HCMC: Covid-19 pandemic basically under control in Thu Duc City, districts

Speaking at the working session with Thu Duc City, Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen highly appreciated Thu Duc City’s efforts and outstanding achievements in the pandemic prevention and control activities, contributing to helping HCMC get one more locality, where the Covid-19 pandemic is basically under control in accordance with criteria issued by the Ministry of Health.

He agreed with Thu Duc’s reopening plan and noted the building of methodical healthcare strategy for the new normal state.

The social security strategy must focus on creating jobs and reasonable accommodations for workers, checking substandard rental housing and slums that do not comply with the living conditions, and calling for investment in social housing projects.

“On this occasion, we should rearrange the city to make Thu Duc adequate to the development orientation with the goal to develop it into one of the important centers of the knowledge economy, science - technology, and finance of HCMC and the country,” said the HCMC Party Chief.

In addition, Mr. Nguyen Van Nen identified the city’s constraints, including traffic congestion at Covid-19 checkpoints. If the city enters the new normal state, the order that requires a larger number of vehicles to stop to display QR identification code and the “Green Covid Card” will be impossible to daily implement, he emphasized.

He hoped Thu Duc City will try to launch ideas, creativities and experimental modes of management for the new normal state that can be applied for all districts.

He also asked departments and units at all levels to build plans of management and travel control when Thu Duc City returns to the “new normal" state.

Secretary of the Party Committee of Thu Duc City Nguyen Van Hieu reported that the number of Covid-19 cases sharply decreased from August 28-September 21.

The first dose vaccination rate reached nearly 99.6 percent while the second dose rate was nearly 36.2 percent of the total population aged 18 and over. The city has made every effort to have 100 percent of the population vaccinated and 100 percent recovery rate for Covid-19 patients who will be granted the “Covid Green Card” by September 30, he added.

At the working session with Cu Chi District, Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Council Nguyen Thi Le praised the district’s efforts to keep the pandemic under control, deeply reduce the number of new cases and maintain its green zone status. Local people in the green communes, not affected by the virus, have been allowed to shop for food once a week while few restrictions on some production, trading and service have also been permitted to reopen.

She asked the district to continuously maintain the control of community transmission and implement gradual resumption of normal activities and economic recovery plan; regularly update information of Covid-19 patients treated at home and Covid-19 treatment medical facilities and recovered patients; and boost the second dose vaccination rate to achieve vaccination coverage that must be attached to testing.

The district must check and approve cases falling into difficulties due to Covid-19 for the third Covid-19 relief package under the HCMC People’s Council's Resolution No.97 dated September 22 on policies to support needy people hit by the pandemic; and solve enterprises’ problems to help them resume operations and business activity.

In District 4, Vice Secretary of the Party Committee of HCMC Nguyen Ho Hai expressed his concern about the district's narrow alleys where homes are close together, causing difficulties in treating Covid-19 patients.

District 4 has only gained four of the six criteria on controlling the disease, and 30 percent of the total number of its wards that are recognized as the “green zones”. The locality needs to strongly speed up the testing to identity F0 cases, vaccination and drastically ensure six criteria on controlling the disease even though the city slightly lifts restrictions by September 30, he stressed.

Go Vap District has brought the Covid-19 pandemic under control and seen a steep drop in new cases. The statement was made at the the working session with Head of the HCMC Commission of Mass Mobilization Nguyen Huu Hiep.

At the meeting with Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City To Thi Bich Chau, Phu Nhuan District’s leaders reported that 72 percent of the total number of the district’s wards has been recognized as the “green zones”. The first dose vaccination rate reached 100 percent while the second dose rate was more than 30 percent of the total population aged 18 and over. The district has allowed residents of the “green zones” to go out for outdoor sport activities in parks and shop for food once a week.

Chairman of the Inspection Committee of the HCMC Party Committee, Duong Ngoc Hai asked the Tan Phu District to strengthen the inspection of the implementation of social distancing measures, vaccination, social security activities supporting needy people, management and treatment to Covid-19 patients and purchase of medical supplies.

Senior Colonel Le Hong Nam, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department and Deputy Head of the HCMC Party Committee's Propaganda and Education Board, Le Van Minh attended the conference reviewing implementation of the social distancing order of District 10. The city’s leaders recognized that the district has yet met criteria on controlling the disease issued by the Ministry of Health, but showing promising signs of the drop in infected cases, hospitalized people and Covid-19 deaths.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Vo Van Hoan acknowledged that District 11 has brought the Covid-19 pandemic under control in accordance with criteria on controlling the disease and reduced the number of community transmission cases and death rate among patients. The district has tried to approach the goal of more than 80 percent of the population over the age of 18 fully vaccinated.