HCM City moves to cope with Omicron variant as Tet nearing
Concerned about the Omicron variant, Ho Chi Minh City is boosting actions to keep COVID-19 under control as the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, the biggest traditional festival in Vietnam, is nearing.
A medical worker collects sample for COVID-19 testing from a resident in HCM City (Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNA) -Concerned about the Omicron variant, Ho Chi Minh City is boosting actions tokeep COVID-19 under control as the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, the biggesttraditional festival in Vietnam, is nearing.
To enter Vietnam, people currentlyhave to show a negative RT-PCR test result for SARS-CoV-2 within 72 hours priorto their arrival, along with a negative rapid test result before and after theirflights.
Besides this, thecity’s centre for disease control (HCDC) will conduct screening tests in theareas having many people from aboard or recording a sudden surge in COVID-19cases, and push ahead with other measures instructed by the Ministry of Health,HCDC Deputy Director Nguyen Hong Tam told a meeting on January 17.
Though the pandemic is beingput under control in HCM City, people returning to the city after Tet, whichfalls in the first week of February, still need to comply with the 5K principle(khau trang - wearing face masks, khu khuan - disinfection, khai bao - making healthdeclaration, khoang cach - keeping physical distance, khong tu tap - nogathering).
Only those with symptoms or suspected factors will undergo testing and quarantine whencoming back to the city, Tam said.
Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai, Chiefof the Office of the municipal Health Department, said as the Omicron variantposes a risk of COVID-19 resurgence, the department has asked local hospitalsto ready personnel for anti-pandemic activities within 24 hours once itreactivates temporary hospitals for COVID-19 treatment.
The city is providingtreatment for 3,631 patients at present, including 75 under 16. Among them,270 require mechanical ventilation and 17 others need life support (ECMO).
The daily numbers of hospitalisedcases and fatalities have been dropping gradually, from 275 cases and 19 deathson January 12 to 123 cases and 12 deaths on January 16, according to the HCMCity steering committee for COVID-19 fight and economic recovery./.
Treatment for COVID-19 patients, plan for the injection of third vaccine shots, and workforce supply following the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival were put under discussion during a periodic meeting in Ho Chi Minh City on January 10.
Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Health has decided to stop the operations of four temporary COVID-19 treatment hospitals No. 3, No. 5, No. 10 and Cu Chi from January 19.
As Ho Chi Minh City has been a “green zone” for two straight weeks, local students will attend more in-person lessons while children from the preschool level to the 6th grade are expected to return to school after the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.
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A medical worker collects sample for COVID-19 testing from a resident in HCM City (Photo: VNA) 
