Over the past times, Da Nang’s urban infrastructure has made an important contribution to the city’s fight against COVID-19.

An affordable housing development for workers in the Cam Le District-Hoa Cam Industrial Park has been requisitioned as a medical quarantine site. Photo: TRIEU TUNG

Urban infrastructure exploited timely

When COVID-19 broke out in Da Nang in early August 2020, the preparation of medical facilities to carry out pandemic prevention and control measures is an urgent requirement set by the city leader, with a focus on establishing specialised medical facilities to ensure professional support supplies or receive COVID-19 patients amid a growing public fears over possible Covid-19 patient overload facing blockaded hospitals across Da Nang which became coronavirus epicenters at that time.

As a result, a 1,000-bed field hospital was set up with a rush in the site of Hai Chau District-based Tien Son Sport Arena in early August according to the field hospital standards set by the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Health. The establishment of the field hospital aimed at easing the possible COVID-19 patient overload facing the already-blockaded hospitals amid the coronavirus crisis.

One year later, Da Nang braced for another wave of COVID-19 infections at the end of July 2021.  

Following approval by the Da Nang government, the Student Hall of Residence on the western side of the city located at 507 Nguyen Luong Bang Street, Hoa Hiep Nam Ward, Lien Chieu District, was temporarily turned into a field hospital for COVID-19 treatment. This facility was used for receiving and treating asymptomatic or mild patients with COVID-19 infection.

In case of need, this field hospital can be able to expand the operation scale to 1,700 beds. Of which, 1,500 beds are designated for asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 patients, whilst the remaining 200 beds are used for COVID-19 patients with more serious symptoms.

The establishment of more field hospitals in the city has directly affected the city’s limited medical infrastructure, because currently in the city, the Lung Hospital and Hoa Vang Hospital have been also used to accept patients with severe COVID-19 who are being transferred from other healthcare facilities in Da Nang.

In addition, hundreds of facilities in the city were requisitioned and used for the COVID-19 prevention and control work. Included were student halls of residence, affordable housing developments for workers, schools, and military barracks.

In 2021 alone, a total of 26 schools across the city were requisitioned as designated sites for compulsory quarantine.

More construction works deployed

According to architect Nguyen Thanh Thao from the T&K design consultancy company, the outbreak of COVID-19, along with unpredictable and complicated developments of this pandemic as well, have revealed many shortcomings in urban planning and management thinking, lifestyle and culture of all levels of society, especially in big cities.

He stressed the need for relevant agencies to restructure designated quarantine sites, houses and venues for businesses to implement the "three-on-site" production model, in a bid to turn them into safe shelters for residents and the community in the event of the pandemic.

Director of the Da Nang Construction Engineering Consultancy Centre Tran Van Nam said that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic taught people how to keep a safe distance from others to protect themselves and others. This is also the upcoming message and trend of architectural and construction planning and design.

“It is time for the Ministry of Construction to soon issue a set of criteria about design standards and construction specifications for buildings. The focus should be on building well-ventilated spaces, with lots of trees such as ecological urban areas, and environmentally-friendly architectural works with necessary green spaces” emphasized Director Nam.

He also highlighted the importance to change construction engineering designs to adapt to such pandemics as COVID-19.

Reporting by TRIEU TUNG - Translating by M.DUNG