Vietnam sets up special task force in Danang as local infections surge

An elite health task force was set up on July 30 to support the battle against Covid-19 in Danang after dozens of local coronavirus infections have been found in this beach city over the past week.

The elite task force heads towards Danang as local infections are on the rise. Photo: Nam Khanh

The establishment of the special force aims to strengthen Covid-19 prevention and treatment in Danang and neighboring areas.

This task force has experiences in dealing with previous outbreaks across Vietnam namely Son Loi, Ha Loi, Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi, and Binh Thuan; in SARS-CoV-2 cultivation and isolation; and in treating serious Covid-19 patients.

Led by Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son, the task force includes 65 leading health professionals, doctors, and officials from the Ministry of Health, the National Institute of Hygiene And Epidemiology, the Institut Pasteur in Ho Chi Minh City, the Institut Pasteur in Nha Trang, Bach Mai Hospital, Cho Ray Hospital, Hue Central Hospital, Hanoi Heart Hospital, and some medical schools.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son leads the task force. Photo: VietNamNet

Half of the team are leading doctors from hospitals where dozens of Covid-19 patients were treated. They will directly treat people infected with SARS-CoV-2.

The team will also focus on testing with a group led by well-known experts of the National Institute of Hygiene And Epidemiology.

In addition, the ministry mobilized a force of 1,000 people who are lecturers and students of some medical schools. They are tasked with supporting contact tracing, sample taking, and quarantining in the outbreak hotspot.

The Ministry of Health has also mobilized human resources and medical equipment, including ventilators for Danang.

Six days from the first local infection found in Danang, more than 90 people have tested positive for the coronavirus, leaving Vietnam on high alert again.