Health

City-wide mass testing conducted with strict social distancing measures

SGGP July 2, 2021 at 14:52:00

The local authorities of districts in HCMC have not to allow mass gatherings at vaccination facilities and areas of taking samples for Covid-19 testing as well as strictly implement the directive No.10/CT-UBND on enhancement of covid-19 prevention and control issued by the municipal People’s Committee.

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At the conference

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son noted at the online conference of the city’s Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on July 2 with the participation of Standing Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh, Standing Deputy Secretary of HCMC's Party Committee Phan Van Mai, Chairman of the city People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong

He expressed his concern about the pandemic situation that remains complicated while the city still sees a rise in the number of cases. The virus also spreads so fast with a surge in HCMC’s neighboring provinces of Long An, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Tien Giang and Dong Thap, he added.

The Deputy Minister of Health was aslo afraid of problems in screening, sample taking and testing procedures, concerning present inadequacies in quarantine facilities and blockade areas, and unexpected results of contact tracing.

He was dissatisfied that many persons have not been allowed to leave the quarantine area and received Covid-19 test results after completing 21-day mandatory quarantine period.

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Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son said that Ministry of Health plans to provide nearly one million doses of vaccine for HCMC in coming time.

The People’s Committee of HCMC must order the functional units to reduce the time to get samples for Covid -19 testing and deliver results, and enhance the effectiveness of contact tracing, he stressed.

The Ministry of Health encouraged localities to use Rapid diagnostic test (RDT) that is regarded as one of the important measures that help contact tracers find Covid-19 confirmed and suspected cases soon. The city needs to provide Covid-19 test kits to districts to ensure the contact tracing process and get information quickly.

About 400,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine arrived in Tan Son Nhat Airport today to help HCMC repel the Covid-19 pandemic in the present situation where number of confirmed cases with Covid-19 has been increased in recent days, he said.

The Ministry plans to provide nearly one million doses of vaccine for the city in coming time. HCMC needs to build a detailed plan on using vaccine doses to ensure the safe, effective ans successful immunization program, the leader of the Health Ministry asked.

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Director of the Department of Health of HCMC, Dr. Nguyen Tan Binh speaks at the event.

Speaking at the conference, Director of the Department of Health of HCMC, Dr. Nguyen Tan Binh said that 553 cases were recorded in HCMC between 6 a.m on July 1 and 6 .m on July 2. The city had 3,400 confirmed cases of Covid-19 from June 23 to present.

The city used 128,520 Covid-19 test kits and provided 169,000 test kits for districts. A total number of 839,706 people were vaccinated against Covid-19 in the latest vaccination campaign that took place from June 21 to July 1, he reported.