The HCM City’s app Y Tế HCM provides information about COVID-19 patients and vaccinations. — Photo courtesy of the city’s Department of Health

HCM CITY — Several information and communication technologies (ICT) initiatives developed by HCM City have helped in the fight against the pandemic.

The city’s app Y Tế HCM, for example, has helped to detect, trace and manage thousands of COVID-19 cases. The app allows users to make health and travel declarations, look up COVID-19 test results, and search facilities where COVID patients are receiving treatment.

It also helps medical workers manage health status and provide remote treatment for COVID patients at home, as well as find information about new patients.

The city will soon upload vaccination data to the application to complete its population database.

As of September 9, the city has provided COVID-19 vaccinations to more than 6.7 million people, with a vaccination rate of 200,000-250,000 people per day. The city has installed 100 QR-code scanning cameras at COVID-19 checkpoints in 21 districts and Thủ Đức City for domestic travel checks.

Sr Lieutenant Colonel Lê Mạnh Hà of the city Department of Public Security said the department is uploading names of people with travel permits and those allowed to travel on the road without a permit to the national population database.

When the data is updated, travel permits may later be cancelled and travelers will just need the QR codes to move through the checkpoints.

The Việt Nam Fatherland Front in the city has introduced an app called An Sinh where needy people can call for help and receive support.

People register for help via the application and wait for approval from local authorities who are in charge of checking the information. When the registrations are approved, donors can support them via the app.

All donations are showed clearly on the app.

As of September 6, more than 200,000 people had signed up on An Sinh.

Besides mobile apps, the city has launched a website at https://bando.tphcm.gov.vn/ogis with statistics of infected cases and locations of locked-down areas, medical facilities and pharmacies.

It has upgraded the 115 emergency portal, which can now handle 6,000 calls per day to meet residents’ demand.

The city is also using a callbot for its 1022 portal, which receives information about COVID-19 control and prevention and requests for support from residents. — VNS