[코비드-19] Ho Chi Minh City takes measures to block COVID-19 before resurgence

Duong An Duc, deputy chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, asked the unit to deploy COVID-19 prevention and control measures to avoid a recurrence of the epidemic amid rising infections.

On April 14, city leaders noted the growing COVID-19 situation across the country from early April to the present. In Ho Chi Minh City, the number of infected cases increased slightly and a new variant of Omicron was discovered in XBB.1.5. It is a rapidly spreading strain, but there is no clear evidence of severe cases.

The Municipal People’s Committee asked the relevant units to implement measures for the prevention and control of COVID-19, closely monitor the epidemic situation, respond quickly and prevent a recurrence. The city is promoting the Corona 19 vaccination, especially for high-risk groups. In order to avoid cross-contamination and minimize deaths, medical facilities are preparing logistics, medicines, and infection control.

People are encouraged to wear masks in health care facilities, public transport, and places and events with large crowds, especially during the upcoming holidays. Relevant agencies organize surveillance at border gates, detect infected and suspected infected at an early stage for quarantine and treatment.

Schools are places where the risk of infection is high and cases cluster. Therefore, the school organized epidemic prevention in schools, notified local health authorities as soon as cases occurred, and at the same time reviewed vaccination of students.

From the beginning of March until now, Ho Chi Minh City has recorded an average of one new case of COVID-19 per day. The number of infected people increased slightly this week, with three more on April 12 and seven more on April 13. Twelve patients are being treated at the Tropical Diseases Hospital, with no serious cases requiring ventilators.

At the end of April 2021, Corona 19 re-occurred in Ho Chi Minh City, which occurred in May, forming a fourth epidemic that quickly spread to 13 southern provinces and then nationwide. At the time, Ho Chi Minh City suffered the most painful losses in six months due to a severe epidemic, with more than 80% of its citizens infected with the virus due to lockdowns and social distancing, killing nearly 20,000 people. The quarantine period also revealed many weaknesses in the health care system, and helped Ho Chi Minh City learn lessons from the experience to improve medical capacity and prevent epidemics in time to avoid recurrence.