The resumption of various public services, festivals, and entertainment venues has led to a spike in coronavirus infections in Hanoi. Although most people have been fully vaccinated, there are still 5,477 people acquiring the virus on February 21.
Covid-19 patients have been reported in 483 communes, wards and townships in 30/30 districts throughout Hanoi. As the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic becomes unpredictable in the capital city, people are rushing to buy rapid test kits and drugs.
| From the early morning of February 22, people lined up at pharmacies to buy facemasks and Covid-19 quick test kits and medicines. |
Pharmacists and pharmacy staffs are busy advising people on Covid-19 treatment drugs. Fever reducers, cough drops, saline solution, alcohol, facemasks and Covid-19 quick test kits and cures are the best selling like hotcakes. |
Many drugs and test kits are available for sale at drugstores in Cau Giay District. The Covid Salocor branded test kit (made in Finland) is priced at VND95,000 or US$4 for a set while the Humasis COVID-19 Ag Test (made in Korea) costs VND110,000 or $4.8 per set. |
Minh Nguyen, a Grab bike driver told The Hanoi Times that he had been lining up to buy Covid-19 quick test kits and masks since early this morning. “My profession requires contact with many people. Therefore, stocking up facemasks and Covid-19 test kits is mandatory for me,” he said. |
Quite a lot of people waiting for their turn to be served at Hoang Minh Pharmacy, which is located on Vu Trong Phung Street, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi. |
| Staffs from other pharmacies in the city are also busy serving their customers. Le Thu Phuong (Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi) said that three members of her family are Covid-19 patients. She came here to buy Covid-19 cures as well as other prophylactic drugs and vitamins. “I buy medicines and test kits because the pandemic situation is quite complicated now in Hanoi. The number of new infections keeps increasing. This is the reason why I buy lots of drugs and test kits in anticipation of a bad scenario when more relatives of mine acquired the coronavirus,” she stated. |
