The National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on Wednesday ordered tightening supervision over the pandemic in all localities nationwide, with special attention to be given to people who travelled through sites now under lockdown in central Đà Nẵng City.
Three hospitals in the city - the Đà Nẵng General Hospital, Hospital C Đà Nẵng, and the Đà Nẵng Orthopaedic and Physical Rehabilitation Hospital - pose the highest risk of community transmission, the committee said.
Localities such as Hà Nội and HCM City, meanwhile, have many people who have recently been to Đà Nẵng and thus face high risks of infection.
Experts recommend that those who have visited the city since July 1 make health declarations and inform local authorities and medical agencies.
Any cases detected outside of quarantined areas in Đà Nẵng must be sealed off, the committee instructed.
It also agreed to tighten COVID-19 prevention and control regulations, in particular the wearing of face masks in large gatherings and on public transport and the regular washing of hands with soap, while warning people against any unnecessary travel.
Regarding COVID-19 treatment and testing, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyễn Trường Sơn said the ministry will maximise testing capacity and impose the sorting of patients related to respiratory diseases at medical facilities and immediately test suspected cases.
The high school graduation exams, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyễn Hữu Độ said, will still take place as scheduled, on August 9 and 10.
Students will be classified into four groups - F0 (infected with COVID-19), F1 (exposed to F0), F2 (exposed to F1), and the others, for the exams, to ensure both virus prevention and students’ rights and interests, he added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will work with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Transport in regulating the repatriation of overseas Vietnamese in accordance with the latest developments.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has warned against the holding of festivals, large gatherings and any unnecessary events.
The health ministry reported that, as of Wednesday morning, Việt Nam had 30 cases of community transmission related to the outbreak in Đà Nẵng, the first such cases in more than three months, including 27 in Đà Nẵng, two in neighbouring Quảng Nam province, and one in nearby Quảng Ngãi province.
Of the 30 cases, 24 are related to the Đà Nẵng Hospital.
The national tally now stands at 446, of whom 369 (82.7 per cent) have recovered. The remainder are being treated at 12 medical facilities nationwide. — VNS