A medical worker takes samples for quick tests for residents returning from Đà Nẵng City in Hai Bà Trưng District, Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội authorities have traced more than 72,000 people who returned to the capital from Đà Nẵng since July 8.

Nearly 50,000 of them have undergone rapid testing for COVID-19, of whom 11 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the first instance. After confirmatory PCR tests, 10 obtained negative test results while one is pending.

Director of the municipal Department of Health Nguyễn Khắc Hiền on Saturday said all 127 people who had interactions with the two infected people in Hà Nội, Patient 447 and Patient 459, have tested negative for the novel coronavirus.

They, however, will be tested again. Meanwhile, they will be placed under close medical observation.

Trương Quang Việt, deputy director of the Hà Nội Center for Disease Control (CDC Hà Nội), said some health stations in Hà Nội have been overloaded and test kits are running out due to the increasing number of people registering for rapid testing. The centre has sent 78,000 test kits out of the 80,000 available to health stations, thus there are only 2,000 kits left in stock.

The municipal Department of Health is requesting the Ministry of Health to provide another 20,000 testing kits. 

Hà Nội had encouraged people who have returned from pandemic-hit areas to declare their health conditions. Those with signs of cough, fever, shortness of breath must immediately contact medical facilities.

The city's authorities said that some people continued their tours to many provinces in the central region after visiting the beach city and it was necessary to get their medical declarations together with those who returned from Đà Nẵng by road and rail.

A working group consisting of experts from the Hà Nội Medical University have volunteered to go to Đà Nẵng City to participate in training and supporting testing procedures for COVID-19.

The members of the working group are key experienced staff of the university who have tested nearly 10,000 samples at the university's lab during the pandemic.

Tạ Thành Văn, principal of the university, said the team will go to the central province and stay there for as long as required.

Home coming 

Nearly 280 Vietnamese citizens from 24 European and African countries were brought home on Sunday, with their flight landing at Vân Đồn International Airport in the northern province of Quảng Ninh.
The flight was arranged by Vietnamese and French authorities, and the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines.
Also on Sunday, more than 230 Vietnamese citizens in Thailand were brought home on a flight organised by Vietnamese and Thai authorities and budget carrier Vietjet Air.
More flights are expected to be organised to repatriate overseas Vietnamese citizens in accordance with their wishes, the pandemic situation and quarantine capacity at home.

A total of 230 Vietnamese citizens were flown home from the Republic of Korea by a flight of budget carrier Vietjet Air on Saturday.

Right after landing at the airport, all passengers were given health check-ups and then sent to quarantine areas in accordance with current regulations. — VNS