Fresh coronavirus outbreak has forced the Da Nang Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control to put in place urgent measures with a focus on raising testing and treatment capacity.

Medical workers at a local hospital wearing protective gears

Setting up a field hospital for Covid-19 patients

A field hospital will take shape at the existing Tien Son sports arena to test and treat Covid-19 patients in Da Nang in case of the patient overload facing the already-blockaded hospitals.

A council for purchasing of necessary medical equipment for Covid-19 prevention and treatment will be set up, with a focus on buying more ECMO machines, ventilators, protective gears, surgical masks and antiseptic solutions.

The Da Nang Department of Health plans to provide 20 more RT-PCR testing systems for use in the municipal Disease Control Centre, whilst mulling over the deployment of the SARS-CoV-2 testing techniques at the C Hospital and the 199 Hospital under Ministry of Public Security.

The sports area in the Le Duan Street-located headquarters of the Da Nang Military High Command will be used for receiving supplies of basic necessities and goods for pandemic prevention and control missions.

Heed will be paid to closely monitoring and conducting extensive testing for all cases with clinical symptoms in order to promptly detect, isolate and thoroughly eliminate all sources of infection.

The Da Nang Department of Industry and Trade will concentrate on stockpiling large amounts of daily necessities to ensure sufficient supplies of commodities for local residents in case the disease is spreading on a large scale.

The operation of the construction sites across the city  have been banned until further notice.

Increasing novel coronavirus testing 

The number of samples daily taken for Covid-19 tests will be risen to between 3,500 and 4,000.

Doctor Ngo Thi Kim Yen, Director of the municipal Department of Health highlighted the importance of promoting the sampling as quickly as possible to detect and isolate suspected cases amid the new coronavirus pandemic. Mrs Yen also said new, more infectious strain of Covid-19 now dominates Da Nang's new confirmed cases.

Daily on-site body temperature measurement being underway at local checkpoints

More than 650 medical and pharmacy students across Da Nang have also registered to join the frontline in the fight against Covid-19.

After finishing their professional training courses, these students will be sent to local health facilities where Covid-19 patients are being treated.

Vietnamese Ministry of Health said the novel coronavirus responsible for Da Nang’s new community transmission cases belongs to a new, more contagious strain of foreign origin, genetic analysis revealed. 

The new strain's data has been submitted to a world gene bank for comparison.

The Vietnamese national tally now stands at 509, including 276 imported cases who have been quarantined upon arrival.

There have been 93 community infections since 25 July.

More than 53,760 people are currently quarantined at health centres or at home.

According to the steering committee’s Treatment Sub-committee, 369 cases, or 72.5%, have recovered fully, and no fatalities have been recorded so far.

By PHAN CHUNG- Translated by A.T