Potential risk for coronavirus pandemic still exists in HCMC: Chairman

According to Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong, the epidemic in the city is complicated, especially in Cambodia; therefore, there still exists potential risk for the coronavirus pandemic in the city without strict management and supervision of illegal immigration.

Potential risk for coronavirus pandemic still exists in HCMC: Chairman
The municipal Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on April 12held an online briefing on the epidemic prevention situation in the southern metropolis discussing the implementation of preventative measures against Covid-19 in the new situation.
Potential risk for coronavirus pandemic still exists in HCMC: Chairman ảnh 1 Chairman Phong at the meeting (Photo: SGGP)
Speaking at the meeting chaired by Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Tan Binh, Director of the Health Department of Ho Chi Minh City, said that up to now, there are 227 cases of disease detected in Ho Chi Minh City including 68 locally-transmitted cases accounting for 29.95 percent and 155 imported cases accounting for 68.28 percent, four cases of infection in the isolated area of Vietnam Airline accounting for 1.77 percent.
The health sector in Ho Chi Minh City has cured 216 cases, accounting for 95.15 percent. Currently , 11 new positive cases are being under treatment with stable health, with no symptoms of severe transfer.
Ho Chi Minh City is also continuing to monitor high-risk groups such as passengers in flights and international flight crews. Additionally, routine screening of hospital risk groups including medical staff, attendants, chronic inpatients and airport staff was conducted with all negative test results.
Currently, roughly 2,125 people are being under quarantine including 79 people in concentrated quarantine area of HCMC; 48 people in facilities in districts and Thu Duc City. Some 1,998 expat specialists and international flight crews and imported people are being kept in paid quarantine facilities. In addition, three people entering the hospital with illnesses are being treated in hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City and three people are being isolated at home.
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Tan Binh said as of April 10, Ho Chi Minh City has conducted vaccination against Covid-19 for 7,530 medical staffs of 65 medical facilities. Post-vaccination adverse reactions are closely monitored, and all are currently healthy.
In addition, the health sector has also inoculated 1,000 police officers participating in the Covid-19 epidemic prevention mission of Ho Chi Minh City. During the week of April 12-16, the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) will receive 1,600 Covid-19 vaccine doses from the VNVC Immunization System to organize the vaccination of hotel staff. concentrated cup.
Tightly controlling people who enter illegally
Speaking at the meeting, Chairman of the City People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong said, from February 11 to now, , Ho Chi Minh City has not recorded new infections in the community within two months. The political system and city dwellers have made concerted efforts in fighting against the disease.
Currently, Ho Chi Minh City is maintaining the implementation of solutions such as medical reporting, periodic monitoring and screening of high-risk groups to promptly grasp the progress of the disease in the city for early detection, localizing and suppressing the epidemic more effectively.
However, according to Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong, the epidemic is still complicated, especially in Cambodia and there is a high likelihood of re-occurrence of the disease without good management and close monitor. Mr. Phong requested that units and functional forces of the city continue to coordinate closely for the control of illegal entry. Moreover, the functional units must be determined to curb the spread of the disease in the community.
Thu Duc City and the districts, communes and wards need to actively inform, propagate and mobilize people and residential groups to be self-aware as well as encourage people to detect and promptly report to the authorities about illecit immigrants. 
Chairman Phong said that Ho Chi Minh City has completed the first round of vaccination for the front line of anti-epidemic forces. In the next round, Thu Duc City People's Committee and districts need to coordinate with departments and agencies to list and make statistics in order to build a strict plan for the next vaccination round.
Although the southern metropolis receives the largest vaccine in the country, the effectiveness of the vaccine maintains in a short time; accordingly, it is hard to cover the entire population. The risk of infiltration and epidemic outbreaks is still very great, localities need to continue to be vigilant and build scenarios for each bad situation that occurs, HCM City People's Committee Chairman stressed.
Besides, Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong requested agencies and units to actively review and assess the safety level within their own scope and develop response and control plans.
Attending the meeting were Vice Chairman of Duong Anh Duc and leaders of HCMC departments, branches, units, districts and Thu Duc City.

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