Vietnam strives to stamp down Covid-19 in highly infectious Danang hospital

The Hanoitimes – The evacuation helps minimize infections and save the health staff.

As a large number of new Covid-19 infections are linked to Danang Hospital that is under lockdown, Acting Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long on August 1 urged that evacuation of must be done soon to prevent it from being a worse coronavirus hot spot.

Acting Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long at a teleconference on August 1. Photo: VnExpress

It means that a number of health workers, patients, and caregivers will be quickly evacuated from the hospital to minimize transmission and save the medical force in case the battle against the pandemic lasts longer than expected.

Long said medical staff will stay at hotels and travel between their hospital and hotels by cars provided by authorities like the measure taken at Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi a few months ago. He added that the Ministry of Health will support Danang in this issue.

In March, Vietnam's largest hospital Bach Mai was put under lockdown after dozens of local were infections detected and traced back there.

Some high-risk wards need to stop receiving patients, Long made the request at a teleconference with the health task force for Danang following a surge in the community infections.

Health workers at University Medical Center of Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Congan

Since the first locally-infected case was confirmed in Danang on July 25, the majority of new infections are linked to three hospitals in this beach city, especially Danang Hospital.

Long also asked the the task force which includes dozens of leading health professionals to keep patients under hemodialysis treatment separate from Covid-19 sufferers to prevent casualties among those with kidney failure.

Danang Hospital, with 6,000 people including health workers, patietns, and patients' relataives, has been relieved. So far, around 4,000 people have been relocated since the site was put under isolation on July 26.

A hospital representative said only people who tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 would be relocated to other places and must undergo 14-day quarantine, VnExpress reported.

All treatment activities at the hospital are going on with strict safety rules in place.

Earlier, Danang's mayor Huynh Duc Tho warned of transmission among health workers. So far, up to eight health workers in Danang have been infected with the coronavirus.