​​Attending at Binh Duong Bridge were Prof. Dr. Tran Van Thuan - Deputy Minister of Health and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Truong Son - Deputy Minister of Health; Mr. Nguyen Hoang Thao - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Mr. Nguyen Loc Ha - Member of Standing Board of Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of Provincial People's Committee; leader representatives of the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, members of the Provincial Steering Committee for Covid-19 disease prevention and control.

Implementing the measures to zoning out epidemic

According to the report of the Department of Health, on the morning of June 23, 2021, Binh Duong recorded 23 new infected cases of SARS-CoV-19 in the community. From the 4^th epidemic, Binh Duong has recorded 164 infected cases in many localities: Di An, Thuan An, Thu Dau Mot, Tan Uyen. Most of infection chains are linked to outbreaks in Ho Chi Minh City with the virus strain from India. Especially, from June 14 up to now many cases have occurred in companies, factories, and workers' hostels and spread rapidly.

Due to the situation, the Department of Health has timely traced F1, F2 cases, inspected relevant epidemiological timeline to advise the Provincial Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, and organized promptly medical zoning. According to traced results, all outbreaks recorded about 3.000 F1 cases, nearly 8.000 F2 cases. Besides, the Health sector conducted to take instant test samples for F1, F2 cases and community screening tests for nearly 9.149 people in Tan Phuoc Khanh Ward, Tan Uyen Town; 4.088 people in House Ware Company, Trung Kien Hostel and other relevant zones in Thuan An City; 2.500 people living in the surrounding area near Puku Vietnam Co., Ltd.

Currently, Binh Duong has 08 RT-PCR testing machines; testing capacity reaches about 5,000 – 8,000 samples and 30 – 50,000-pooled samples in 10 days. The province has prepared more than 25 concentrated isolation areas in districts, towns, cities with the current isolation capacity of 7.500 beds which are ready to receiving infected cases immediately. At the same time, locking down, medically zoning, and implementing social distancing for the areas linked to Covid-19 cases. Binh Duong is also treating 166 patients at Binh Duong General Hospital.

Binh Duong has promptly developed and supplemented plans to deal with the epidemic situation, especially developed plans to respond at production and business establishments, industrial parks for specific situations. Regularly organize inspection and supervision teams at companies, businesses, require businesses to assess the Covid-19 safety levels. At the same time, organize campaigns to remind and sanction individuals, production and business establishments violating the prevention and control of Covid-19 epidemic, especially the 5K message. Specifically, sanctioned 09 Karaoke establishments, 08 production and business establishments, 731 cases of not wearing masks in public places, the total fine was more than 1.3 billion VND. Organized vaccination against Covid-19 in 2 phases for 20,807 people; in the 3^rd phase for 12,718 people were vaccinated.

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Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Loc Ha reports the epidemic situation at the meeting

According to the report of the Vice Chairman of Binh Duong Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Loc Ha, he said that the risk of hostels in the province was high because the hostels were located right next to industrial parks with a large number of workers. Binh Duong hopes that the Ministry of Health is willing to guild the province to implement the measures to prevent and control the epidemic at hostels, especially hostels with epidemic.

Vaccines will be provided to workers in industrial parks in Binh Duong in July, 2021

According to the assessment of the Ministry of Health, the number of infected cases in Binh Duong these days has rapidly increased. In this 4^th epidemic, the infection started from the outbreak in Tan Uyen Town, right next to the hostel with a large number of workers in companies. The epidemic began to spread form June 8 until now, 4 cycles of infection have passed, so it is not Binh Duong that has lost track of the community. Therefore, Binh Duong needs to have a testing strategy with focus, avoid widespread testing in the community; requests businesses in industrial parks to provide information of all workers working in the companies in order to consider the priority to take test samples for workers in infected zones. According to the Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son, Binh Duong also needs to flexibly apply the Directives of the Prime Minister on prevention and control of Covid-19, avoid causing confusion and worry for the residents, the Directive must be complied strictly. "Thuan An City and Tan Uyen Town have to strictly comply with regulations of epidemic prevention and control according to Directive No. 16. High-risk areas must be firmly managed, low-risk areas should loosen the regulations. At the same time, strengthen testing capacity; conduct rapid tests with focus; prepare quarantine areas to ensure safety, prevent cross-infection in the isolation areas" – the Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Son noted. In addition to the support of 300.000 masks, 10.000 PCR test kits, 01 mobile testing vehicle with the capacity of 1.000-2.000 PCR samples, in the near future, the Ministry of Health will provide about 500.000 to 1 million doses of vaccine to Binh Duong in July 2021 to deploy vaccinations for workers.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son stated at the meeting

Through the opinions of leaders of Binh Duong Province and the Ministry of Health, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam suggested that Binh Duong must not be neglect in epidemic prevention and control; further enhance the responsibility of both the political system and residents in epidemic prevention and control. For hostels, Binh Duong should analysis a plan to move people out of the hostels when infected cases occur, test all people in the hostels, do not let them return until disinfection is completed and the hostels are safe. The Deputy Prime Minister said that, this plan had been effectively applied in Bac Ninh during the last epidemic. Enterprises need to commit to organizing shift work, teamwork, making a list of all workers, making medical declarations when symptoms of cough, fever etc. are seen. The government will consider prioritizing the allocation of vaccines to Binh Duong to vaccinate workers in industrial parks like Ho Chi Minh City. During the test, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that it should be divided into two phases. The first phase is to trace and end the epidemic immediately in areas that have been zoned and locked down, without sparing resources immediately to save costs later. At the same time, the second phase is to take samples for screening test in places that seem safe, but in fact, the disease may have appeared in the community from those. With the detected outbreaks, the province should focus on zoning, rapidly testing, and gradually narrowing the lockdowns in accordance with the spirit of Decision 2686/QD-BCDQG of the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on risk assessment and corresponding administrative measures in Covid-19 prevention and control.

On behalf of the provincial leaders, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Hoang Thao received the direction of Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam and the professional guidance of the Ministry of Health to help Binh Duong soon repel the epidemic. He said the locality sometimes did not strictly implement Directive 16 of the Prime Minister in some places. Therefore, he suggested that localities need to comply more seriously. Preventing and controlling the Covid-19 epidemic require lots of tasks, but priority should be given to focus on what needs to be done immediately with the spirit of proactively solving in a timely manner. The practical contributions of the inspection team of the Ministry of Health will be absorbed and implemented.

Leaders of the Ministry of Health symbolically offer 10,000 PCR tests and 30,000 medical masks to Binh Duong province

On this occasion, the Ministry of Health offered Binh Duong 10,000 PCR tests and 30,000 medical masks; The Vietnam Young Doctors Association donated 01 mobile Covid-19 testing room and supported 02 staff of Health sector in Binh Duong Province who have difficult circumstances and participate in epidemic prevention and control 10 million VND each.

 Reported by Mai Xuan - Translated by Nguyen Trang