The Hoàn Mỹ Thủ Đức International General Hospital in HCM City’s Thủ Đức city earlier this week began admitting COVID-19 patients after one week of preparation to share the burden with public hospitals. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — The number of daily COVID-19 cases in HCM City fell to 2,349 on the morning of August 5 from 6,318 on July 27, according to the city Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention.    

The city has recorded more than 108,000 cases since late April when the fourth wave began.  

Of more than 108,000 COVID-19 cases, many need ventilators, creating pressure on hospitals, Tăng Chí Thượng, deputy head of the Department of Health, said at an online meeting with Deputy Minister of Health Nguyễn Trường Sơn and leaders of Chợ Rẫy, Bạch Mai, Việt-Đức, and Huế Central hospitals.

These hospitals are in charge of setting up intensive care centres. The meeting on Wednesday (August 4) updated the construction progress on intensive care centres.

Việt-Đức Hospital, for example, is in charge of setting up and operating a COVID-19 Intensive Care Centre with 500 beds located at field hospital No.13 in Bình Chánh District.

The centre has received professional assistance from the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases.  

On Thursday (August 5), medical equipment and more than 300 doctors and nurses from Việt-Đức Hospital in Hà Nội were sent to field hospital No.13 to help set up the centre.

Thượng said the city wants COVID-19 intensive care centres to open as soon as possible.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyễn Trường Sơn, head of the ministry’s steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control in HCM City, said that he and relevant agencies would assess the quality of these centres.

The ministry has created favourable conditions for the hospitals to buy equipment and medicine for treatment at these centres. It will work with city authorities to handle problems related to environmental hygiene, cleaning services, and meals for patients at the centres.

On Wednesday, the Department of Health converted a part of District 4 Hospital to treat COVID-19 patients.

The department has told all people’s committees as well as health facilities in the city to closely monitor the health of COVID-19 patients isolated at home and provide medical aid and transport them to hospitals if they become worse.

Speaking at another online meeting on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam, head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, said the city should focus on treatment at this stage. In coming days, the city should use more hospitals so that it can have enough facilities, medical equipment and human resources to admit and treat severe COVID-19 cases.  

Thượng said the department has set up a task force on resuscitation and emergency aid to provide assistance to hospitals that treat mild COVID-19 cases.

Hospitals should buy more medical equipment and medicine for COVID-19 patients under the concentrated purchase policy. The ministry will buy and hand over protective clothing to COVID-19 treatment hospitals, Sơn said. — VNS