Deputy PM Dam: The COVID-19 fight ‘not to end yet’

Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam chairs the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control meeting in Hanoi

Addressing a meeting of the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control in Hanoi, Deputy PM Dam said Vietnam has done a good job of containing the epidemic as no new cases have been detected in the community for the past 99 straight days.

“Upon hearing about the suspect case in Da Nang, the committee on July 23 requested the Ministry of Health and Da Nang authorities to verify the case and swiftly take drastic measures to protect public health,” said Dam, who is also head of the committee.

The suspect case, a 57-year-old man of Da Nang, was said to have tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus three times. The Ministry of Health is now awaiting the test results to be confirmed by the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, scheduled for July 25 morning.

“No matter what the results of the test are, we must continue to implement containment measures as we treat this as a positive case,” said the Deputy PM. “We have learnt a lot from past experience, and we must be on standby to deal with any case.”

According to the Deputy PM, when a suspect case and confirmed case is announced, it is necessary to quickly zone off the affected area, trace contacts, quarantine those in contact, and conduct testing.

Describing the case as a test for the healthcare sector, he asked all relevant forces, first and foremost the healthcare sector, the army and the police to be highly vigilant and ready to respond to any new developments of the disease.

There is no room for complacency, he stressed.

Hospital C where the patient visited for medical check-ups has been locked down and disinfected against the possible spread of the virus

At the meeting, Acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said the ministry has taken all necessary preventive measures to control the disease as it is a ‘highly contagious case”. The ministry requested that Da Nang make a list and test all people who had contact with the suspect case.

“These people must be quarantined to prevent the possible spread of the virus to the community,” said Minister Long. “All places where the patient had gone must be put under strict scrutiny.”

The patient was said to have visited Da Nang Hospital to look after his mother, visited one of his relatives for a party and attended a wedding party in Hai Chau district.

Long added that his ministry has dispatched a contingent of experts to Da Nang to assist the city with preventive measures.

Leading experts have conducted inter-hospital consultations to work out the best possible treatment regimen for the patient, as he suffers from acute pneumonia with severe symptoms.

A team of doctors specializing in emergency and resuscitation from Ho Chi Minh City’s Cho Ray Hospital has also been sent to Da Nang to assist with the treatment.