Vietnam’s business hub Ho Chi Minh City will set up a COVID-19 testing operation center to boost the efficiency of coronavirus testing and epidemiological investigation, amid the epidemic spread that has recently resulted in hundreds of infections every day in the city.

This statement was made by deputy chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Ngo Minh Chau at a meeting held on Sunday to review and improve the city’s COVID-19 testing and epidemiological investigation processes.

The center, which will be in charge by a deputy chairperson of the People’s Committee, will direct and coordinate all activities related to such processes, Chau said.

Deputy director of the municipal Department of Health Nguyen Hoai Nam told the meeting that COVID-19 sample taking, sample transport, and test result delivery have shown many shortcomings over the past time so they need to be improved.

The health official proposed the establishment of two specific processes, one for COVID-19 testing and the other for epidemiological surveillance and investigation.

The assigned deputy chairperson of the People’s Committee will coordinate with a deputy director of the health department and a deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) to direct the testing process.

They will be aided by relevant local hospitals.

Local-level health centers will take samples for coronavirus testing, conduct screening, and transport samples to testing facilities within two hours after sampling for infected patients' direct contacts and within 24 hours for other cases.

Designated testing facilities must issue test results within six to 24 hours.

In respect of epidemiological surveillance and investigation, a five-step process was presented at the meeting, in association with contact tracing, quarantine, testing, and police support.

The health department requested that samples be delivered to testing facilities three times per day and that testing machines have capacities meeting testing demands.   

The Ministry of Health at noon on Monday confirmed 247 new coronavirus cases, all domestically infected, of which 196 cases were detected in Ho Chi Minh City, which has recently led the country in daily new infections.

The latest cases have taken the nation’s caseload to 20,508, including 7,819 recoveries and 90 deaths, since early 2020.

Since April 27, when the pandemic’ fourth wave appeared in Vietnam, the country has documented 17,080 domestic infections.

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