Hanoi will conduct Covid-19 testing with the RT-PCR method from today [August 7] on all people returning from Danang, the largest pandemic epicenter in Vietnam now, since July to find out and stamp out the novel coronavirus in the city.

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

Nearly 100,000 people have returned to Hanoi from resort city Danang since the start of July, taking advantage of tour packages and promos after the country lifted social distancing measures in April.

At a city meeting on August 6, Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung explained that only 80,000 rapid test kits are available, thus around 20,000 people would remain untested.

In addition, the accuracy of Covid-19 quick test is only from 60% to 75% while the RT-PCR test is 100% accurate. For instance, Patient No.714, a 42-year-old male, was negative for coronavirus after taking a rapid test. However, his confirmatory PCR test turned to be positive, Mr. Chung said.

In the first phase, the RT-PCR testing will be run on 60,000-65,000 people who returned between July 15 and 29. With the current capacity of sampling and testing, it will take nine days to collect samples and 12 days to conduct PRC testing for all of them.

Mr. Chung asked commune health stations and the Hanoi CDC to take samples from August 7 ​​to conducting PCR testing on returnees from Danang residing in nine inner-city districts of Nam Tu Liem, Bac Tu Liem, Cau Giay, Thanh Xuan, Tay Ho, Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Hai Ba Trung, and Dong Da.

"If there are no more Covid-19 cases detected from now until August 12, the city will be relatively safe. If there is any, the situation would be very unpredictable," said the Hanoi mayor.

Agreeing with PCR testing for all returnees from Covid-19-hit regions, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue said that private hospitals can be mobilized to speed up the task if necessary. He suggested priority be given to testing for F1 cases (who made close contact with infected people) and symptomatic people.

Since late July, when the first local infection was found in Danang after over three months, the city has become the epicenter with 214 cases, Hanoi has recorded four Covid-19 cases so far.

The tally of Covid-19 infections nationwide has reached 750, of which 392 have recovered, ten have died, and 348 are under treatment.