Ten coronavirus positive cases were detected at the hospital that specializes in treating cancers, prompting a lockdown on all three of its facilites in Hoan Kiem and Thanh Tri districts starting 5:30 a.m.
Over 5,000 people in these facilities, including employees, patients and their family members, are locked inside.
Among the coronavirus cases, four are patients and the rest their relatives. One of them had been treated for a month at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Dong Anh District, which has also been locked down as a novel coronavirus hotspot.
Barricades have been placed in front of the K Hospital’s main gate on Phung Hung Street and another gate on Chu Van An Street.
Several relatives of the patients, unaware of the lockdown, were surprised at being stopped by the police as they tried to get in.
Nguyen Tich of Thanh Hoa Province was supposed to have his blood samples taken today. He had traveled 160 km from home but the lockdown did not allow him to enter the hospital.
Several patients and family members stand on a pedestrian over-bridge that leads to the K Hospital. Around 1,600 patients are stuck inside the hospital.
The K Hospital has announced that it would stop receiving patients except for emergency cases. The public hospital, Hanoi's largest one for cancer treatment, receives thousands of patients every day, mainly from the northern and central Vietnam regions.
At around 10 a.m., the first supplements, including food and personal items, were brought to the hospital. Chu Ngoc Anh, chairman of the municipal People's Committee, has requested Thanh Tri District to ensure that all 5,000 people stuck inside the facilities get all the necessities they need during the lockdown.
Barricades and yellow tape at a facility of the K Hospital in Thanh Tri, about 4 km away from another one in the same district.
Hanoi Chairman Chu Ngoc Anh (L) and Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan check a medical facility under lockdown.
Thanh Tri District police have also erected checkpoints to prevent people from entering or exiting the lockdown areas, given that they are located near residential areas.
The K Hospital is Hanoi's second medical institution to be locked down due to Covid-19 infects after the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases.
As the lockdown began early morning, traffic jams ensued on Phung Hung Street as passersby turned curious onlookers.
Vietnam is currently experiencing its fourth coronavirus wave, under which 121 community transmissions have been recorded in 15 localities since last week. Besides the two hospitals in Hanoi, one each in the northern Vinh Phuc, Thai Binh and Lang Son provinces have also been locked down.
