Vinh Phuc to test entire population for coronavirus

By Viet Tuan   May 3, 2021 | 02:54 am PT
Vinh Phuc to test entire population for coronavirus
A medical worker performs Covid-19 testing at HCMC's Hospital for Tropical Diseases. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.
Vinh Phuc, an ongoing Covid-19 hotspot, would test all its citizens for the novel coronavirus, prioritizing those in places with high infection risks.

"We would construct a step-by-step testing plan for all citizens," Le Duy Thanh, chairman of the northern province's People's Committee, on Monday said.

The province would test those in locations with high risks of infection first, including the Dong Son urban area where a local bar became a Covid-19 hotspot, the Phuc Yen region general hospital, and all other locations where individuals infected with the coronavirus have passed through, he added.

As of Monday, six employees of Sunny Club in Dong Son have been confirmed infected after making contact with a group of Chinese experts who tested positive with the coronavirus after returning to China.

A doctor at the Phuc Yen region general hospital, in close proximity to Sunny Club, tested positive for the coronavirus Monday, though his case has yet to be confirmed. The hospital has already been locked down until at least May 16 out of infection risk concerns.

Vinh Phuc is mulling a Covid-19 vaccination campaign for all its population too, Thanh said. The provincial People's Committee has also requested field hospitals be deployed and quarantine zones expanded to counter further outbreaks, he added.

Hoang Thuy Lan, secretary of the provincial Party Committee, said field hospitals must be made ready and more beds and testing equipment provided for centralized quarantine facilities.

High-risk groups in areas with confirmed cases, those returning to Vinh Phuc from other localities, workers in factories with confirmed infections, among others, must be contact traced thoroughly, she added.

Since May 1, Vinh Phuc has suspended karaoke and massage parlors, dance clubs, bars and other entertainment services, religious festivals, and large gatherings for coronavirus prevention.

After over a month without community transmissions, Vietnam has recorded 24 new cases since April 29 located in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, northern Ha Nam, Hung Yen and Vinh Phuc provinces.

The country's total coronavirus tally stands at 2,962, with 35 deaths.

 
 
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