A post COVID-19 patient gets treated for rehabilitation at Lê Văn Thịnh Hospital in HCM City’s Thủ Đức City. — Photo courtesy of the hospital

HCM CITY — The HCM City Department of Health plans to close the Hóc Môn COVID-19 treatment hospital in Hóc Môn District as the number of COVID-19 cases has dropped in recent weeks.

The department has asked the Hóc Môn General Hospital to set up a new department with 150 beds and 20 ICU beds for treatment of COVID-19 infections.

The city has also set up many centres for rehabilitation and psychotherapy after contracting COVID-19 at hospitals like Pediatrics 1, Tropical Diseases, Lê Văn Thịnh, Chợ Rẫy and Thống Nhất.

The city’s Traditional Medicine Institute and its partners will launch a programme to provide treatment for elderly and needy people with post COVID-19 conditions, from January 16.

The programme will offer psychiatric counselling and post-COVID health checkups for free, and a medical call centre to support people with post COVID-19 conditions.

In the past three days, the city saw positive signs in COVID-19 prevention and control. The daily number of COVID-19 cases dropped under 500, and deaths under 20.

On January 8, the city was classified as a green zone with low pandemic risk. — VNS