Health experts from Chợ Rẫy Hospital share experiences in COVID-19 treatment with medial workers in Bạc Liêu Province. VNA/VNS Photo by Tuấn Kiệt

HCM CITY —  HCM City hospitals have sent more medical workers and equipment to Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces to help in the fight against COVID-19.

The Hospital for Tropical Diseases and Trưng Vương and Nguyễn Tri Phương hospitals have sent their doctors and medical workers to Sóc Trăng, An Giang and Bạc Liêu provinces. They have also brought along medicines and equipment for treating severe patients.

Chợ Rẫy and Thống Nhất hospitals previously sent their staff to support Mekong Delta provinces.

In addition, Chợ Rẫy hospital offered 35,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine and 18,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine to Bạc Liêu Province, the region’s pandemic hot spot, to speed up vaccinations for people in the province.

Thống Nhất Hospital provided 5,000 doses of AstraZeneca and two Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) machines to the province.

Health experts from the two hospitals cooperated to establish COVID-19 testing facilities at medical centres in Giá Rai Commune and Phước Long District in the province.

In addition, Bình Dương and Đồng Nai provinces gifted medical equipment, and VNĐ3 billion (US$131,678) and VNĐ2 billion ($87,785), respectively, to support Bạc Liêu in COVID-19 prevention and control.

Phạm Văn Thiều, chairman of Bạc Liêu People's Committee, said the province faces difficulties due to a lack of equipment and experience in pandemic prevention and control. The COVID-19 case number has exceeded the province’s projected scenario.

The province has recorded 4.480 cases so far, and 3,480 cases in the last two weeks, so it upgraded its pandemic risk to level 4, or very high-risk (red).

Other provinces in the region are also facing an increase in the number of locally transmitted cases.

On November 4, 477 new cases were found in Kiên Giang Province, 413 in An Giang Province, 238 in Sóc Trăng, 314 in Cần Thơ City and 162 in Cà Mau Province.

The provinces’ authorities have sped up COVID-19 vaccinations for people with a high risk of infection as part of an effort to contain the outbreak.

They are preparing to provide vaccinations for children aged 12-18 this month.

The provinces have also worked with leading hospitals in HCM City to build COVID-19 treatment hospitals, give treatment to severe patients, and share experiences in home quarantine for people with mild or no symptoms. — VNS