Second makeshift hospital built in Bac Giang amid coronavirus surge

A 620-bed makeshift hospital is being set up in the northern province of Bac Giang, one of Vietnam’s Covid-19 hotspots, to help shoulder the rising number of Covid-19 patients.

Leading experts from Bach Mai hospital, a top healthcare establishment in Hanoi, are being dispatched to the province to help local personnel with the setting and medical supervision in the makeshift hospital.

Bac Giang provincial sports arena will be repurposed into Covid-19 makeshift hospital and put into operation on May 22, according to Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Le Anh Duong.

As of May 21, nearly 730 Covid-19 patients were detected in the province. Most of them are employees of the Hodisen Limited Company, Quang Chau Industrial Park, and Van Trung Industrial Park, Duong said.

He added that the provincial authorities have found some 5,000 people (F1) making closed contact with Covid-19 patients. More than 37,000 others had contact with these F1.

Therefore, the second makeshift hospital is built and would be put into operation as soon as possible to meet the requirements of isolation and treatment for Covid-19 patients in the province, Duong stressed.

A 620-bed makeshift hospital is being set up in the Covid-19 hotspot of Bac Giang. Photo: VNA

“As the pandemic evolves increasingly complicated, all localities must pay special attention to safety inside industrial zones, quarantine areas, hospitals, and communities,” said a leader of the health ministry.

Alongside experts from Bach Mai hospital, 200 medical staff from Quang Ninh and others from Hai Duong province are also heading to Bac Giang to offer medical assistance. An expert team from the health ministry has also arrived at the coronavirus hotspot to help ramp up contact tracing, screening, and treatment.

Bac Giang has 86 ventilators in total, with 112 doctors and 76 technicians who can operate the machines, according to Deputy Director of Bac Giang Department of Health Bui The Bung.

The total number of beds reserved to serve Covid-19 patients across the province is about 2,500-2,700, Bung said.

Authorities have predicted that all three facilities will be overcrowded in the next few days, so it’s imperative to set up more temporary hospitals.

More than three weeks since the start of the new wave, Vietnam has recorded 1,786 cases in 30 cities and provinces and four fatalities.

Of the cases, Bac Giang has the highest number of infections, recording 728, followed by Bac Ninh with 378 cases. These two contiguous provinces are home to major foreign operation plants including those of Samsung, Canon, and Foxconn.