As of April 20, HCM City has had 54 COVID-19 patients, including 49 who have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals. — Source https://ttbc-hcm.gov.vn/

HCM CITY — HCM City will enter the third stage of COVID-19 prevention and control after the city ends social distancing on April 22, but the risk of transmission will remain high, according to the city's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

Transport will resume operation, so the risk of COVID-19 infection in the community will remain high.

The centre noted that many people infected with the coronavirus will not have any symptoms, and the transmission source may be unknown. 

In addition, the city will see an increase in the number of dengue fever patients after the rainy season begins, which will impact personnel and others taking part in the prevention and control of COVID-19.

The centre said that early detection of new incidences of COVID-19, especially those who do not have any symptoms, will be a “survival problem” for the city.

To prevent community transmission, health officials will try to identify and isolate people who have had contact with infected people.

The city also plans to quarantine people entering Việt Nam from other countries.  

The current stage is the “golden time” for the city to reinforce the system for prevention and control of COVID-19 and to prepare plans and methods to adapt to the pandemic, according to the centre.

Dr Nguyễn Trí Dũng, head of the centre, said the city was improving the capacity of the city’s rapid action force.

The city is testing passengers for COVID-19 at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, bus stations, and workers at residential apartment buildings and industrial parks, Dũng added.

On April 19, 1,195 passengers were tested at the airport. As many as 394 passengers were tested at the railway station.

As of April 18, 2,063 workers in districts 7, 12, and Thủ Đức had been tested, including 2,050 who tested negative for COVID-19.

The centre will continue working with agencies to evaluate risk levels of transmission and offer warnings and methods for prevention in areas with large numbers of people, such as factories, schools, and others.

The centre will also strengthen IT application in surveillance, management, tracking and quarantine of people who have close contact with COVID-19 patients.

Many people in the city have begun ignoring preventive measures and have become complacent because there have been no new COVID-19 incidences recorded over the last 10 days. The risk of transmission, however, will continue after social distancing regulations are removed. 

The centre has urged people in the city to strictly comply with regulations and preventive measures such as washing hands regularly, wearing masks, keeping two metres apart and others.  

The city has also instructed relevant agencies to establish a set of criteria to evaluate risks of transmission in each industry.

The city People’s Committee has approved the closure of schools until May 3.

As of April 20, the city has had 54 COVID-19 patients, including 49 who have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals.

On April 20, two more patients are expected to be discharged from hospitals.

Among the remaining three patients, one is using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation which adds oxygen to blood and pumps it through the body. The other two are in stable condition and are still being treated. — VNS