Da Nang is taking unprecedented proactive measures to gain control of the covid-19 pandemic and stopping a second wave of Covid-19 infections.Top priority is being giving to carrying out contacting tracing and epidemiological investigations, as well as increasing Covid-19 testing capacity.

Doctors using personal protective equipment when examining patients

According to doctor Ton That Thanh, the Director of the Da Nang Centre for Disease Control (CDC), the local CDC has till date taken more than 23,000 patient samples for Covi-19 testing, of which over 7,000 were taken from the already-blockaded hospitals of Da Nang General, C, and Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, and nearby residential areas.

Encouragingly, more than 1,700 samples taken from these sequestered residential areas turned negative.

In an attempt to increase Covid-19 testing capacity, the Da Nang CDC started to deploy the ‘group testing’ method on Wednesday. 

“By testing samples from many people at once, this method is the fastest and cheapest way to increase novel coronavirus screening as it can save time, chemical reagents and money” said doctor Thanh.
Placing swabs from multiple individuals in a single test gets more people diagnosed using fewer supplies. 

For more explanations, instead of testing one person at a time, samples from multiple individuals would be mixed together and tested as one.  If the test comes back negative, everyone in the pool is clear.  If positive, each member of the pool is then tested individually.

‘Group testing’ can be optimised in three applications to multiply the efficiency of tests against Covid-19: estimating virus prevalence to measure the evolution of the pandemic; bringing negative groups back to work to exit the current lockdown; and testing for individual infectious status to treat sick people.

In her perspective on the use of the ‘group testing’, Deputy Director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology Le Thi Quynh Mai said the Ministry of Health is compiling regulations to put this testing method into practice nationwide as soon as possible.  Many pieces of research into the effectiveness of pooling samples have been released worldwide. 

Fully concurring with Mai’s views, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son also highlighted the great significance of increasing Covid-19 testing capacity to stem the spread of the deadly virus.

Currently, the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction RT-PCR and the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) are employed for Covid-19 testing. Both types of testing methods are very necessary to find out those who carry Covid-19 antibodies.

Besides, in the light of more possibly potential Covid-19 patients in the time ahead, the use of the Real time-PCR test, which starts with a simple swab taken from inside a person’s throat or nose, should be promoted.

Domestic medical experts have confirmed the strain of the virus newly detected in Da Nang is a more contagious one as each infected person may infect about 5-6 people compared to 1.8-2.2 people in the previous period. 

At present, it is hard to track the origin of a fresh coronavirus outbreak, so the major goal now is to use all appropriate testing methods in order to detect positive cases in the community in a prompt yet effective manner.

Da Nang Fatherland Front Committee Chairwoman Dang Thi Kim Lien (right) distributing essential supplies to Le the Son Nam village under lockdown in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The hospitals of Da Nang General, C, and Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, and their surrounding residential areas are gradually being removed from the lockdown mandates.  Sequestered medical workers at the C Hospital have tested negative once.

The spraying of disinfectant at the Da Nang General Hospital will be conducted as soon as possible so that this medical facility can come back on stream in admitting Covid-19-free patients suffering other serious diseases from the city and elsewhere in the country.

Stringent implementation and enforcement of health screening measures remain in place at checkpoints which have been set up within major entry and exit points in the city.

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

During body temperature screening, anyone who appears to have symptoms upon arrival at local traditional market, a cough or fever for instance, will be separated from others right away, and immediately be reported to local health authorities for further monitoring.

In addition, local relevant agencies are increasing checks and impose stricter penalties on any violators for sharing false information about the coronavirus on social media, and ignoring social distancing restrictions.

By PHAN CHUNG – Translated by A.T