The Ministry of Health has asked medical facilities to ensure enough health workers at departments of emergency, infectious and tropical diseases and extensive care units so that patients’ family members do not need to visit hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic time.

Illustration photo

The medical establishments are also asked to strengthen measures to prevent transmission of the virus within their campuses, the ministry ordered.

The COVID patient tally rose quickly since the first community transmission case was confirmed in Da Nang on July 25, reaching 989 as of 6:10 pm on August 18.

New cases in the city include health workers, patients, and their family members. The pandemic has spread to other localities nationwide after hundreds of thousands of tourists travelled to the central city.

The ministry demanded social distancing must be seriously enforced at hospitals, departments, groups of healthcare workers. Meanwhile, patients and people are requested to wear face marks and clean their hands. 

Medical establishments are also requested to minimize the number of caretakers at other departments and only allow one if really necessary. Health registration and preventive measures are still in place for caretakers. 

Leaders of medical facilities are responsible for inspecting enforcement of preventive measures for health workers and patients especially at screening areas, quarantine areas, treatment units for the elderly, and patients with chronic and critical conditions.

Of the country’s patient tally, 649 are locally-transmitted cases, including 509 linked to the COVID-19 cluster in Da Nang./.