During his meeting on Tuesday with representatives of relevant agencies to review measures and actions taken for COVID-19 control and preventation in the city, Da Nang Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Van Quang applauded health sector and others involved in the city’s fight against the disease for their great efforts to bring the outbreak under control.

Secretary Nguyen Van Quang (left) delivers his instructions at the Tuesday’s meeting to review measures and actions taken for COVID-19 control and preventation in the city. Photo: PHAN CHUNG

Mr Quang also urged relevant agencies to gain experience and learn lessons from the city’s fight against COVID-19 in order to outline scenarios that cover possible future situations. 

The city’s top leader pointed out that tracing of close contacts of confirmed cases in the city had been incomplete due to false health delarations provided by infected patients and their close contacts. This resulted in the missed tracing of some close contacts. Hence, local health officials have found it very hard to manage patients with confirmed COVID-19 and their close contacts.

Secretary Quang asked relevant agencies to put down strict rules to have penalties to enforce them admid surge in cases in the city. Strictest penalities should be imposed on anyone found to have given false information to local health officials. The heed should be paid on stepping up contact tracing, isolating and testing.

“Currently, the outbreak is still complicated and unpredictable. The risk of COVID-19 resurgence remains high in the city, including some key areas and industrial parks. Relevant agencies need to proactively plan and create possible scenarios for COVID-19 situations in industrial parks, thereby helping district authorities increase vigilance and effectively respond to any situation", Mr Quang remarked.

Municipal People's Committee Chairman Le Trung Chinh highlighted the importance of ensuring good practice of the city’s preventative measures among local residents and businesses, with a focus on putting in place strictest health and safety measures to make local designated quarantine facilities COVID-secure during the coronavirus pandemic. The special attention should be paid to increasing checks and monitoring of infection prevention measures practised by isolated people during their quarantine period.  

Da Nang registered two locally transmitted cases on Tuesday, thus bringing the city’s total cases to 144 since May 3 when the first community infection was reported, said the municipal Department of Health.

In total, 131 of the cases are close contacts of confirmed patients and the remainder are locally transmitted cases.

Currently, 170 patients, including imported cases, are receiving treatment at the Lung Hospital while the rest are under treatment at the Hoa Vang District Medical Centre.

Till date, the health officials have traced down 534 close contacts of positive cases which have been reported in Truong Minh Company located in An Don Industrial Park. 20 of them have tested postive for the virus.

To date, the city has placed over 2,280 close contacts of confirmed cases under quarantine in designated facilities.

Since May 5, fines of over VND 652 million have been levied on 351 people for breaking the city’s COVID-19 rules.

Reporting by PHAN CHUNG – Translating by H.L