prevent the disease. Accordingly, Ho Chi Minh City needs to quickly improve testing capacity with a capacity of 500,000 aggregate samples per day, this scenario has been proposed before but needs to be implemented immediately to quickly stop the source of infection. Testing should be carried out in different forms, with key areas, to ensure that all relevant people are tested without omission and repeated testing after 5-7 days. With cases detected through screening, testing or hospital examination, the health sector needs to immediately localize and test the entire area, at the same time implement tracing measures and take samples for testing. In relevant cases, it is possible to apply sample 5 with F1, 10-20 with other cases. For industrial zones, the Minister said that Ho Chi Minh City needs regular screening tests to protect this area against the risk of disease invasion. At the same time, Ho Chi Minh City needs to have a large-scale screening test for the whole city in the form of 1-2 people per household. Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long. Photo: Duy Hieu. The Minister emphasized the need to quickly test for antigens, not to leave samples; Strengthening human resources to take samples and perform tests, and at the same time can consider and guide people to take samples for quick testing at home. Medical facilities need to test all patients who come for medical examination and treatment, not only focusing on groups of patients with clinical manifestations such as cough, fever, etc. Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said that the agencies under the Ministry located in the area will be mobilized to support the health sector in Ho Chi Minh City. In which, the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Ho Chi Minh City mobilizes all students to participate in sampling, the Pasteur Institute of Ho Chi Minh City and other departments will provide maximum support with the coordination of HCMC. Preparing the plan that Ho Chi Minh City has 5,000 cases Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said that Ho Chi Minh City has distanced the whole city according to Directive 15, but the implementation still has many shortcomings. Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases, a large-scale Covid-19 treatment center in Ho Chi Minh City, is temporarily blocked. Photo: Chi Hung. The Minister recommended that the distance in Ho Chi Minh City should be implemented in different levels, depending on the characteristics of each area, should not rigidly apply Directive 16 throughout the city. Regarding treatment, Ho Chi Minh City needs to be ready for the scenario of 5,000 cases, plan to coordinate the army forces in the area to establish a field hospital; assigned Cho Ray Hospital to be ready for the scenario of setting up an emergency room to receive treatment for serious patients, especially cases requiring intensive intervention such as ECMO. For this scenario, the health sector in Ho Chi Minh City needs to review and prepare medical facilities, equipment and supplies. The Ministry of Health will provide some necessary equipment such as HFLC equipment, ventilators, ECMO to meet the treatment needs of serious patients. With the work of vaccination against Covid-19 vaccine, the Minister suggested that the city health sector should mobilize all efforts to implement the vaccination campaign according to the plan and schedule.

This company has now been locked down and sampled all 350 employees at the garment factory. Also located in Vinh Loc A Industrial Park, on June 12, through screening, Quoc Anh General Hospital discovered a positive case for nCoV. This person is a worker at Van Duc Food Company. The health sector has traced and sampled more than 100 F1. 500 workers at the facility’s dormitories have been tested. Through the screening of these two companies, the health sector discovered 11 positive aggregate samples. The health sector is conducting large-scale screening samples in industrial zones. Photo: Chi Hung. In addition, on June 13, through screening, Xuyen A Hospital discovered a positive case of a worker in Tan Phu Trung Industrial Park. The health sector detected 4 more positive cases and 6 positive pool samples. Binh said another infection chain was detected through community screening in a residential area of ​​An Lac ward, Binh Tan district. Through testing more than 1,500 workers staying in Binh Tan district, working at PouYuen Company, two positive cases were found. This afternoon, the health sector tested about 1,000 workers and the Department of Health is expanding rapid antigen testing in this area. Binh informed that on the afternoon of June 15, the Department of Health coordinated with Binh Tan and Binh Chanh districts to test more than 25,000 officials and workers in Vinh Loc Industrial Park. According to the announcement of the Ministry of Health, from April 27 to now, Ho Chi Minh City has 894 Covid-19 patients. In particular, the largest outbreak related to the Renaissance missionary group was basically under control. However, the epidemic was complicated when there were many clusters of cases with unknown sources of transmission. In particular, the epidemic has penetrated the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City. The first case was detected on June 12 in the information technology department. Only 4 days after being discovered, this outbreak had 69 people including medical staff and related people. On June 14, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong made a decision to ease social distancing in Go Vap district and Thanh Loc ward (district 12), reducing from applying Directive 16 to Directive 15. The city remains separated under Directive 15 for 2 weeks. Unloading checkpoints in Go Vap At 0:00 on June 15, all quarantine checkpoints at the gateway of Go Vap district were lifted according to the decision to reduce the distance level of Ho Chi Minh City.

The intersection between Ta Hien Street and Luong Ngoc Quyen Street is sparsely populated, shops and restaurants proactively suspend service under the direction of the People’s Committee of Hanoi. (Photo: The Manh/Vietnam+) The most crowded and bustling scene in Hanoi of the “sleeping” street of Ta Hien, which used to be, is now gone. Instead, it was deserted, quiet since “closed.” (Photo: The Manh/Vietnam+) People accept the closure to prevent and control the COVID-19 epidemic. (Photo: The Manh/Vietnam+) Bich Hanh (owner of a beer shop on Ta Hien Street) said: “Since she was asked to suspend operations, this week she has closed the shop. Only in the morning, she comes to clean and disinfect. Now she just hopes that the epidemic will pass quickly so that the government and medical staff, border guards… will be less hard and people can live and do business with peace of mind.” (Photo: The Manh/Vietnam+) Some famous bars and pubs on Ta Hien and Ma May streets are now closed. The scene is quiet and dreary in contrast to the usual vibrant look. (Photo: The Manh/Vietnam+) The street is empty of tourists, the street is used as a playground. (Photo: The Manh/Vietnam+) Some other pictures of the restaurant situation on Ta Hien and Ma May streets in the afternoon of May 6. (Photo: The Manh/Vietnam+) Some other pictures of the restaurant situation on Ta Hien and Ma May streets in the afternoon of May 6. (Photo: The Manh/Vietnam+) Some other pictures of the restaurant situation on Ta Hien and Ma May streets in the afternoon of May 6. (Photo: The Manh/Vietnam+) Some other pictures of the restaurant situation on Ta Hien and Ma May streets in the afternoon of May 6. (Photo: The Manh/Vietnam+)