Da Nang is launching an urgent mass testing program, the so-called “One door-one test” (ODOT) as part of the city Administration's ongoing efforts to tackle rising cases. The program aims to detect people who have COVID-19 but show no symptoms, and enable the city to implement appropriate infection control practices.

COVID-19 sampling for household representatives was carried out in Man Thai Ward, Son Tra District on Monday afternoon. Photo: LE HUNG

City-wide COVID-19 sampling

On Tuesday morning (July 20), nose and throat swabs of 3,012 household representatives in Nai Hien Dong Ward, Son Tra District, along with 530 people who are stall holders and regular shoppers in the Nai Hien Dong wet market were collected by medical workers for COVID-19 testing.

Household representatives in Nai Hien Dong Ward got tested for SARS-CoV-2 on Tuesday morning. Photo: HOANG HIEP

Sampling of COVID-19 for people in the residential setting on Nai Hien Dong 4 Street where a positive case had been detected, and his contacts was carried out during the night of July 19, and their test results came back negative for the virus today.

Dr. Ton That Thanh, the Director of the Da Nang Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said that Da Nang is now home to more than 276,000 households. “The city will carry out sampling of about 30% of the total households that are at higher risk of exposure to COVID-19 to test for the virus due to the limits of available resources. However, all residents in 4 wards of Hoa Khanh Bac in Lien Chieu District, Hoa An Ward in Cam Le District, An Khe and Thac Gian,  both in Thanh Khe District, that are being placed under further localised coronavirus restrictions will attend the mass testing program", Mr Thanh remarked.  

The health agency plans to take swab samples of each member from about 108,000 households across the city for virus testing between July 18 and July 21. Included are more than 14,200 households in Hai Chau District, 21,000 in Thanh Khe District, 11,000 in Son Tra District, 7,200 in Ngu Hanh Son District, 24,400 in Lien Chieu District, 18,000 in Cam Le District, and nearly 12,000 in Hoa Vang.

Strictest public health measures are being put in place at sampling sites across the city to prevent the spread of virus. All these venues will do temperature checks on people before entry allowing space for social distancing.

Medical workers in Son Tra District collect personal information from people who get tested for COVID-19. Photo: LE HUNG

Maximizing available resources to speed up testing efforts

Dr. Tran Thanh Thuy, the Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Health said that the mass community testing program is seeing active involvement of laboratory workers at the Da Nang CDC, the Da Nang General Hospital and the Lung Hospital.  

Da Nang General Hospital’s lab is responsible for handling and processing specimens from Thanh Khe and Son Tra districts while the Lung Hospital will conduct screening testing of specimens from Ngu Hanh Son District. In addition, the Da Nang CDC will process samples from Hai Chau, Lien Chieu, Cam Le and Hoa Vang districts.

A large number of medical workers from district-level medical centres are being deployed to sampling sites to collect swab samples from local residents across the city in order to complete the mass testing program before July 21.

Mr Le Trung Chinh, the Head of the municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, and Chairman of the municipal People's Committee said it is very necessary for the city to roll out city-wide testing program amid rising positive cases in a bid to generate accurate COVID-19 risk assessment to enable the city to adopt appropriate measures to contain the virus.

Reporting by LE HUNG – PHAN CHUNG – translating by H.L