Today’s Covid News: South Vietnam rushes to build makeshift hospitals

Vietnam’s Ministry of Construction has set up a task force in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) to assist the metropolis and southern localities in building makeshift hospitals amid the rising Covid-19 infections in the region.

The task force will have the right to requisition the ministry’s existing facilities in the localities to serve the mission.

A field hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Dan Tri

Southern cities and provinces will continue building makeshift hospitals to serve the treatment of Covid-19 patients. Normally, this kind of facility is used to treat asymptomatic cases.

In HCMC, apartment blocs have been used as makeshift hospitals. Meanwhile, in Binh Duong, the World Trade Center, the largest exhibition center in the south with an area of 22,000 square meters, has been used as a field hospital of 1,500 beds.

In Cantho City and other provinces of Long An, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Vinh Long, and Dong Thap, temporary clinic facilities have been built in stadiums, hospitals, and schools.

Field hospitals ready for more Covid patients

HCMC so far has built 12 makeshift hospitals capacity of 35,000 beds in total to treat asymptomatic and mild cases.

The city spares no effort to treat critical Covid-19 patients. On July 20, the municipal Department of Health set up a special task force to regulate the transport of severe patients for emergencies to minimize fatalities.

Currently, HCMC which has built scenario of having 60,000 infections, classifies Covid-19 patients into four groups namely asymptomatic ones, mild symptoms, those on critical list, and terminally ill.

As the number of infections continues rising, Chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong has called on residents to support the local government’s fight against Covid-19. He said the locals should trust, sympathize, and share with others in the battle.

To ensure welfare for vulnerable groups, in the latest move, the city announced to offer financial support to additional 27,000 self-employed laborers who are ride-hailing motorbike drivers, housekeepers, lottery sellers, security guards, newspaper sellers, boot polisher, among others. The allowance will be offered from July 25.

In June 2021, the city disbursed a supporting package worth VND886 billion (US$38.5 million). In 2020, it also provided the vulnerable groups with VND587 billion.

Hanoi's authorities at a Covid-19 checkpoint. Photo: Kinh Te Do Thi

Hanoi makes best efforts

Today, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh warned of widespread outbreak. He told local authorities to “realize high risk and pursue precautionary measures” in the fight against Covid-19.

Hanoi has prepared 5,000 beds for treating Covid-19 patients and asked each district has a quarantine center of 1,000 people each.

On the day, Hanoi had 40 people infected with Covid-19, totaling 717 infections. It’s one of localities successfully containing the virus in the ongoing outbreak before the resurgence in early July.

Vaccine supply

On July 20, Prof. Dang Duc Anh, head of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE), said three million doses of US-donated Moderna vaccine will arrive in Vietnam this week through the COVAX Facility.

Testing capacity

To facilitate the testing, the Ministry of Health has so far licensed 180 units that are eligible to perform confirmatory testing on Covid-19. They are mainly hospitals and centers for disease control (CDC), including 80 in the north, 24 in the central region, four in the Central Highlands, and 72 in the south.

Daily infections

On Tuesday, 4,789 people were tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, including 3,322 in HCMC, 578 in Binh Duong, 162 in Tien Giang.

The new cases have driven up the country’s infections to 62,820, including 37,787 in HCMC, 5,733 in Bac Giang, 3,725 in Binh Duong, Bac Ninh 1,698, and Dong Thap 1,439.

So far, more than 11,400 people have recovered while deaths were 334.

Covid-19 infections in Vietnam. Source: MoH. Chart: Minh Vu