PM orders setting up support centres, hotlines to help people amid COVID-19 outbreaks

He made the instruction while chairing an online meeting on July 15 between the cabinet and leaders of 27 southern localities on pandemic prevention and control measures.

According to Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long, in the latest resurgence, COVID-19 outbreaks have hit 58 out of 63 cities and provinces nationwide, due to the highly contagious Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2.

The pandemic has developed complicatedly in a number of southern localities with rising number of infections, he said, noting that in the first weeks of June, about 300 new COVID-19 cases were found each day averagely, but the daily figure has risen to over 2,000 cases in recent days.

In this context, the ministry has sent about 10,000 medical staff and volunteers to Ho Chi Minh City and other southern localities to support the pandemic fight, while issuing guidelines on the reduction of quarantine time and the pilot home quarantine for F1s as well as COVID-19 patient management and treatment, said Long.

He affirmed that goods transportation and social security has been ensured, adding that the Health Ministry is building plans to ensure healthcare service supply in case of 100,000 COVID-19 infections.

The minister predicted that as the pandemic has spread widely with many outbreaks in markets, industrial parks and populous residential areas, in the next few days, HCM City will continue to see high number of new infections before the situation becomes more stable and is put under control when the social distancing period ends.

HCM City's neighbouring localities and other southern localities are likely to continue recording high number of new COVID-19 cases, he said.

Concluding the meeting, PM Chinh affirmed that the Government is determined to stamp out the pandemic in HCM City and some central and southern localities, with top priority given to caring for people's health.

The Government leader asked for prompt zoning off and testing to control the pandemic, along with giving treatment for COVID-19 patients to minimise fatalities. He also stressed the need to speed up vaccination and ensure livelihood for people, firmly ensuring security and preventing the disruption of production chains.

(Source: VNA)