Medical workers of a mobile medical team provide at-home treatment for Covid-19 patients in Binh Thanh District, HCMC (Photo: SGGP)
Over the past four months, the city has had many solutions to combat the epidemic, including measures to tighten social distancing under Directive 15 and Directive 16 of the Prime Minister for the past months.
In addition, the city has implemented testing drives to find out people infected with Covid-19 in the community, soon put into treatment management programs to curb the spread. Simultaneously, it is to accelerate vaccination campaigns.
As the number of daily cases has reached thousands, the city has set up dozens of field hospitals that classify mild and serious patients. In particular, the city has constantly expanded intensive care centers to treat severe patients and reduce deaths.
Additionally, the city supplemented a home treatment plan for people with Covid-19 under the monitor and support of commune health stations in wards, mobile health stations, and quick response teams who will supply oxygen and safety medicine packages for patients and transfer patients to hospitals when their condition get worse. This has helped a large number of asymptomatic infected patients get timely medical access and reduce the load on the local health system.
Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that during the complicated development of the coronavirus epidemic without medicine for Covid-19 plus low vaccine coverage rate, people should strictly implement the 5K principles and the health sector’s recent 5T recommendations in order to fight the epidemic in the new situation.
According to Document 2718 of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City on continuing to apply social distancing measures in the coming days, the city will continue expanding green zones striving to control the epidemic in districts 5, 7, 11, Phu Nhuan, Can Gio, Cu Chi, Nha Be which currently have low infection rates with high vaccine coverage.
Until September 15, the city strives to maintain and control infections in the community with approximately 2,000 people being taken to hospitals a day. Moreover, it ensures more than 70 percent of people over 18 years old get the first shots of vaccine and 15 percent of the people get the second vaccine jabs.
Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City will extend ongoing shelter-in-place fiat in a continued effort to push back the Covid-19 pandemic as well as accelerate testing and vaccination. Furthermore, the city has focused on the treatment of infected Covid-19 people at home and support packages for destitute residents as well as create a favorite environment for businesses. Last but not least, the city will raise people’s awareness of the pandemic.
In the coming days, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen said that the city is working on a plan to restore the economy in the new normal period. District 7 and Cu Chi District are the first two localities that have put the coronavirus pandemic under control to pilot a plan for economic recovery. "We neither continue to completely distance ourselves nor totally wipe out Covid-19 infected patients. Instead we will gradually open up, living in a new normal, in epidemic conditions," Mr. Nguyen Van Nen said with emphasis on vaccine coverage, treatment drugs, improved people's awareness.
At the press meeting on vaccination yesterday evening, Dr. Nguyen Hoai Nam, Deputy Director of the city Department of Health said that as of yesterday, the city has administered 6,725,192 vaccine jabs. Simultaneously, the city proposed the Ministry of Health allocate one million doses to give the second dose to those who have had their first shot in the fourth vaccination phase and some in the fifth phase. Currently, 89 percent of people in the southern metropolis over 18 years of age get vaccinated completely safely.
According to Dr. Nguyen Hoai Nam, vaccination is now a top priority to help people have enough antibodies. Only then the city can gradually resume its economic activities. People should go to vaccination venues to get vaccine jabs to raise the vaccination coverage rate. The Department of Health and other departments will organize a peak vaccination session lasting until September 15, with a commitment to choose the most suitable, most effective and safest vaccine for the people.
Ho Chi Minh City has more than 6 million people over the age of 18 while the Population and Family Planning Sub-Department reported the number of people over 18 years old was more than 7.2 million people before the city applied social distancing. The city will calculate the number of vaccine shots based on this number of population so that when the city relaxes social distancing a little, it will have enough vaccine for returnees from other cities and provinces.
