Hanoi’s government has decided to install rapid Covid-19 testing booths on a larger scale from April 2, Kinhtedothi.vn quoted Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung as saying at an April 1 meeting.

The move aims at testing quickly not only people suspected of contracting Covid-19 in connection with Bach Mai Hospital, which has become a serious coronavirus hot spot in the city, but also screening in districts of Dong Da, Hai Ba Trung, Thanh Xuan, Hoang Mai and Ha Dong, among others.

Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung speaks at the meeting. Photo: Kinhtedothi.vn

Besides, the Hanoi mayor requested localities to ask their residents to install the Hanoi Smart City application, a tool for local citizens to monitor areas with high risk of Covid-19 infection, register for quick Covid-19 test and avoid crowded places.

Through the quick test, people who are found positive with Covid-19 will be referred immediately to the Hanoi Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) for an advanced test. If they test positive for Covid-19 at CDC, they will be transferred to the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases and people who have come into close contact with them will be isolated.

The Hanoi CDC will hand over 100-150 quick tests for each hospital in the city and the municipal Department of Health has been asked to update data of people who are at risk of carrying the virus.

The Hanoi mayor emphasized that the capital city, which is home to eight million people, has only some 300 ventilators, therefore, Covid-19 prevention must be strictly implemented to avoid overload at hospitals.

As of April 2, Hanoi reported 98 infection cases, of which 27 have been cured and 71 are under treatment. Those in severe and critical condition have shown positive signals.