Da Nang Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Van Quang highlighted the need to maximize available resources and take all necessary measures to beat COVID-19 with a focus on stepping up to treat patients with mid illness and no symptoms at home as well as conducting coronavirus testing for targeted groups during his meeting with members of the municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control held late afternoon on Monday, December 13.

A healthcare worker takes nasal swab sample of a resident in Lien Chieu District

Effectively managing local outbreaks and stepping up to treat COVID-19 patients at home needed

Secretary Quang stated that the pandemic situation in Da Nang remains complicated with daily cases being on rise over recent days while confirmed cases are linked to such high-risk areas as wet markets, hospitals, crowded places and industrial parks.

The Da Nang top leader urged places with the highest number of coronavirus cases in Da Nang to maximize available resources and take the most effective measures to suppress the resurgence of local outbreaks.

Mr Quang stressed the need for authorities at local level to take proactive steps to implement the city’s pilot scheme for moderately ill patients with COVID-19 to recover at home as new reported cases are patients with mild illness. He remarked that the implementation of the city’s pilot programme should be considered as one of the most important tasks of authorities at local level to tackle COVID-19 in the coming time.

The Da Nang Party Chief directed the municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control to take all necessary measures to protect the safety of high-risk groups and those in high-risk settings in a bid to reduce the number of people who develop serious illness with coronavirus as well as reduce mortality in critically ill patients. The heed must be paid on conducting coronavirus testing for targeted groups in order to reduce costs and improve efficiency in early dectecting new infections, Mr Quang emphasized.

Da Nang People's Committee Chairman Le Trung Chinh directed the health agency to work with authorities at local level to identify eligible patients for the home isolation scheme in an attempt to provide effective monitoring and care to help them make full recovery from coronavirus in their homes.

Mr Chinh highlighted the need to enhance compliance monitoring and enforcement of COVID-19 rules, especially the 5K recommendations of the Ministry of Health among local residents, and take action against any violations of such rules.   

Testing focused on targeted groups

Doctor Ton That Thanh, the Director of the Da Nang Center for Disease Control and Prevention stated that Da Nang logged over 1,100 community cases within a week, thereby urging everyone across the city to carry a face covering when they leave home and comply with the 5K recommendations of the Ministry of Health in order to tackle coronavirus.

Mr Thanh noted that many primary close contacts have been missed and this led to even greater numbers of unknown cases spreading the virus, and develop potential outbreaks. Missed primary close contacts pose great threat to our community, especially crowded places, he emphasized. 

“The epidemiological investigation of confirmed cases demonstrates that many places where they had visited whilst being infectious have been missed as they had participated in too many activities and services and they couldn't remember them all. As a result, there have been many hidden cases related to previous transmission chains, causing a rise in unknown cases spreading the virus”, said Director Thanh.

The health agency indicated that the potential burden of local healthcare systems from rising number of COVID-19 cases and their primary contacts will be high. Mr Thanh stressed the need for the adoption of home quarantine for the primary contacts in order to reduce the burden on local healthcare facilities.

He recommended cancelling mass testing and conducting coronavirus testing for targeted groups with higher risk of exposure to the virus to save costs and improve efficiency in finding cases.

Reporting by PHAN CHUNG – translating by H.L