Hanoi to reach COVID-19 peak in two weeks' time: city chair

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh on February 27 warned the capital city will see the peak of the current COVID-19 surge in the middle of March.

Experts have predicted that the number of new cases in the city will keep rising in the next two weeks and reach its peak afterwards, depending on the prevention and control work, Anh said.

He was speaking at a meeting with local authorities in Hanoi on measures to reduce pressure for grassroots-level medical workers, those who work at the health clinics of wards and communes.

The situation is complicated in Hanoi as there are more than 10,000 new patients reported on a daily basis, and 76 communes and wards (12.8 percent of the total) have had their risk levels raised to Level 3 (high risk), the city’s chair said.

However, 96 percent of the patients are mild cases that express no symptoms, and 95 percent are being treated at home.

Chairman Anh asked the director of the city’s Department of Health to form an inter-sectoral working group with clear points of contact to review and report on the urgent issues every day.

He also asked the health authorities to clarify how many patients a communal medical worker can take care of per day, and identify the number of workers needed for each day so other sectors can support and coordinate.

In terms of school reopening, director of the city’s Department of Education and Training Tran The Cuong said 15 districts had asked to let their students, who are in grade 1-6, to study online again to ensure their safety, as they had not been vaccinated.

The city will have the final decision after reviewing reports by the education department, chairman Anh said.