HCMC may extend social distancing by another two weeks after August 1

Chairman of the HCMC Peole’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong said that perhaps it will take months for the city put the ongoing coronavirus outbreak under control. Therefore, the city may extend its current social distancing period by another two weeks after August 1 due to the continuing rise in the number of patients with Covid-19.

HCMC may extend social distancing by another two weeks after August 1 ảnh 1  President Nguyen Xuan Phuc  (L) and Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen at the working session (Photo: SGGP)
Speaking at the meeting with President Nguyen Xuan Phuc who was leading a Central delegation to visit HCMC and work with the city's authorities on Covid-19 prevention and fighting this morning, the City’s Chairman said that HCMC has spent 61 days of social distancing orders under the Directives 15 and 16. It saw an average number of 3,300 confirmed cases of Covid-19 per day in 19 days under Directive 16 which comprises the most stringent social distancing regulations and 25,200 recovered patients.

Among 36,700 patients under treatment, 875 severe patients who are spending days on ventilators and 19 patients at increased risk of severe illness from Covid-19 received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support. 381 gravely-ill Covid-19 patients have been recovered at the HCMC Intensive Care Hospital.

The city established the Covid-19 Testing Operation Center and 2,200 mobile teams for collecting samples; 13 city-level quarantine facilities, 345 district-level isolation areas, 194 hotels to serve as paid quarantine facilities.

Around 12,380 people are undergoing centralized quarantine while 37,800 persons are isolating at home.
HCMC may extend social distancing by another two weeks after August 1 ảnh 2 At the meetiing
38 Covid-19 treatment facilities providing 46,000 beds in HCMC are organized according to the model of 5-level pyramid, including the local health units of districts and Thu Duc City, field hospitals for newly-infected cases, Covid-19 treatment hospitals for cases with symtomps of coronavirus, Covid-19 treatment hospital for patients that have severe underlying chronic medical conditions, and Covid-19 Intensive Care Hospital for 570 severe patients, he said.

The city set up special mission teams for hospital transfer of severe patients and mobilized four private hospitals offering 375 beds to join the Covid-19 treatment.

As of present, more than 390,000 people have been vaccinated in the fifth phase of HCMC’s Covid-19 vaccination program that began on July 22. The event will run in two weeks. So far, a total bumber of 1.3 million shots have been given.
HCMC may extend social distancing by another two weeks after August 1 ảnh 3  Chairman of the HCMC Peole’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong speaks at the meeting
In addition, 2,038 businesses with 100,000 workers have implemented "three on the spot" work arrangement to ensure social distancing and safe production.

The municipal authorities have organized 2,833 selling sites of essential commodities, 1,000 mobile sales points, 1,000 locations selling products of supply chains, 24 Zero-VND markets and supplement the hotlines 1022 to support the residents.

Around 496,000 people of the priority groups impacted by the pandemic have received financial aid from a Covid-19 support package worth VND572 billion (US$24.9 million). Localities throughout the country handed over 334 billion (US$16.4 million) to support HCMC in the fight against Covid-19.

The tighter Covid-19 measures, including the Directives 15 and 16, and the ban on going out after 6 pm starting on July 26 help reduce the growth level of infected cases to 1.5 times a day instead of six times a day in the previous days.

Regarding to the coming measures, Chairman of the City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong affirmed that the city will carry out all methods to ensure the strict implementation of tighter Covid-19 measures, enhance the inspection and serious fines for violations, shorten the duration of treatment for F0 cases, arrange the healthcare forces and reduce Covid-19 deaths, and operate effectively the emergency center 115 to ensure ontime medical transportation.

HCMC may extend social distancing by another two weeks after August 1 ảnh 4 A Zero-VND stall 
In addition, the city will put 200 taxi cabs and 100 ambulances into operation to transfer patients to and from medical facilities, and establish four satellite medical emergency centers in districts of 12, Binh Tan, Binh Chanh, and Thu Duc City.

The city has also ensured the supply of essential goods during the pandemic, gradually reopened traditional markets under strict safety measures, expanded protected blue zones and called on residents to participate in charitable activities to support needy people.

He noted that the city will simply the process of vaccination and expand immunization schedule.

Addressing at the working session, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long highly appreciated the city’s implementation of social distancing measures and Covid-19 treatment for severe patients, and the support of the healthcare forces and volunteers from univeristies in the battle against virus.

Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, Nguyen Van Hoi said that 98 percent of needy people have received the Covid-19 aid package worth VND900 billion (US$39.2 million).

All financial donations from HCMC for the national Covid-19 prevention and control fund worth VND4,500 billion (US$196 million) will be give back to the city to help residents amid worsening coronavirus outbreak, according to President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, Do Van Chien at the meeting.

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