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HẢI DƯƠNG — The northern province of Hải Dương, the country’s current largest COVID-19 hotspot, plans to conduct large-scale testing for the novel coronavirus, using Realtime-PCR technology, from February 24.

The move aims to measure the spread of COVID-19 in the province, currently under strict social distancing measures, to help it respond better to the disease while identifying safe areas to boost economic recovery.

People targeted by the testing are divided into three groups: the high-risk group which are people from Chí Linh and Hải Dương cities, and Kim Thành and Cẩm Giàng districts; the medium-risk group including people from the districts of Kinh Môn, Nam Sách and Bình Giang; and the low-risk group comprising those from Ninh Giang, Thanh Hà, Tứ Kỳ, Gia Lộc and Thanh Miện.

Hải Dương now has six labs for COVID-19 testing using Realtime-PCR, located in the provincial Centre for Disease Control, General Hospital, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Children’s Hospital, Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Hospital, and the Hospital of Hải Dương Medical Technical University.

The province is now capable of collecting 50,000 to 60,000 samples and processing as many as 8,500 individual test samples on a daily basis. The results normally come out after 24 hours.

Hải Dương recorded 627 cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday morning, making it the hardest hit locality in the country, not only in the current third wave of community infections, but also since the pandemic began earlier last year. — VNS