HN capable of daily conducting 10,000 PCR tests
VGP – Ha Noi is able to conduct 10,000 real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests a day. The local authorities will provide test kits for medical clinics and hospitals to test local residents, said Chairman of the Ha Noi municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung.
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Chairman Chung made the point on August 7 at a meeting of the municipal Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control.
The Chairman revealed that since July 25, the body has convened six meetings to seriously implement directions of the Government, the PM, as well as guidelines of the Ministry of Health.
So far, the city housed over 96,000 travellers coming from Da Nang and other disease-hit localities. In addition, it reported three community infection cases which linked to Da Nang.
Mr. Chung added that the city had around 100,000 rapid Covid-19 test kits and used 20,000 of them earlier this April for traders in key markets and people in surrounding areas of Bach Mai hospital where there was a COVID-19 infection hotspot.
However, the number of travellers from Da Nang was higher than the rest of rapid test kits (only 80,000 left), leaving around 18,000 unable to be tested.
Earlier, untested travellers were suggested to monitor their own health, and if one has symptoms like coughing, fever or breathing difficulty, they must go to medical facilities.
Regarding the testing capacity, according to Chairman Chung, the Ha Noi Center for Disease Control (CDC Ha Noi) is capable of daily collecting 5,500 PCR
He revealed that Phuong Dong hospital pledged to present 10,000 rapid test kits and the city would hand over them to districts.
The city also regulates that all passengers who had been in Da Nang from July 15-29 must undergo PCR tests.
He underlined the necessity to trace people who had close contacts with the three confirmed patients in Ha Noi (Patient 447, Patient 459 and Patient 417) and passengers of VN7198 flight on July 24.
Chairman Chung stressed that all tourists must be subjected to PCR tests if they have symptoms like coughing, fever or shortness of breath even though they did not come from regions where infections were found.
Travellers from Da Nang and Quang Nam with disease symptoms must be tested in PCR and quarantined at hospitals. People who had close contacts with COVID-19 patients (commonly known as F1 and F2) must be kept at quarantine camps or places of residences respectively.
In the short term, the local authorities received 10,000 rapid test kits sponsored by Tam Anh hospital, then allocated them to medical facilities in Bac Tu Liem, Nam Tu Liem, Cau Giay, Thanh Xuan, and Tay Ho districts for testing travellers from Da Nang and F1 and F2 of COVID-19 patients.
The Department of Health and the CDC were asked to verify VN7198 passengers and their related people. Grass-roots medical facilities were tasked to collect PCR samples of travellers returning from Da Nang from July 15-29. The city plans to collect 60,000-65,000 samples from August 7-13.
According to Chairman Chung, the city will be safe if there is no new case by late August 15. If there are new cases, the city will take tougher measures and raise alert levels in an effort to preventing disease outbreak and developing the local economy./.
By Kim Loan
