The People’s Committee of Da Nang on Saturday issued a decision to carry out COVID-19 tests on a large scale on residents, including foreigners, in the central city.

According to the official Da Nang government website, all people living in areas subject to quarantine measures as decided by the municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control will have to be sampled for testing.

Inpatients, family members, caregivers, employees and interns at Da Nang Hospital, Da Nang C Hospital, Hoan My Da Nang Hospital, Da Nang Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Hospital and other hospitals with infection cases are also subject to the testing campaign.

People who visited high-risk places as announced in the Ministry of Health’s urgent notifications, those who went to the same places during the same timeframes as confirmed patients, and people who live close to the residences of COVID-19 patients must also take the test.

Other high-risk cases as proposed by the municipal Department of Health and the city's COVID-19 committee will also be tested.

The municipal People’s Committee requested functional forces to train technical employees and prepare all resources for the mass testing, ensuring quick and precise results.

The health department is responsible for directing, assigning and coordinating medical facilities in the city to participate in the testing campaign.

Meanwhile, the city’s Center for Disease Control will act as the focal point in receiving, coordinating samples and performing diagnostic tests for the coronavirus.

As of Saturday afternoon, many foreigners living in Da Nang have received notification of the large-scale COVID-19 testing from the municipal Department of External Affairs, which is available in English, Korean, Japanese and Chinese.

Da Nang chairman Huynh Duc Tho said in a directive issued on the same day that the city is looking toward testing all citizens for COVID-19 when conditions allow.

Da Nang is now Vietnam's COVID-19 outbreak epicenter where the majority of 116 local infections since Saturday last week are reported.

The country has reported 558 infections, with 373 recoveries and three casualties, as of Saturday afternoon.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!