HCMC is unlikely to achieve “zero Covid-19” status: Health Department Director

Epidemiologist said that the virus may never go away and it could not detect all persons with Covid-19 but reducing the risk of the pandemic that has impacted every aspect of life, said Director of the HCMC’s Health Department, Associate Professor, Ph.D., Dr. Tang Chi Thuong at a press conference on the situation with Covid-19 in HCMC on September 13.
HCMC is unlikely to achieve “zero Covid-19” status: Health Department Director  ảnh 1 Director of the HCMC’s Health Department, Associate Professor, Ph.D., Dr. Tang Chi Thuong speaks at the press conference. (Photo: SGGP)
For the first time, HCMC saw a significant bump in new Covid-19 cases and the municipal health sector has yet approached all of Covid-19 patients. The city has then allowed Covid-19 patients with mild or asymptomatic symptoms to quarantine themselves at home to reduce over pressure to health facilities.
The city has seen a gradual drop in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases and death rates for the past three weeks, he added.
Although the reduction was not as expected and did not meet the criteria on controlling the disease issued by the Ministry of Health and the principles of disease elimination and eradication of WHO but it showed a positive result in Covid-19 fight.
Regarding the “Covid Green Card” that will be provided to fully vaccinated people or recovered Covid-19 patients, the Director of the municipal Health Department said that the health sector acknowledged that many F0 cases are self-care during the treatment and quarantine at home and have not recognized by the local healthcare units yet. Thus they have difficulty applying for the “Covid Green Card”. The HCMC People’s Committee and the Health Department will work together to launch a solution.
Covid-19 antibody test that can help identify people who may have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus or have recovered from Covid-19 is a new method. So the city will give Covid-19 vaccine injection to recovered patients to ensure safety.
The “Covid Green Card” can't replace Covid-19 testing and implementation of the health ministry's 5K message but the combination of the three factors, he stressed.

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