HCM City plans to step up COVID testing. — VNA/VNS Photo Thạnh Vũ

HCM CITY — The HCM City Department of Health has directed medical facilities to step up COVID-19 testing, especially of people with suspected symptoms, to slow down the spread of the virus in the community.

The last of the city’s three major testing phases will go on until September 15 with a goal of bringing transmission to an end.

The previous two sought to evaluate the risk in areas with a high transmission rate and isolate sources.

In the first, it tested more than two million people and found a positive rate of 3.6 per cent. The second saw 1.7 million people tested and a positive rate of 2.7 per cent.

The department has also directed related units to test workers and volunteers at medical facilities every three days in the final phase.

People with symptoms like cough and fever can call local medical staff, and a mobile team will arrive in 30-60 minutes to take samples for testing.

Medical staff and volunteers have been told to instruct people to do rapid tests at home by themselves so that the testing process both ensures safety against the pandemic and prevents cross infection.

The city has 403 mobile medical stations supporting medical teams, and they respond immediately to all requests for support. — VNS