COVID-19 testing in Ho Chi Minh City (illustrative photo: SGGP)

Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City’s Health Department Tang Chi Thuong said the city has prepared 36,500 hospital beds - 6,500 hospital beds adapted for COVID-19 treatment and 30,000 beds installed at field hospitals. HCMC’s Construction Department said it has arranged unused apartments for COVID quarantine.

Thuong talked about preparing medical equipment for COVID-19 treatment, particularly of severe cases: “We have asked oxygen suppliers to have a plan for increasing their production to meet possible higher demand. A shortage of oxygen will not happen. We have received a lot of support. We are not worried about running out of ventilators.”

When HCMC started imposing social distancing rules 5 days ago, the Health Ministry sent more medical workers and doctors to help hospitals. Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Truong Son told an online meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control that the Ministry plans to deploy HCMC 800 nurses and 200 doctors specializing in recuperation and infectious diseases. Field hospitals will treat COVID-19 patients with mild or no symptoms. The Health Ministry will provide 1,800 medical workers for contact tracing and taking samples.

Director of Cho Ray hospital, Nguyen Tri Thuc, says the hospital has prepared hospital beds for different scenarios. “We have retrained doctors and medical workers on cross-infection prevention and recuperation, and created a treatment plan for severe cases,” said Thuc.