HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City is building moretemporary hospitals for COVID-19 treatment as part of efforts to prepare for ascenario of 60,000 infections, according to Vice Director of the municipalHealth Department Nguyen Hoai Nam.

Speaking at a press conference on July 19, Nam said thatcurrently, the hospitals are being constructed with the support of enterprisesand expected to double the city’s current capacity of treating 30,000 patients.

Nam said that currently, the conditions in the city aremeeting treatment requirements, but it is necessary to prepare for a worsesituation amid complicated developments of the pandemic.

The city has classified COVID-19 patients basing on theirconditions. Patients showing no symptoms are being treated at temporaryhospitals which have a combined capacity of about 6,000 beds, he said.

Nam also affirmed that basically, HCM City now has enoughrespirators and ECMO supporting COVID-19 treatment, but the city is purchasingmore medical equipment to prepare for a worse scenario.

He also rejected the information that temporary hospitals in the city had asked forrespirators, clarifying that each hospital has been equipped with fourhigh-pressure oxygen generators, and respirators will be used in central-levelhospitals.

Explaining the slow hospitalising of COVID-19 patients, Nam attributed thesituation to a lack of smooth coordination among relevant agencies initially, affirmingthat the city has assigned the 115 Emergency Centre to take the charge ofregulating patients so that no patient will be denied.

At the event, Nguyen Hong Tam, Vice Director of the city Centre for DiseaseControl said that in the past 24 hours, HCM City saw 3,139 new infections, 90percent of whom were found in quarantine or locked-down areas. Only six werediscovered in industrial parks, much fewer than that in previous days, he added.

He revealed that the city has 2,140 F1s undertaking home quarantine in eightdistricts.

Tam said that as of July 19, 277 local firms had registered to maintainoperations with the “three-on-spot” principle (work, eat and rest on the spot)or “one route-two destinations” with an aim to stabilise production andminimise the spread of the pandemic./.