At the meeting

At a virtual meeting with the health departments of and a number of hospitals in Hai Duong and Quang Ninh provinces, Long requested an oversupply of medical equipment for the three hospitals to serve the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Accordingly, the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases is tasked with setting up the first COVID-19 treatment hospital at the Chi Linh Medical Centre. Modern facilities will be transported to this hospital for the establishment of an intensive care unit.

The Bach Mai Hospital is in charge of opening the second hospital within the Hai Duong Medical Technical University.

Meanwhile, the third hospital will be placed at the Hai Duong sports stadium, receiving all of the equipment used for a similar hospital built at the central city of Da Nang’s Tien Son sports center when the city was hit by a COVID-19 outbreak in July and August last year.

Regarding human resources serving these hospitals, the minister directed experienced medical staff from Da Nang, who engaged in tackling the city’s past outbreak, to go to Hai Duong to offer their support.

The Ministry of Health is sparing no effort in curbing the current outbreak with maximum assistance from the central administration, he stressed.

Long also requested that all passengers traveling via the Van Don international airport in Quang Ninh and Chi Linh city in Hai Duong since January 15 must contact competent medical agencies to perform COVID-19 tests and conduct self-quarantine.

Vietnam recorded 91 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours to 6pm on January 28, including 84 domestically-transmitted cases and seven imported cases, according to the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

The locally-transmitted cases were detected in the northern provinces of Hai Duong and Quang Ninh.

Hai Duong imposes social distancing from noon on January 28

Social distancing was introduced in Chi Linh city in the northern province of Hai Duong from midday on January 28, following the detection of 73 cases of community transmission of the coronavirus in the locality, according a local official.

Nguyen Van Kien, Chairman of the city’s People’s Committee, said Kim Dien village in Hung Dao commune and Vietnam Poyun Electronics, where a female patient worked, have been put under lock down.

Hai Duong is taking drastic measures to contain the outbreak, especially contract tracing and testing, and has reactivated the local COVID-19 taskforce.

However, the locality faces a shortage of test kits and protective suits for medical workers, a meeting of the provincial steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control heard.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Duong Thai asked cities, towns, and districts to promptly roll out preventive measures at the highest level, saying the provincial health department stands ready to coordinate with Chi Linh in preparing the building of a field hospital.

The Ministry of Health has sent a working team to Hai Duong to assist in the fight. With this support, relevant local agencies are swiftly collecting samples from all workers at Vietnam Poyun Electronics and the villagers of Kim Dien.

As part of preventive measures, the province has told students not to attend school from January 29 until further notice.

Thai asked the provincial departments of education and training and labour, invalids and social affairs, as well as people’s committees of cities, towns, and districts, to instruct local educational institutions to intensify pandemic prevention and control measures and devise plans for online studies.

After two cases of community transmission were confirmed late on January 27, an additional 82 more COVID-19 cases were detected in the northern provinces of Hai Duong and Quang Ninh on the morning of January 28, with 72 in Hai Duong./.VNA

82 Covid-19 cases reported in Hai Duong and Quang Ninh

Vietnam recorded 82 new COVID-19 cases in the northern provinces of Hai Duong and Quang Ninh on January 28 morning after two locally-infected cases were confirmed late January 27.

PM orders residents in Hai Duong, Quang Ninh not to leave localities

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered all people in Hai Duong and Quang Ninh not to travel to other localities, to contain the spread of the coronavirus following the confirmation of over 80 community transmitted cases of COVID-19 in the two provinces.