Over nearly a month, thanks to the maximum support of the Ministry of Health (MoH), Da Nang and Quang Nam have accelerated all aspects of Covid-19 prevention and control. According to the MoH, up to now, all suspected cases in the two localities have been thoroughly traced, quarantined, sampled and tested.
In recent days the number of new cases has decreased markedly. It can be said that the Covid-19 outbreak in Da Nang and Quang Nam has been brought under control.
Testing capacity increased by 10 times
Looking back at the last days of July 2020, when the Covid-19 epidemic suddenly broke out in Da Nang, the MOH immediately sent doctors and experts from the central level as well as from many province and cities to assist the central region.
Before the Covid-19 outbreak, Da Nang had five units capable of conducting tests with the CDC Da Nang as a key agency. They could only test around 1,000 samples per day. However, after a few days receiving the support of human resources and automatic machinery systems, testing capacity was improved considerably to 10,000 samples per day.
On August 5, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son decided to recognise Hospital 199 as being capable of testing and diagnosing the SARS-CoV-2 virus by the RT-PCR method. On August 20, the RT-PCR laboratory at Da Nang’s C Hospital was installed and calibrated with "lightning speed" (48 hours) together with the enhanced support of the staff of the Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute. Accordingly, Da Nang city has had seven facilities capable of testing and diagnosing SARS-CoV-2.
The testing capacity has been improved by 10 times.
According to Deputy Minister Nguyen Truong Son, the city’s Covid-19 testing capacity can now test nearly 50,000 samples per day. So far, over 150,000 samples have been tested to detect infected people (F0) and manage F1 cases (those who have had close contact with F0 or are suspected of being infected). As a result, centralised quarantine and isolation at home have been conducted for a huge number of F2 people (those who have had close contact with F1).
According to a Da Nang City Department of Health report, as of 6pm on August 19, 11,011 F1 cases have been detected, including 795 isolated in medical facilities and 2,204 taken to centralised quarantine areas. From July 25 to August 19, 157,359 were tested, with 157,003 confirmed as negative and 356 positive for SARS-CoV-2.
The epidemic centre of Quang Nam has recorded 97 Covid-19 patients. F1 and F2 cases have been basically controlled and quarantined according to regulations.
Since July 25, the locality has taken 70,417 samples, accounting for 90.4% of the total samples from both two outbreaks. Accordingly, 95 samples were shown to be positive; 69,432 others reported negative; and 890 remains are waiting for results.
During the first phase of the Covid-19 fight, Quang Nam could only test 300 samples per day, but are now up to 4,500 samples per day. Rapid and accurate testing capacity has promptly met the demands of traceability and treatment.
The testing and traceability works have been urgently conducted.
Quang Nam has also set up six rapid response teams (with ten leaders, monitoring and testing officers in each) to support the traceability, testing and performing of centralised quarantine in hot spots.
So far, there have not been any infected medical staff in Quang Nam. The provincial authorities have pushed for the establishment of 5,484 monitoring and communication groups working on Covid-19 prevention and control in 18 districts, towns and the city itself.
Medical capacity raised, central region taking the initiative in epidemic control
Following nearly a month of taking the role as the commander of epidemic prevention and control in Da Nang, Deputy Minister Nguyen Truong Son said that thanks to the implementation of the above measures in Da Nang and Quang Nam, the MoH’s working group feels secure. As a result, Covid-19 epidemic in the central region has been brought under control.
According to the Director of the Quang Nam Central General Hospital, the hospital is treating 55 Covid-19 cases, of which 23 F1 cases tested negative for the first time and 14 others have been stabilised and transferred to other hospital.
Deputy Minister Son noted that the coordination and support from hospitals in Da Nang, Quang Nam and the Hue Central General Hospital have contributed to controlling the epidemic in the central region.
“When the special forces of the MoH and hundreds of doctors and nurses around the country withdrew from Da Nang, the city’s health sector will be able to fully meet the treatment needs of ill patients in all Covid-19 outbreak areas (if any)”, he added.
The MoH has also stated that in the coming days in Da Nang and Quang Nam, new cases could still be recorded in the community. It is crucial to trace and promptly detect new cases in order to localise and stamp out the epidemic.
The Deputy Minister expressed his hope that with the determination and efforts of the health sector, Da Nang and Quang Nam will rapidly triumph over Covid-19.
Doctors from Cho Ray Hospital supporting central region
