In her remarks during her meeting with members of the Da Nang Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on Thursday afternoon, December 9, municipal People's Committee Vice Chairwoman Ngo Thi Kim Yen called on authorities at local level to take drastic measures to stop virus spreading.

Vice Chairwoman Ngo Thi Kim Yen chaired the meeting of the municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on Thursday afternoon. Photo: PHAN CHUNG

Mrs Yen has expressed particular concern about rising infections in Da Nang amid the complicated and unpredictable developments of the pandemic, and said that most of confirmed cases in the city are contagious and the virus can spread from them to other people.

She pointed out that the delay in isolation, testing and contact tracing along with missed primary close contacts led even greater numbers of unknown cases spreading the virus, and a spike in community cases.

Mrs Yen urged authorities at local level to take all necessary measures to beat COVID-19. She also stressed the need for places with highest number of cases to identify accurately high-risk areas related to confirmed cases, and adopt the most effective measures in a bid to suppress the virus.

She stated that coronavirus cases are currently rising in manufacturing businesses, thereby asking the Authority of the Da Nang Hi-Tech Park and Industrial Parks (IPs) to increase monitoring compliance with COVID-19 guidelines in businesses operating in IPs. In addition, owners of manufacturing and production companies were urged to enhance anti-virus measures in the workplace and provide access to COVID-19 for their employees to early detect active cases to timely isolate and provide prompt treatment to them in an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus.

Mrs Yen directed the health agency to work with local leadership to continue to be proactive in deploying the city’s pilot programme for COVID-19 patients who have mild or no symptoms to recover at home.

Doctor Ton That Thanh, the Director of the Da Nang Disease Control and Prevention, said that 87 additional COVID-19 patients were discharged from the Da Nang’s hospitals on Thursday. There are currently 1,191 remaining active cases of COVID-19 that are being treated in the Lung Hospital and the field hospital in the western part of ​​the city.

Mr Thanh highlighted the need to educate the public to continue to stick to the recommended health and safe protocols, including the 5K recommendations of the Ministry of Health, to protect themselves and their wider community.    

Reporting by PHAN CHUNG – translating by H.L