Major HCMC hospital shuts as two employees found infected with coronavirus

By Le Cam June 15, 2021 | 08:26 pm PT

The HCMC University Medical Center. Photo by VnExpress.

The HCMC University Medical Center has been locked down after at least two employees tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday morning.

It was not known at the time of going to the press how many employees, patients and their family members are inside.

The hospital, run by the Ministry of Health, is a frontline facility in the Covid-19 fight besides receiving up to 6,000 patients a day, making it one of Vietnam's biggest medical facilities.

The latest wave of coronavirus that began in late April has hit HCMC hard with numerous clusters being discovered and five hospitals being infiltrated, including the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases, the foremost Covid treatment facility in the south.

The hospital has been locked down since June 12 and at least 60 employees and seven of their close contacts have been diagnosed with Covid-19.

As of Wednesday morning there have been 980 cases traced to at least 14 clusters in all 22 districts and Thu Duc City.

Vietnam has had 8,088 infections in 40 of its 63 cities and provinces. Bac Giang leads with 4,462 cases, followed by Bac Ninh with 1,424. HCMC comes third.