All efforts to suppress Covid-19 outbreak

Khanh Hoa Province has activated combined drastic measures and raised the epidemic risk level in an effort to suppress Covid-19 outbreak.

 

Contact tracing and testing hastened

 

As soon as the case of Covid-19 community infection was detected in Khanh Hoa, local authorities in cooperation with Phuoc Dong Commune, Nha Trang City has blocked Hon Ro area, including the 5 villages of Thanh Phat, Thanh Dat, Phu Cuong, Phu Tho and Phu Thinh with 2,500 homes and 10,000 people for pandemic control. A resident named Truong Thi Thanh Ha, Thanh Phat Village said, “We have to remain home to help curb the spread of the virus. We have prepared some necessities and will ask our friends and relatives to bring us  food when we need.”

 

Nguyen Thi Hoa, Head of Thanh Dat Village, a member of a Covid-19 community-based Covid-19 prevention team together with Provincial Fatherland Front officials and medical staff has paid home-visits to urge locals to comply with the Covid-19 restrictions. Together with testing and disinfection, the supply of food is still ensured at supermarkets and shops. Local authorities will also help with the supplies in locked-down areas.

 

 

 

 

24-hour supervision is maintained at Covid-19 control check-points. Non-necessary shops are forced to temporarily closed and crowds are banned. Phuoc Dong Commune has also cooperated with Vinh Truong Ward and border defense force to prevent people from escaping from locked-down areas.

 

According to Ngu Quoc Viet, Chairman of Vinh Phuoc Ward People’s Committee, Nha Trang City, 3 quarters with more than 800 homes and over 3,000 people have been blocked to track infections and contain the outbreak. All residents have complied with the Covid-19 restrictions. 24-hour surveillance has been maintained in locked-down areas to ensure the compliance and give timely support for those inside. 

With the drastic measures and guidance by the provincial People’s Committee and the joint effort of all relevant agencies, areas with infections in Nha Trang City, Van Ninh District, etc. have been temporarily locked down and disinfected. Testing has been conducted on residents in the residence places of patients confirmed and suspected with Covid-19. Hon Ro Fishing Port, Nha Trang City and some shops related to the patients have been temporarily closed. Large-scale testing has been conducted on retailers at markets and those related to Hon Ro Fishing Port.

 

Pandemic response scenarios activated

 

On the morning of July 3, the Provincial Steering Committee for Disease Prevention and Control chaired by Dinh Van Thieu, Vice-Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Head of the Steering Committee held an urgent meeting to promptly and drastically boost pandemic prevention and control measures since the local risk level has been raised.

 

 At the meeting, Dinh Van Thieu requested all levels, branches, localities and armed forces in the province to activate Covid-19 response scenarios, focusing on implementing drastically and synchronously measures against Covid-19; taking joint effort to suppress Covid-19, and effectively promoting the role of community-based Covid-19 teams; urgently tracing, testing; ensuring pandemic control procedures in place in accordance with Covid-19 prevention and control regulations. Travelers to or back to Khanh Hoa from epidemic cities and provinces must present negative results of RT-PCR within 2-3 days of the travel date.

 

Karaoke parlors, discotheques, bars, pubs; spa, massage service in localities at risk remain closed together with compulsory medical declaration for groups at risk. Large gathering is prohibited. Khanh Hoa Department of Health in cooperation with relevant departments, agencies and localities is required to speed up the contact tracing and testing of F1, F2 individuals and large-scale testing of retailers and residents in patients’ places of residence, industrial zones, industrial clusters; residents related to Hon Ro Fishing Port; and foundation of makeshift hospitals to cope with Covid-19 outbreak. 

 

 

 

The leader of Nha Trang City held an urgent meeting on July 3 on boosting epidemic prevention and control, focusing on contact tracing and blockade of high-risk places; suspension of indoor physical training and sports activities, temporary markets; ban on gathering of 10 or more outside offices, schools, hospitals. Everyone is asked to keep a minimum distance of 2m in public places; promote online work; complete medical declaration for all residents and wear face masks when outside.

 

To speed up the contact tracing, monitoring and testing for Covid-19, Khanh Hoa Center for Disease Control has mobilized students of Khanh Hoa Medical College and Pasteur Nha Trang Institute to join the environmental cleaning and disinfection, collection of samples for testing and epidemiological investigation. At present, the center has 2 RT-PCR testing devices with a capacity of 2,000 samples/day. Therefore, Khanh Hoa Province is able to conduct the testing of over 5,000 samples/ day thanks to the joint effort of Khanh Hoa General Hospital, Vinmec Hospital, Military Hospital 87 and Pasteur Nha Trang Institute, according to Huynh Van Dong, Director of Khanh Hoa Center for Disease Control.

 

In addition, the provincial Military Headquarters in cooperation with Nha Trang National College of Pedagogy, Nha Trang University, Khanh Hoa University and Ton Duc Thang University, Nha Trang College of Technology has converted dormitories with a capacity of 2,500 people into quarantine areas for F1 individuals.

 

The provincial health sector has reactivated the plan to set up makeshift hospitals. In case of a surge in infections, Khanh Hoa Hospital of Tropical Diseases, Dermatology Hospital and Khanh Hoa Tuberculosis Lung Diseases Hospital will be converted into makeshift hospitals No.1 No.2 and No.3. The 3 hospitals have 300 patient beds. Besides, Ninh Sim General Clinic, Ninh Hoa Town and Cam Lam District General Hospital will become makeshift hospitals when needed. The provincial Military Headquarters will found a makeshift hospital at its national defense training center, according to Bui Xuan Minh, Director of Khanh Hoa Department of Health.

 

Giang Ly

Translated by N.T