Mr. Nguyen Hoang Thao, Deputy Secretary of Binh Duong provincial Party Committee cum Chairman of Binh Duong provincial People’s Committee addressed the provincial Steering Board for Covid-19 prevention and control to districts, towns, and cities on May 28. Attending the meeting was Nguyen Loc Ha, member of Standing Board of provincial Party Committee cum Deputy Chairman of Binh Duong provincial People’s Committee and leaders of related departments and agencies.
Members of the Steering Board of Covid-19 prevention and control inspect on the prevention and control procedures at quarantine area of Saigon Park Resort
To improve epidemic prevention and control competence
In the emergence of a new outbreak in Ho Chi Minh city and the especial announcement on May 27 by the Pasteur Institute of Ho Chi Minh city regarding the travel locations related to 1 case of Covid-19 infection in this locality, Binh Duong health sector has identified 4 cases of F1 in contact with the case and conducted concentrated quarantine and took samples for testing and obtained negative results. The health sector by investigation also discovered 8 cases in Tan Phuoc Khanh ward of Tan Uyen town staying in contact with a positive case belonging to a church in Ho Chi Minh city. The cases are currently in concentrated quarantine at the Medical Center of Tan Uyen Town. Initial tests run with X-pert were negative for Covid-19. Currently, the health sector is keeping on investigating for F2 cases.
At the same time, the health sector is stepping up surveillance of cases related to positive cases from outbreaks throughout the nation. The provincial Management Board of Industrial Parks has established 3 inspection teams and 1,010 enterprises have submitted Covid-19 safety self-assessment reports. The provincial Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control also checked at Saigon Park Resort Hotel and Tan Khoi Dat Hotel where facilities some shortcomings remain such as the neglected surveillance camera system without monitoring screen throughout and no timely warning system against the quarantined person who violates the rules.
Meanwhile, 22 concentrated quarantine locations in the province have been installed with cameras and connected to the data system of Ministry of Health to serve the management and monitoring of quarantined people. In terms of improving testing capacity, the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City has conducted an assessment of the Covid-19 affirmative testing capacity at the provincial Center for Disease Control and the provincial General Hospital. The health sector also has a bidding plan to buy biological products and chemicals, especially large-scale Covid-19 testing kits to promptly respond to disease prevention and control.
Nguyen Hong Chuong, Director of Department of Health, said that although the province has not discovered Covid-19 infection in the community since the 4th wave of outbreaks, the risk of the spreading is still very high with the new virus strain that has a rapid transmission cycle of 1-2 days, so it is difficult to control. Most of the districts in Ho Chi Minh city adjacent to Binh Duong have recorded infection cases, making the epidemic most likely to enter Binh Duong because there are many people living, working and commuting among those localities.
“The health sector is preparing a responsive plan for infection occurance in large numbers, possibly thousands of cases, by expanding and establishing more concentrated quarantine areas, improving the capacity of taking samples, transporting samples for testing, mobilizing the entire health force including the private system to participate, and implementing the third phase of Covid-19 vaccination. The health sector proposes to the provincial Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control to establish a Covid-19 Vaccine Fund and a Vaccine Fund Management Board to decentralize the management of the Covid-19 epidemic prevention and control of at companies, enterprises, and local authorities," said Mr. Chuong.
Supervision within industrial parks and enterprises to be promoted
After listening to the opinions of the units and localities and on concluding the meeting, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Thao asked the branches and localities to promote the role of leadership neither being subjective to neglect nor too fearful. It is necessary to properly and fully realize and well implement the harmonious and effective combination of prevention and offense, taking offense as the major and prevention as regular, basic and decisive. The offensive measure is to well implement the "5K" message and vaccines, the testing stage needs closely connecting with the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh city to effective implement the vaccine strategies and improve the capacity to purchase medical supplies, equipment, and biological products according to the motto "4 on the spot" that is suitable to epidemic situations. The implementation of assignment and decentralization are coupled with enhanced supervision and inspection.
Assessing the epidemic situation, the Chairman of the provincial People's Committee emphasized that the risk of outbreaks in the area is close, if we lose our guard, we would be unable to catch up. Therefore, the provincial authority needs to plan and upgrade measures to prevent and control Covid-19. Prevention in the community needs further promoting in terms of the role of the Covid-19 community team to each neighborhood and hamlet to monitor and review Covid-19 related cases. In industrial parks, businesses should split into each workshop and line for supervision in the manner of the smaller the chop, the better.
The members of the steering committee need to keep a diary to operate and direct activities according to their territories and management areas for the inspection and supervision. The recording of operating and monitoring logs needs to be done drastically to each locality and facility to do what needs to be done right away. Regarding the proposal to assign People's Committees of districts, towns and cities to take full charge of the Covid-19 epidemic prevention and control of in their localities including enterprises inside and outside industrial zones, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Thao agreed to designate proactive rights for localities on the basis of active coordination with related sectors in disease prevention and control. The Chairman of the provincial People's Committee emphasized, in the current context, communication issues need to be improved to focus on people's raising awareness of implementing "5K" and measures to prevent and control the epidemic and other diseases.
Reported by Kim Ha – Translated by Vi Bao
