After a call was made for people with medical backgrounds and expertise to assist the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in Ho Chi Minh City, the epicenter has received 4,000 applications from medical workers across the country. About 2,000 more also volunteered to help the city’s struggling healthcare sector.
According to the Vietnam Ministry of Health, 700 doctors, 1,553 nurses, 78 technicians, nine other medical workers, and 1,629 medical students, have arrived in HCMC to take on various responsibilities such as working in COVID-19 field hospitals, treating seriously ill patients, and contact tracing.
Some 2,000 experts, retired doctors, students, and teachers – in both private and public sectors registered to volunteer. The city’s health department is urgently working on arrangements to deploy volunteers depending on their capacity to districts in need of help.
More delegations are on standby and ready to contribute to the COVID-19 prevention efforts in the southern city.
More cases recorded today
The MoH confirmed 6,559 new cases on Wednesday, raising the national patient tally to 120,819.
The new cases were recorded in Ho Chi Minh City (2334), Binh Duong (631), Dong Thap (153), Dong Nai (137), Can Tho (66), Khanh Hoa (61), Tra Vinh (54), Ben Tre (52), Da Nang (50), Phu Yen (34), Binh Thuan (32), Ninh Thuan (25), Vinh Phuc (12), Quang Nam (11), Hau Giang (6), Hanoi (5), Hai Duong ( 5), Thai Nguyen (5), Gia Lai (4), Ninh Binh (4), Ha Giang (3), Binh Phuoc (3), Thua Thien Hue (2), Ha Tinh (2), Ca Mau (2 ), Dak Nong (1), Quang Ngai (1), Quang Tri (1), Thanh Hoa (1). Of these, 781 cases were detected in the community.
Earlier today, the northern province of Hai Duong recorded one case, marking its first infection after 50 clean days.
Additionally, there were 4,511 recoveries recorded today.
In Hanoi, authorities have set up checkpoints across the city and started to go through the documents of people on the road, making sure they’re out for essential reasons — they require identification documents and certificates of employment issued by their companies or offices.
Demand for market supplies
In compliance with HCMC’s stricter preventive measures, supermarkets and sellers are using the time while they’re closed to stock the shelves for the next day.
According to a representative working at a nationwide market, “To meet demand, the supermarket will focus on online sales. Online order processing has been improved greatly. Orders after 5pm will be processed and delivered the next day.”
However, the retailers are concerned that people will flock to the stores to shop during the reduced opening hours especially that the demand has decreased slightly following issues of hoarding.
The supermarket has suspended online sales, including orders on the Grab and Now apps, due to a shortage of shippers. A large number of old orders are still pending, an AEON Vietnam spokesperson told the local media.
Additionally, many grocery stores have also stopped taking orders through delivery apps because of the lack of delivery persons. Wholesalers said they were working with the city’s Department of Industry and Trade to ensure goods could be delivered more easily to people in the coming days.
Since the movement restriction was implemented, all apps have stopped delivery services after 5pm.