Vietnam is making all-out efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak in the beach city of Danang by the end of this month.

Acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long at a meeting on Aug 14. Photo: VGP

The Ministry of Health (MOH) is supporting Danang and the neighboring province of Quang Nam to accelerate sample taking for the community testing, Acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said at a meeting on August 14.

Over the past weeks, the ministry has deployed several teams of elite medical professionals to Danang while necessary medical equipment has also been sent there.

Since the first community infection was detected in Danang on July 25, a group of leading doctors from Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City traveled to Danang to assume responsibility for intensive care unit (ICU), emergency, dialysis, and hemodialysis treatment in Danang and Quang Nam.

Among the doctors is Tran Thanh Linh who directly treated Patient No.91, the British man that recovered and was sent to his home country in mid-July.

Since then, dozens of health groups from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Haiphong, Thua Thien-Hue, and Binh Dinh have come to Danang to support the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

Notably, a task force of nearly 100 leading health professionals led by Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son has been in Danang in the very first days after the detection of local infections.

Health workers from Haiphong come to support Danang. Photo: Baohaiphong

In a latest move, the MOH has sent some top health professors in Hanoi to support the treatment of acutely-ill patients.

So far, nearly 300 elite doctors and health workers have been dispatched to Danang to support the battle against the pandemic in the famous beach city.

In addition, Danang has increased the testing capacity of roughly 10,000 units per day.

On August 11, the local government decided to extend the lockdown period indefinitely.

As of August 15, Danang remains the hardest hit locality in Vietnam with 330 infections and 18 deaths. Meanwhile, Vietnam has reported 930 cases and 22 casualties of Covid-19 so far.