People get tested for COVID-19 in Bình Dương in July. VNA/VNS Photo Dương Chí Tưởng

HCM CITY — The People’s Committee in the southern province of Bình Dương has asked for more vaccines as the number of COVID-19 cases has risen in the province.

The province plans to provide vaccines to nearly 2 million residents this month and in September. It is giving priority to people in the cities of Dĩ An, Thuận An, Thủ Dầu Một and Tân Uyên Town.

On August 8, many communes and wards in the province ran out of vaccines. The province has nearly 30 industrial parks, but only several of them had provided vaccinations to workers as of August 8.

The rest planned to provide vaccinations to their workers this week, but the shortage prevented them from starting the vaccination drive.

Many enterprises said they should give priority to COVID-19- hit areas and frontline production enterprises to help workers feel assured about the "three-on-spot” principle (work, eat and rest on the spot). 

To speed up progress, the health department has assigned health officials to provide 100,000 doses per day. 

The provincial industrial park management authrority is working with enterprises and investors to create favourable conditions to provide vaccinations for workers.

The province has upgraded its quarantine facility for 50,000 people and will expand its capacity to 100,000.

It will also add 30,000 beds to meet the treatment demand of COVID-19 patients.

The province has 21 public COVID-19 treatment facilities with 120 doctors, 295 nurses and 166 other staff. Four private hospitals also treat COVID-19 patients.   

According to the provincial People’s Committee, the number of COVID-19 patients in the province could increase up to more than 30,000 in days to come.

The province faces overloading, while the number of severe cases and those under life-threatening conditions are increasing. It needs further human resources and equipment, and wants the Ministry of Health to assist.     

Due to the increase in severe cases, Minister of Health Nguyễn Thanh Long has told the province to set up a COVID-19 patient resuscitation hospital with 500 beds at Eastern International University.     

Nguyễn Lân Hiếu, director of Hà Nội Medical University Hospital, has been assigned to be the head of the resuscitation hospital, which needs more than 1,000 staff including more than 300 doctors. VNS