Measures stepped up against the spread of COVID-19

Localities are hastening measures to deal with the complicated developments of COVID-19 as several new cases of locally-transmitted arose in recent days.

A press conference on COVID-19 developments and the implementation of preventive measures in Vinh Phuc Province on May 5, 2021. (Photo: NDO/Ha Hong Ha)
A press conference on COVID-19 developments and the implementation of preventive measures in Vinh Phuc Province on May 5, 2021. (Photo: NDO/Ha Hong Ha)

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This morning (May 5), Chairman of the Vinh Phuc Provincial People's Committee Le Duy Thanh said that in addition to the 14 confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection related to a Chinese infected expert, the province currently has eight suspected cases of COVID-19 infection.

Local competent forces have stepped up tracing work and medical isolation for the related cases. The province’s authorities have directed all units to temporarily cancel unnecessary work to focus on the fight against the epidemic with the ultimate goal of protecting people's health.

The Provincial Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control had an urgent meeting that ran until 2:30 am today, during which they asked local departments to promptly prepare their available equipment and manpower to increase their sampling capacity for COVID-19 to a level five times higher than the current, while tripling the number of hospital beds serving medical isolation, preparing for the activation of field hospitals, strengthening inspection and strictly handling illegal entries.

The province decided to establish nine COVID-19 epidemic control posts at key routes into the province, while preparing plans to organise the election of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels for the term 2021-2026 in the context of the epidemic, and ramping up vaccinations against COVID-19 for priority groups.

Newly discovered COVID-19 infection case travels around Hanoi and Sapa

Meanwhile, the capital city of Hanoi is on high alert after the Hanoi Centre for Disease Control reported a positive case for SARS-CoV-2 this morning, with a complicated travel schedule.

The 1989-born female patient is from Da Nang, and was on the same flight with two other COVID-19 patients from the central city to Hanoi on April 29. She travelled across the capital before moving to Sa Pa (Lao Cai) the next day. She moved back to Hanoi on May 2 and made a health declaration after receiving notice from the Ministry of Health regarding her flight from Da Nang to Hanoi earlier. She was tested on May 4 and is now isolated and being treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases base 2 in Hanoi’s Dong Anh district.

The facility is also on medical isolation from today after a doctor working at the Intensive Care Unit was confirmed as infected on the evening of May 4.

The director of the hospital, Pham Ngoc Thach, signed a decision on suspending the examination and reception of inpatients at both base 2 and base 1 facilities in downtown Hanoi, while authorising testing on staff for SARS-CoV-2 across the entire hospital. During the lockdown period, the hospital will only admit new COVID-19 patients for treatment.

All staff, trainees, patients and their family members at the two facilities are now in quarantine from May 5 until further notice. COVID-19 positive cases undergoing treatment at the hospital have been transferred to a dedicated area. The hospital is urgently completing COVID-19 vaccination for its staff, while patients who have received treatment at the facility within the past 14 days must be traced and placed under quarantine.

In Da Nang on the same day, over 500 traders at the Phuoc My market (Son Tra district) were sampled for COVID-19, after a COVID-19 patient visited the market before testing positive for SARS-CoV-2.

Local traders at Phuoc My market in Da Nang being sampled for COVID-19 on the morning of May 5, 2021. (Photo: NDO/Anh Dao)

Immediately after the sampling was completed, all traders were asked to go home, quarantine themselves, and not to contact anyone until the test results are announced.

Before that, yesterday evening, Son Tra District issued a document to urgently suspending the operation of the Phuoc My market due to the newly-found patient, an employee of Phu An Hotel in Hai Chau district now isolated and being treated at the Da Nang Lung Hospital.

In the neighbouring province of Quang Nam, local authorities decided to suspend a number of activities in Hoi An city to prevent and combat COVID-19 from 0:00 on May 5, due to the complicated epidemic situation.

Accordingly, cultural and sports activities, conferences, seminars, religious ceremonies and other events gathering more than 30 people have been suspended, along with activities at tourist spots and historical-cultural relics of a similar scale.

Activities at amusement and entertainment areas, internet cafes, video game centres, movie theatres, beauty clinics, pubs, bars, karaoke parlours, discos, massage services, walking streets, night markets and public beaches have also been halted.

In addition, educational and training institutions, IT and foreign languages training centres, life skills education facilities and tutoring are also suspended until further notice.

From 0:00 on May 6, Ca Mau province will also suspend the operation of unnecessary services like bars, discos, karaoke parlours, massage services, game rooms and movie theatres with a large concentration of people.

The People's Committee of Ca Mau instructed functional forces to continue to strengthen inspection and strictly punish cases of violations of epidemic prevention and control measures, especially in relation to the wearing face masks in public places.