A mobile medic squad in HCMC braved the elements to deliver quick Covid-19 test kits to around 1,500 residents in Binh Thanh District. 

At a mobile medical station in Ward 11 of Binh Thanh District, Doan Ngoc Hung, a doctor from Vietnam Military Medical University in Hanoi, puts on a protective suit on his first day at work in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday.

Each station has around 4-6 members in charge of management, treating Covid-19 cases at home and vaccinating residents, among other tasks.

One station in Ward 11 is located at a traditional medicinal facility. It has six employees who take care of over 28,000 residents in the area.

During their first day's work, Hung's squad collected samples for Covid-19 testing and handed out quick Covid-19 test kits for families. They use motorbikes to get into small alleys and access different neighborhoods.

Health workers split among themselves boxes of Covid-19 tests and distribute them to families in a neighborhood on No Trang Long Street.

The municipal Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control has recently allowed people to perform quick Covid-19 tests on their own as a trial, and instructed authorities to collect samples from high-risk areas over the next two weeks.

At 3 p.m., health workers knock on doors to perform testing.

Workers instruct a resident (in white) on how to use a quick Covid-19 test kit. They then perform quick tests on members of the household on the spot, returning half an hour later to collect results.

For the elderly, health workers would collect samples on the spot.

"I'm blind so I can' t take the samples myself. Quick Covid-19 tests would not require much time and I don't have to leave my home, which prevents infection," said 59-year-old Nguyen Van Tru.

Health workers would take samples from one family member so the rest could follow suit. It takes around five minutes to distribute test kits and instruct each family on how to use them.

Hung helps an old woman get into her home after her quick Covid-19 test returned positive.

"We would record this case and soon conduct a PCR test for confirmation, treatment and contact tracing," he said.

Hung's suit and face shield are littered with rain droplets.

"I stumbled a bit on my first day at work, but everyone soon adapts. Most of the people are cooperative," he said.

Cao Van Hien (R), 26, and a colleague sit on a bench to rest after spending two hours walking.

"We instruct people very carefully upon arriving at each house. All the talking makes one feel thirsty quickly, and the suits prevent us from drinking," he said.

After about five minutes of resting, health workers return to collect test results.

At 4 p.m., the rain was still pouring, forcing workers to take refuge before continuing their tasks. On Monday alone, the mobile medical squad expected to deliver around 1,500 quick Covid-19 test kits.

Starting last weekend, Vietnam Military Medical University dispatched around 1,100 staff and students to support their colleagues in HCMC and other southern localities in the Covid-19 fight.

HCMC, epicenter of Vietnam's fourth coronavirus wave since late April, has recorded 180,245 local Covid-19 cases so far in the new wave.