Medical staff at a local testing station, which is designed to take samples for SARS-CoV-2 test, in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Hà Nội Health Department has ordered 18,333 people who returned from Đà Nẵng City, a COVID-19 hotspot, from July 15 and 29 and have yet to go to local testing stations to urgently visit the stations to have their samples taken for real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for SARS-CoV-2.

Currently, Hà Đông, Đống Đa, Hoàng Mai and Thanh Xuân districts are home to the highest number of untested people in the capital.

There are 2,831 untested people in Hà Đông, 2,389 untested people in Đống Đa, 2,270 untested people in Hoàng Mai and 2,199 untested people in Thanh Xuân District.

As estimated 76,412 people returned to the capital from Đà Nẵng since July 15.

However, only 58,079 people went to the stations to have their samples taken for the test between August 8 and 18, the health department said.

The department said the incubation period of SARS-CoV-2 virus is typically 14 days, but there have been cases with an incubation period of 23-24 days.

Therefore, after the self-quarantine period of 14 days, even those who returned from a COVID-19 hotspot without symptoms still need to be tested by RT-PCR.

Hà Nội has recorded 35 COVID-19 infections since July 25 as of Wednesday morning. Of those, 13 are local infections and the rest are imported cases quarantined upon arrival. — VNS