President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and officials visit the Da Nang Hospital for Lung Diseases on April 30 (Photo: NDO)

Reporting to the State President and officials from the Health Ministry and the city, leaders of the Da Nang Hospital for Lung Diseases said the hospital has done a good job of treating COVID-19 patients, noting that it is currently providing treatment for 58 patients, 14 of whom have tested negative for the virus thrice.

Secretary of the Da Nang Party Committee Nguyen Van Quang said the city will upgrade this hospital so as to better meet the need for medical examination and treatment, including for COVID-19 patients.

President Phuc pointed out very high risks of coronavirus transmission since the pandemic is developing complicatedly around the globe while Vietnam shares a long borderline with some countries hit hard by the pandemic, and it is also intensively integrating into the world.

Applauding Da Nang’s anti-COVID-19 measures, he stressed that as it is a major tourism hub with a large number of visitors and hundreds of fully booked flights, the city as well as big municipalities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, and Can Tho must stay ready to take actions if there are any new cases.

He repeated the spirit of “fighting the pandemic is like fighting an enemy” and told the Ministry of Health and Da Nang to combat the disease in the strongest manner like what have been done in the recent past.

That the health sector must stay ready in any circumstance and exert all-out efforts to maintain the obtained achievements and prevent the disease from returning, the leader said, warning that a health crisis would lead to an economic crisis.

The President also demanded expanding the vaccination to more groups while continuing to import vaccines so as to proactively prevent new outbreaks.

In Hanoi, after two people having direct contact with Patient 2911, who works at Thang Long Industrial Park and was confirmed on late April 29, tested positive for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 once, local authorities have been taking prompt actions.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Chu Xuan Dung on April 30 asked leaders of Dong Anh district and Thang Long Industrial Park to swiftly trace contacts of the two suspected cases, and that if these suspected cases are confirmed, contract tracing must be completed by 5pm on April 30.

He demanded relevant sector and Dong Anh district make drastic efforts to curb the transmission, increase examination, and fine any person ignoring disease prevention and control measures.

Patient 2911 earlier had close contact with Patient 2899, who finished his quarantine period after arriving in Vietnam and returned home in northern Ha Nam province but then was found to be positive for the virus.

Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City decided to temporarily close bars, karaoke parlours, and discos from 6pm on April 30 after one case of COVID-19 was recorded in Binh Tan district.

The new patient in HCM City, No 2910, was confirmed on April 29 afternoon. Earlier, this patient also met Patient 2899.

As of April 30 morning, Ha Nam province had recorded two more COVID-19 infections and one suspected case linked with the hotbed in Dao Ly commune of Ly Nhan district, raising the total cases there to seven.

During the night of April 29, local authorities collected samples for COVID-19 testing from the 1,068 residents in Quan Nhan hamlet of Dao Ly commune, where Patient 2899 resides.

The Health Ministry also sent experts from the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology to help the province with testing and contact tracing./.

BTA