A quarantined area at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in HCM City for treatment of patients infected with the new coronavirus. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — The HCM City Department of Health plans to transform one or two hospitals into emergency hospitals to quarantine and treat patients infected with the new coronavirus.

The plan, unveiled last Friday, is part of its efforts to prepare for the possible spread of the virus amid the worsening global outbreak.

A 300-bed field hospital recently set up in Củ Chi District, the Hospital for Tropical Diseases and the Children Hospital and Children Hospital No.2 are designated to receive suspected patients for quarantine and treatment.  

The department has banned other medical facilities from admitting suspected patients, and they must transfer such patients to the designated hospitals.

The city has also ordered 47 public hospitals to set aside seperate areas for quarantine and treatment of people suspected to have the virus.

Two facilities in the city, the Pasteur Institute and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, are capable of testing for COVID-19, the department said.

The last of Việt Nam’s 16 confirmed patients was discharged from hospital on February 26.

The country has recorded no new cases since February 13. — VNS