August 18, 2021 | 15:41 (GMT+7)
Health Minister works with HCM City on COVID-19 control, treatment
Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long recommended pandemic hotbed Ho Chi Minh City strictly enforce social distancing measures and implement in-place social welfare packages at a meeting on care and treatment of COVID-19 patients and pandemic control with the local authorities on August 17.
The minister also requested the city launch testing to discover transmission sources as soon as possible, set the goal to minimize the number of deaths, and accelerate efforts to increase vaccination coverage.
The municipal health department reported that the city has re-arranged the care system for COVID-19 patients in three levels. The first level is caring for patients at home and at 153 sites with around 24,000 beds across 22 districts and Thu Duc city. The second level consists of 74 hospitals with 49,392 beds, and the third level comprises eight resuscitation hospitals and five intensive care centers that offer 3,850 beds together.
Meanwhile, two health packages designed for patients treated at home and at local hospitals are being applied.
Agreeing with such treatment arrangement, Minister Long stressed the importance of caring for patients at home, saying that on-site testing and treatment can help limit transmission.
The official also asked the city expand its COVID-19 quick response teams at communes and wards from the current number of 312.
Source: VNA