Ho Chi Minh City health authorities have asked all local drug retailers to ask their customers to make medical declarations if they have fever and respiratory problems, as a precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Healthcare providers in Thu Duc City and all Ho Chi Minh City districts must direct all pharmacies to request their customers who have a fever, cough, sore throat, and difficulty breathing to file declarations on their health status, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health said in its urgent dispatch released on Monday.

Medicine buyers with such COVID-19-like symptoms can declare their health status at http://tokhaiyte.vn, which is also available in English, or through the apps NCOVI and Vietnam Health Declaration on their mobile phones, the department said.  

This new requirement is aimed at the early detection of people contracting the novel coronavirus, which Vietnam has been battling since early 2020, health authorities explained.

The department also requires drugstore attendants to comply with epidemic prevention measures such as wearing face masks, washing hands with sanitizer, and maintaining required safe distance from customers.  

Pharmacies are required to report any suspicious COVID-19 cases to local health authorities or relevant hotlines.

Any medicine retailers that fail to follow these requirements, thereby causing the virus to spread, will be subject to strict punishments, health authorities warned in their dispatch.

The health ministry on Tuesday noon reported 85 local COVID-19 cases in Hanoi and five other northern and central localities.

These new cases have taken the country’s tally to 4,464 cases, including 2,668 recoveries and 37 deaths, since the virus hit the country on January 23, 2020, the ministry said.  

Since April 27, when a fourth wave broke out after Vietnam had spent roughly a month detecting no community transmission, the country has recorded 1,425 domestic coronavirus infections in 28 provinces and cities.

Ho Chi Minh City has detected only one domestic case in this fourth wave but it has taken many safety precautions, including the shutdown of all schools and non-essential businesses.

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