Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry ofHealth has sent an urgent dispatch to hospitals and health departments incities and provinces to step up the early detection and good preparation forthe prevention of and combat against pneumonia caused by a new strain ofcoronavirus.
Medical facilities must classify patients fromthe time they come to register for examination. Those with symptoms of acuterespiratory infection such as cough or fever must be separated.
Any suspicious cases must be temporarilyisolated and reported to the ministry’s Preventive Medicine Department to takesamples for timely diagnosis.
It is necessary to increase communicationcampaigns about the disease and prevention measures.
The health ministry suggested setting up quickresponse teams to support hospitals at the lower level.
No coronavirus cases have been reported inVietnam by January 19, according to the Preventive Medicine Department.
Two Chinese people from China’s Wuhan city whowere in Vietnam were tested negative to the virus. They were dischargedfrom hospital and returned to their country, the department said.
The health ministry will continue to closelysupervise the disease at border gates, hospitals and in the community to getready for treatment and management.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO),cases of acute pneumonia caused by coronavirus were reported in Wuhancity. The first patient developed symptoms on December 12 last year. Asmany as 45 people in the city were reported to be suffering from thedisease by January 19.
The first death from the virus occurred in thecity on January 9. Two other cases have been detected in Thailand and Japanwith health authorities in both countries saying the patients had visited Wuhanprior to their hospitalisation./.