HCMC applies rapid test for arrivals from abroad

By Le Phuong    January 1, 2022 | 12:05 am PT
HCMC applies rapid test for arrivals from abroad
A medical worker takes samples for testing from passengers at the Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCMC in May, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/ Huu Khoa
HCMC medical workers and immigration officers are collaborating to conduct rapid antigen tests for all passengers entering the Tan Son Nhat airport from overseas starting January 1.

The action is being taken following a directive from the Government Office on controlling the Omicron variant.

The directive enjoins authorities to enhance control on people coming from or transiting in countries that have detected Omicron cases by air, land and waterways. The arrivals need to undergo rapid testing before boarding and after disembarking.

Suspect cases will be isolated immediately.Passengers who test negative can self-isolate while those testing positive will be quarantined under current regulations.

Starting January 1, fully vaccinated and Covid recovered people entering Vietnam will self-monitor at their places of stay for three days from the date of entry, and others for seven days.

They will be administered PCR tests during this period and if the result is negative, they are allowed to move about.

It is expected that the health staff will test more than 250 people at Tan Son Nhat airport on January 1, 2022.

Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai, office chief of the HCMC Health Department, said the city has raised its pandemic monitoring level in order to promptly detect Omicron cases.

Health authorities will decode the virus gene of people who have positive test results. The field hospital number 12 in Thu Duc City has been prepared to receive suspected and confirmed Omicron cases.

Laboratories can detect Omicron infections early by looking for signs of S gene deficiency in samples. They will do virus gene sequencing of all infected people, including passengers entering Vietnam and people who re-infected with Covid within 28 days.

In addition, the virus gene sequencing will be applied with people who are super-spreaders, have short incubation period, interact with foreigners, infected cases who quickly get severely ill and die to find if they are infected with Omicron variant or not.

Vietnam has confirmed 20 Omicron cases this week, who were people coming from overseas to Hanoi, Da Nang and HCMC.

 
 
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