Today’s Covid News: Vietnam’s coronavirus infections surpass 500,000

As of September 3, Vietnam has logged 501,649, including 2,746 fatalities, according to the latest report of the Ministry of Health.

Of the figure, Ho Chi Minh City accounts for 48% and 82%, respectively while Binh Duong makes up respective 25% and 8%.

The country today witnessed 14,922 new infections over the previous 24 hours, the highest daily number recorded so far.   

Pandemic fight in HCMC draws many volunteers. Photo: MC Quynh Hoa

The Covid-19 outbreak has attacked 62 out of 63 cities and provinces, placing medical facilities stretched to full capacity, putting brakes on the economy, and bringing production to a standstill.

The five most affected areas include Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) with 241,084 cases, Binh Duong 126,408, Dong Nai 26,314, Long An 23,785, and Tien Giang 10,290.

To date, nearly 270,700 Covid-19 patients, or 54% of the country’s caseload, have been discharged from hospitals after recovering.

The active cases are treated both in medical facilities and at home in high-infection areas, including HCMC. The city has more than 91,000 infections treated at home. They receive “home-based care” treatment and medicine supplied by local health workers.

Regarding vaccination, the country has vaccinated more than 20.8 million shots, comprising about 2.96 million got two doses. HCMC has the highest vaccination rate with 86.5% of residents aged above 18 get at least one jab, Long An ranks second with 70%, Hanoi ranks third with 52%, Binh Duong 50%, and Dong Nai 36%.

The inoculation campaign is ongoing but the thin supply has troubled the progress. To date, Vietnam has received nearly 30 million doses from different sources, including more than 19 million AstraZeneca doses, more than five million Moderna, three million Pfizer, 2.5 million Sinopharm, and 12,000 Sputnik V.

Improving treatment capacity

To boost treatment capacity, the Ministry of Health has asked Bach Mai Hospital and Viet Duc Hospital, two leading national hospitals located in Hanoi, to set up a National Intensive Care Center in the northern province of Ha Nam.

In addition, other Hanoi-based national hospitals need to set up more intensive care units (ICU) to treat Covid-19 patients.

The move is aimed to give better treatment and mitigate fatalities.

There have been so far 12 national ICUs set up in hotspots like HCMC, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Long An, Tien Giang, Dong Thap, Vinh Long, and Can Tho. Meanwhile, each hospital nationwide is required to use up to 40% of its facilities and manpower for treating Covid-19 patients.

In the latest move, the Covid-19 hospital in Hanoi, which was inaugurated on August 31 with 500 beds, will serve critical patients in the capital city and surrounding areas like Haiphong, Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, and Lang Son.

Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Truong Son. Photo: MoH

Ho Chi Minh City

On September 3, Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Truong Son called for patients who have completely recovered from novel coronavirus to join the healthcare service.

Son, who leads the Health Ministry’s Special Task Force in HCMC, said that recovered patients could help a lot in supporting the treatment of the Covid-19 patients in HCMC.

“The health sector desperately needs the recovered patients’ contribution to this critical period, although I understand that everyone needs time to recuperate after the illness,” Son said in a letter.

“With the hope that we will bring the pandemic under control, our health workforce looks forward to your participation in the city’s anti-pandemic mission. Any position and any work you join is personally appreciated and grateful to me and the city’s people,” he noted.

In the press conference on September 2, Deputy Director of the HCMC Department of Health Nguyen Hoai Nam said the city will recruit recovered patients and pay them for their support in the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

“The people who recovered from the disease have antibodies and will be temporarily uninfected.

According to Nam, HCMC has around 120,000 discharged people and it’s a source of valuable manpower for the city’s pandemic fight.

In July, Deputy Health Minister Son again called on support by health workers, including retired health professionals, and volunteers in the battle. So far, about 10,000 volunteers are assigned to work.

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