HCM City should prepare for worse-case scenario amid rising COVID-19 cases

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long suggested on June 1 that Ho Chi Minh City, the nation’s most populous and busiest locality, should make preparations for a range of scenarios, including the worst-case one, amid the number of COVID-19 cases set to increase over the coming days.

Taking nasal swabs for COVID-19 testing in Ho Chi Minh City.

The southern metropolis has already implemented social distancing measures, with severe restrictions put in place in various areas following the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus at the Revival Ekklesia Mission Vietnam, a Christian congregation based in Go Vap district.

Dozens of new cases have detected on a daily basis since May 26, the day when the first case was announced, with the caseload now exceeding the 200-case mark.

“This chain of transmission is considered to be the most dangerous at present,” Minister Long told a meeting between Government and Ho Chi Minh City leaders.

“The virus has experienced three to four cycles of transmission and we are a bit late in responding to this outbreak,” the Health Minister said, explaining the virus could have been spreading among the community from May 13, before the first case was announced at the religious sect on May 26.

According to the Minister, HCM City must work harder or it will struggle to keep the outbreak in check.

“The virus strain is said to spread very quickly... Most of the positive cases have been detected in high-rise buildings, offices or workplaces of closed, narrow spaces, thus facilitating virus transmission,” said Minister Long.

He welcomed the decision made by the municipal administration to apply social distancing measures, although he stated that stronger measures are necessary in order to curb the further spread of the virus.

“You should speed up contact tracing for those in association with the outbreak at the religious sect. The quicker and stronger actions we take, the better,” he recommended.

The Minister spoke of the danger posed by virus transmission at industrial parks and export processing zones, which he labelled as unsafe, in addition to possible spread occurring at workplace and canteens.

“Without drastic measures in place, industrial parks and export processing zones are at a high risk of virus transmission, and if this scenario occurs, it would lead to unpredictable consequences, even a crisis,” the Health Minister warned.

He also warned about the emergence of highly-transmissible virus strains originally identified in the UK and India, proposing that the southern city consider a range of scenarios, including the worst case one.