People taking COVID-19 tests at hospitals and medical centres in HCM City began receiving their test results via the mobile application “Y Tế HCM” on July 10. VNA/VNS Photo by Thanh Vũ

HCM CITY — The HCM City People’s Committee has established a 24/7 command centre for COVID-19 prevention and control consisting of 16 members led by the People’s Committee chairman Nguyễn Thành Phong.

The centre is in charge of giving advice and issuing guidelines, plans and measures to prevent and control the pandemic; receiving information on the pandemic to provide forecasts about the situation; and dealing with fake news.

It will conduct research and consider proposals for purchase of equipment for COVID-19 prevention and control, offer training on the use of the equipment, and promote international cooperation on pandemic prevention and control.

The centre will make decisions on necessary measures if the city is being stretched beyond its capacity. For example, it may declare a COVID emergency or implement a curfew.

In emergency situations, the centre can immediately mobilise forces, means and materials to support frontline forces in order to keep the situation stabilised.

Since July 10, hospitals and medical centres in the city have carried out COVID-19 testing and results via the mobile application “Y Tế HCM”.

According to the city’s Department of Health, when people register for COVID test, their information is added to the health agencies’ system. The test results will be returned within three hours via the application.

In addition, health agencies have been told to help people check their results on smartphones and inform them that results confirmed by QR codes are equivalent to test result papers. — VNS