Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam: Binh Duong needs to focus on "fast fighting”, quickly testing to "separate" F0 cases from community

On the afternoon of September 16, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam; Senior Lieutenant General Vo Minh Luong, Deputy Minister of National Defense, Head of the Government's Special Task Force on Covid-19 prevention and control in the southern localities inspected the implementation of Covid-19 response measures in the province. Nguyen Van Loi, member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of provincial Party Committee, Head of provincial National Assembly Deputy Delegation; Vo Van Minh, Vice-Secretary of provincial Party Committee, Chairman of provincial People's Committee; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Lan Hieu, Director of Hanoi Medical Hospital cum Medical Director of Binh Dương Emergency Resuscitation Field Hospital and leaders of Thu Dau Mot City received the delegation.

Covid-19 treatment with positive changes

Reporting to Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam and members of the delegation, Nguyen Thu Cuc, Chairwoman of Thu Dau Mot city’s People's Committee, Deputy Head of the city’s Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control said that facing the complicated developments of the 4th Covid-19 pandemic wave, the city has synchronously implemented many solutions under the direction of the Government, the Prime Minister, provincial People's Committee and Party Committee with the motto of taking communes and wards, towns as "fortresses", people as "soldiers" in Covid-19 prevention and control; promptly and drastically implement anti-Covid-19 guidance documents of the Government and the province. Up to now, the city has basically controlled the pandemic with 11 out of 14 "green zone" wards. There are only 3 "yellow zones" in Phu Hoa, Phu Loi and Chanh Nghia wards.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam inspects the operation of the field hospital 5B in Thu Dau Mot city

After announcing it as the "green zone" and easing social distancing measures, the city has so far maintained 100 checkpoints, including 78 main checkpoints and 22 small ones at alleys, to control the pandemic. Along with anti-Covid-19 measures, the city has paid attention to disbursing more than VND 192 billion for more than 390,000 cases. Currently, the city has 67 out of 251 enterprises outside industrial parks to register the implementation of the "3 on-site” production model with 4,242 employees, or 26.7% of total. The city has also vaccinated against Covid-19 at 58 out of 67 enterprises registering the implementation of the "3 on the spot" with 3,174 employees. The city has administered 1 dose of Covid-19 vaccine on 219,308 people, or 91.89% of total population aged over 18.

At the working session, Assoc. Prof-Dr. Nguyen Lan Hieu said that the province’s collection and treatment for Covid-19 patients have reached many positive changes with the mortality rate decreasing. However, he said that it is necessary for the province to change collection and treatment for Covid-19 patients to reduce overload at hospitals with the first floor treatment. Specifically, after being tested, F0 cases should be taken to concentrated isolation areas and relevant units should not bring all of them to the first-floor treatment areas to avoid overload, affecting treatment.

In the coming time, F0 cases should be taken to isolation areas in each group of risk subjects for classifying and transferring them to appropriate treatment floors. The local health sector also needs to guide people how to make isolation at home; bring mobile medical stations to treating people with risk factors. Assoc. Prof-Dr. Nguyen Lan Hieu also suggested the Deputy Prime Minister to provide more sources of special drugs for Covid-19 patients such as anticoagulants, anti-inflammatory drugs, etc. In the coming time, the local health sector needs to set up Covid-19 treatment wards as well as rehabilitation ones pertaining to Covid-19; gradually consider Covid-19 treatment as dengue fever treatment like before.

In terms of epidemiological investigation, separating F0 cases from the community, Assoc. Prof-Dr. Nguyen Lan Hieu said that when conducting tests in zoned areas, the local health sector needs to immediately seal off them if the rate of F0 cases there is 1% or more. Currently, the "red zones" are locked, but the "green zones" are very susceptible to face Covid-19 resurgence if not being controlled well.

Considering to quickly reopen trade- service sectors

Speaking at the working session, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam spoke highly of the efforts by leaders of Thu Dau Mot city in particular and leaders of Binh Duong province in general in Covid-19 prevention and control, especially in screening, collection and treatment, contributing to reducing the local mortality rate.

He said that the province needs to take advantage of social distancing time to focus on "fast fighting", quickly testing to "separate"  F0 cases from the community while being necessary to determine the level of influence for effective fighting. He also highly appreciated the local Covid-19 vaccination progress while saying that the Special Task Force will suggest the Ministry of Health to continue distributing Covid-19 vaccines to the province. Regarding the local anti-Covid-19 strategy in the coming time, he said that the province will not be possible to completely eliminate Covid-19 but must switch to a state of "living with the pandemic". Therefore, one of the province’s important issues at present is to quickly organize vaccination in combination with other measures to reduce the number of infections as well as improving treatment capacity to reduce the number of deaths.

Regarding socio-economic recovery, he said that most people and enterprises are looking forward to the reopening of trade and service activities because this is closely related to people’s daily life. Hence, along with recovering essential activities, the province needs to consider trade-service fields. If being safe, they will be quickly allowed to reopen.  

The province also needs to strengthen guidance about F0 management at treatment facilities, especially pay attention to grassroots health system, turning existing isolation centers into first-floor isolation treatment areas, bringing mobile medical stations to people for timely guidance on isolation and treatment at home.

He said that the Special Task Force will work with the Ministry of Health to promptly supply Covid-19 drugs to Binh Duong while asking for the province to further consider and resolve policies for the local medical forces who are participating in treatment of Covid-19 patients as well as step by step giving training to grassroots medical forces at treatment for patients in the coming time. In addition, the province needs to pay attention to application of technology in synchronizing database on testing results, management of F0 cases, goods circulation, people’s travel as well as making forecasts on Covid-19 prevention and control.

Previously, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam inspected the operation of the field hospital 5B in Thu Dau Mot city. He asked for hospital leaders to ensure maximum safety for medical staff, especially when moving from treating Covid-19 patients on the 1st floor to the 1.5th and 2nd floors. He also spoke highly of material facilities at the 5B field hospital, including preparation of a large amount of liquid oxygen to promptly respond to treatment for Covid-19 patients. In addition, he encouraged medical staff, frontline forces there while wanting them to further take care of and protect patient's health for the best results. Currently, the 5B field hospital is treating 638 F0 cases  who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms.

Reported by Minh Duy-Translated by Kim Tin