At the meeting
Dr. Nam made the statement at a meeting organized by the Propaganda and Education Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications. Dr. Nam announced the city currently has about 30,000 infected people; therefore, city authorities are planning to build more infirmaries with 60,000 beds.
These hospitals are fully supported by enterprises gradually being completed to put into use. Empty large resettlement areas can receive more infection cases; however, the epidemic has been developing complicatedly and unpredictably, so the city has necessarily made preparation for the further development.
Dr. Nam announced ventilators has so far been enough for treatment denying the shortage of ventilators.
According to Dr. Nam, Ho Chi Minh City currently has 30,000 cases of Covid-19, but the health sector has also developed a Covid-19 pandemic planning scenario for 60,000 serious cases. Even Tu Du Maternity Hospital has a plan to admit Covid-19 patients in several areas of its camps, the other half will still do medical examination and treatment as usual.
According to Dr. Nguyen Hoai Nam, the field hospital will treat infected people with mild symptoms. Once these patients suffer Covid-19 symptoms, medical workers will apply an oxygen tank on them and transfer them to specific hospitals for treatment as the field hospitals are equipped with oxygen tanks, not a ventilator. The oxygen tanks are fully equipped for the treatment of those who are in need of the equipment.
Regarding infected people waiting to be hospitalized, doctor Nguyen Hoai Nam said that at first the health sector was confused at handling the situation but later it has adjusted synchronously. Subsequently, the Emergency Center 115 was assigned to take all infection cases to hospitals for treatment.
Ho Chi Minh City planned to vaccinate people over 65 years old and those having underlying diseases will be inoculated at hospitals.
According to Mr. Nguyen Nguyen Phuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, in the past time, the industry and trade sector was worried during the implementation of social distancing according to Directive 16 in 19 provinces and cities, people would gather in large numbers to buy goods at supermarkets.
However, fewer visitors have come to traditional markets these days; therefore, the pressure on distribution channels in the past few days reduced.
On the afternoon of July 19, Vice Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Thi Thang signed a document to reopen some traditional markets. The document required markets must ensure epidemic prevention and control with a focus on essential fresh food products. The city will consider the reopening of traditional markets and expand them if they meet the requirement of epidemic prevention and control.
On the morning of July 19, 40 traditional markets in Ho Chi Minh City were allowed to reopen but by the afternoon of the same day, 44 markets admit customers. Authority in Binh Tan District allowed reopening five markets.
According to Doctor Nguyen Hong Tam, Deputy Director of the city Center for Disease Control (HCDC), 2,140 contacts F1 were allowed to be in isolation at home. Eight districts in the city have applied home isolation.
Only six new cases of coronavirus were reported in export processing zones and industrial parks in the past 24 hours, which is a good sign because the epidemic had developed complicatedly in these parks and zones lately. Out of 2100 businesses, 173 are being allowed to implement both production and isolation.
