HCM City is continuing to speed up vaccinations to reduce the number of deaths due to COVID-19. Source https://hcdc.vn/

HCM CITY— Seventy-five per cent of 151 people who died of COVID-19 in HCM City from November 19-21 were either unvaccinated or had received only one vaccine dose, according to the city Department of Health.

Speaking at a press meeting on Monday, Nguyễn Thị Huỳnh Mai, chief of the department’s office, said the unvaccinated patients were mostly people who had health contraindications to the vaccine or elderly people who were homebound.

“To reduce the number of fatalities, the city will continue speeding up the provision of two vaccine doses. People should strictly comply with preventive measures,” Mai said.

HCM City’s new COVID-19 incidences last week remained at about 1,000 per day, she said, adding that, of these, 15-20 per cent became worse, which included mostly older people with underlying medical conditions, and 5 per cent became critically ill, resulting in deaths.

The city currently has 13,724 COVID-19 patients being treated, including 574 children under 16 years old.

Dr Nguyễn Hồng Tâm, deputy head of the city Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention, said that health stations in wards, communes and towns faced a shortage of medical workers in the last few weeks but the department has added staff at health stations to help COVID-19 patients who are being treated at home.  

New COVID-19 patients should call local health stations and mobile medical stations in wards, communes and towns. The healthcare staff will then visit these patients within 24 hours for treatment and quarantine instructions.

Not all COVID-19 patients are provided medicine, Tâm noted, adding that local medical workers will evaluate their health and then provide medicine if necessary. If the patients do not call local health stations, they will not be provided an official paper that certifies their recovery.

The Department of Health said that new COVID patients can receive treatment and quarantine at home if the family does not have anyone in high-risk groups such as people with underlying medical conditions or people who are obese or pregnant, among others.

New COVID-19 cases who are children or adults who lack a caregiver must have people to assist them if they are being treated at home.    

The People’s Committee said the city’s status remained at "medium risk" of COVID-19 as of November 18. VNS