An isolated area is set up at the Đà Nẵng General Hospital to deal with coronavirus. 58 people had been checked coronavirus at the hospital, and 37 people including 17 foreigners have been released. — VNS Photo Anh Đào

CENTRAL REGION — Đà Nẵng’s health department has asked the Ministry of Health for permission to treat cases of coronavirus at local medical centres, rather than transporting patients to Huế, Hà Nội or HCM City.

Director of the department Ngô Thị Kim Yến made the proposal at a working session with officials from the ministry to check preparations in the city on Thursday.

Yến said the city had experience in dealing with the Ebola virus as well as the prevention of the other types of flu.

She said seven body temperature machines and a group of medical workers from the Đà Nẵng Centre for International Health Quarantine were working 24-hour shifts at the international airport and sea ports to monitor visitors, including those from China and other affected areas.

Doctor Lê Đức Nhân, director of Đà Nẵng General Hospital, said four rapid response teams with a total of 20 doctors had been established to deal with emergencies.

“We have reserved a floor on the tropical disease unit at the hospital as a special isolation area for coronavirus treatment. A one-way entrance was set up at the unit for transporting patients. All ambulances and equipment will be sterilised before and after carrying patients,” Nhân said.

He said other doctors would be called on in case the disease spreads further.

According to the latest report from the department, 28 of 39 samples of blood tested negative for coronavirus as of Thursday, and the remaining results will be released once they are received from the Nha Trang-based Pasteur Institute.

The department said of 58 people that had been isolated and checked at the hospital, 37 including 17 foreigners (14 Chinese, two Malaysians and one Czech) have been released from the hospital.

The city’s Centre for Disease Control said it is still monitoring 25 patients.

As many as 82 flights and two cruises with 9,529 passengers visiting the city on January 30 had been all checked for coronavirus, the centre reported.

Đà Nẵng currently has 11 hospitals with 1,000 doctors and more than 620 consulting rooms and medical care centres, which could provide 10,000 beds for coronavirus patients. Field hospitals would be built in an emergency.

In Quảng Nam Province, five hospitals have been prepared for hosting coronavirus patients at Tam Kỳ City and urban districts, director of the provincial health department, Nguyễn Văn Hai confirmed on Thursday.

He said Hội An – a UNESCO-recognised world heritage site – is providing free face masks for tourists at ticket inspection sites.

In Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, body temperature machines had been arranged at Phú Bài Airport and Chân Mây seaport to cover all passengers and tourists.

Hoàng Văn Đức, director of the provincial Centre for Disease Control, said Huế hosted 230 foreigners each day, and they were checked at the airport and sea port.

He said 2,700 tourists on a cruise from Hong Kong were all tested and checked at Chân Mây port before travelling to destinations in the city on January 28-29.

In Quảng Ngãi Province, the managing board of Dung Quất Economic Zone asked for all foreign staff to be checked.

No cases of coronavirus have been found in Huế, Đà Nẵng, Quảng Nam and Quảng Ngãi as of Friday morning. — VNS