Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long speaks at a meeting on Covid-19 prevention and control in Hanoi on February 2.
Long made the call at a meeting with municipal authorities on the disease prevention and control on Tuesday.
According to Hoang Duc Hanh, deputy director of the Hanoi Department of Health, between January 25 and February 1, Hanoi detected 19 new locally-infected Covid-19 cases, including nine in Nam Tu Liem District, four in Dong Anh District, three in Me Linh District, two in Cau Giay District and one in Hai Ba Trung District.
All of the patients are related to Covid-19-affected areas, including 18 from Hai Duong Province’s Chi Linh City which is being locked down following the Covid-19 outbreak.
Hanoi has found 412 people who had come into close contact with Covid-19 patients. The city has also traced nearly 16,000 local residents who have returned home from Covid-19-hit areas since January 15.
The minister emphasised that the ministry was worried about the Covid-19 situation in Hanoi amid the new and highly transmissible coronavirus strain's appearance in Vietnam.
"We have to take stricter measures to curb the spread of the disease,” Long said, noting that Hanoi needed to raise the warning of the disease by one level compared to previous outbreaks.
It was necessary for Hanoi to provide Covid-19 tests for all people in areas where Covid-19 infections have been found. People who quarantine themselves at home also need to be medically monitored.
Municipal authorities need to give stronger warnings for local people to wear masks in public places and limit mass gatherings. The minister urged Hanoi to set up taskforces for a quick Covid-19 test in vulnerable areas. In necessary cases, the Ministry of Health will mobilise medical students for support.
The ministry has assigned 12 units to help Hanoi in Covid-19 tests for 40,000 people.
Hanoi should build field hospitals for Covid-19 treatment, which will be assisted by Bach Mai Hospital.
At the meeting, Hanoi People’s Committee Chairman Chu Ngoc Anh said that Hanoi will co-operate with the Ministry of Health to intensify the Covid-19 fight.