Da Nang collects samples faster to nip Covid-19 community transmission

The municipal Department of Health has enlisted around 600 medical students and 100 technicians to help with collecting Covid-19 samples in the city as it bids to stop community transmission of the novel coronavirus, said Ngo Thi Kim Yen, director of the Da Nang health department at a meeting Saturday.

The city of 1.1 million people could collect 8,000-10,000 samples on average per day starting Saturday, Yen said.

Also Saturday, the Lien Chieu District Center for Preventative Medicine collected around 1,000 Covid-19 samples from residents near the neighborhood of "Patient 416," a 57-year-old man in Da Nang recorded last weekend as Vietnam's first Covid-19 community transmission cases in 100 days.

Nguyen Van Duc, a local in Khanh An Ward, said his house was only about 50 m from that of "Patient 416." The Covid-19 tests have helped to reassure him and many other citizens, he said.

Tran Nhu Duong, head of the epidemic monitoring team under the health ministry, said people with symptoms like fever, coughing, sneezing or breathing difficulty were being tested first.

From July 25 to August 1, Da Nang has identified over 7,000 F1 cases - people who have been in contact with confirmed Covid-19 cases, over 2,300 F2 ones - people who have been in contact with F1 - and quarantined over 11,000 people either in medical facilities, quarantine zones or their own homes.

Among the 8,300 samples tested during the period, 87 proved positive, municipal health authorities said.

Da Nang, now Vietnam's largest Covid-19 hotspot, has recorded 104 Covid-19 cases since the novel coronavirus resurfaced in the community. The city entered a 15-day period of social distancing starting Tuesday, in which "non-essential" businesses like karaoke parlors and bars are closed and large gatherings prohibited.

Vietnam has recorded 590 Covid-19 cases in total, with 373 recoveries, 212 active cases, and five deaths.