Plan 4192/KH-UBND 2021 Ho Chi Minh City on medical measures to cope with the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant

PLAN

On adopting medical measures to cope with the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant in Ho Chi Minh City

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Omicron (B.1.1.529) SARS-CoV-2 variant (Omicron variant), has first reported to World Health Organization (WHO) on November 24, 2021 by South Africa, after the number of confirmed cases in Gauteng province increased sharply in the preceding weeks. Recently, cases infected with Omicron variant are increasing across South Africa and the Omicron variant had been identified in 30 countries and territories, including countries of the Asia-Pacific region such as Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, India, etc. Many countries have been quick to tighten regulations on international travel to minimize the risk of introduction of the new variant to the countries.

The new variant is worrisome according to WHO because many reports in South Africa show such variant’s rapid spread. Although the Omicron variant needs to be monitored and evaluated further to determine whether it will overtake the Delta variant to be dominant worldwide or not in the near future, it is likely that the Omicron variant will spread at a global scale. At the present time, scientists are continuing to collect data related to assessments of transmissibility, vaccine effectiveness and severity of infection in case of infection with the Omicron variant.

In Vietnam, on November 29, 2021, the Prime Minister requests the Ministry of Health to proactively monitor the development of the Omicron variant; regularly communicate with the World Health Organization to update accurate information about the new variant in a timely manner; and to timely propose appropriate and effective plans and measures to prevent and control the pandemic.

In the new context of complicated developments of COVID-19 pandemic, in order to proactively and effectively control the COVID-19 pandemic in Ho Chi Minh City, the City Steering Committee for Pandemic Prevention and Control adopts the medical measures to cope with the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant as follows:

I. OBJECTIVES

1. Effectively implement measures to prevent the variant from being introduced to the City; and detect the Omicron variant in the City as soon as possible.

2. Prepare plans to control, intervene timely in the pandemic, minimize the impact of the pandemic on citizens’ health and socio-economic activities in cases of introduction of the dangerous variant in the City.

II. MEASURES

1. Strengthen international supervision and quarantine at international airports and seaports.

2. Strengthen the monitoring to timely detect people with suspected COVID-19 symptoms in residential areas, offices, factories and enterprises.

3. Organize the monitoring by SARS-CoV-2 testing to detect cases infected with the Omicron variant in the City as soon as possible.

4. Regularly update worldwide information on the Omicron variant for a proper assessment of its danger; prepare prevention and intervention measures and organize appropriate and effective dissemination methods.

5. Fully and promptly implement vaccination with additional doses and booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines in accordance with the guidance of the Ministry of Health.

6. Perfect and synchronously deploy the quarantine systems from the City level to the district and commune levels. Flexibly response to the pandemic, depending on the severity of the Omicron variant.

7. Continue to fully and effectively deploy mobile health stations; take care of F0 cases in the community.

8. Develop plans to deploy COVID-19 field hospitals or COVID-19 treatment establishments at district level, get them ready for the operation right upon the request.

III. IMPLEMENTATION

1. Strengthen the supervision and quarantine at international airports and seaports

- Strictly comply with regulations on international quarantine. Especially, require international air passengers to have a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours before the departure from a foreign country. Organize quarantine, test for SARS-CoV-2 in accordance with regulations and guidance of the Ministry of Health. Especially, for flights, voyages departing or with passengers coming from countries where the Omicron variant is present, people on entry shall be required to comply with mandatory concentrated quarantine (the home quarantine is not permitted), regardless of their vaccination or COVID-19 infection status.

- Strengthen maritime security measures, monitor, prevent and promptly detect, strictly handle cases of illegal embarkation and disembarkation.

2. Strengthen the monitoring to timely detect people with suspected symptoms of the Omicron variant in residential areas, offices, factories and enterprises

- Organize health monitoring and screening activities at health establishments, in the community, agencies, units and enterprises in order to detect and notify the authorities and the Steering Committees of Pandemic Prevention and Control at localities of people with suspected COVID-19 symptoms related to people on entry, suspected cases with COVID-19 reinfection for implementation of testing; in which there may be cases undetectable during post-entry quarantine.

- Monitor and promptly detect illegal entry cases to apply the quarantine and testing measures in accordance with regulations.

3. Organize the monitoring by SARS-CoV-2 testing to detect cases infected with the Omicron variant as soon as possible

- Laboratories shall proactively detect the Omicron variant via S gene dropout in samples with positive results with SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test.

- Perform test for genomic sequencing for all following cases with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result:

+ People entering the country within 28 days.

+ People re-infected with COVID-19.

The above confirmed cases with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result shall be transferred to the COVID-19 Field Hospital No. 12 for quarantine, treatment and testing for gene sequencing.

- In addition, it is possible to organize random supervision of a number of other suspected cases depending on the pandemic situation of the country and in the world.

4. Regularly update worldwide information on the Omicron variant for proper assessment of its danger; prepare prevention and intervention measures and organize appropriate and effective dissemination methods

- Regularly access information via official websites such as websites of the World Health Organization (WHO), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States (US.CDC), etc. to update information in Steering Committees for Pandemic Prevention and Control at all levels and notify the information to citizens.

- Update and promptly implement the written directions of the National Steering Committee for Pandemic Prevention and Control, the Government and the Ministry of Health.

- Organize appropriate and effective dissemination to provide guidance and information on the risk of the Omicron variant to the citizens and community.

5. Fully and promptly implement vaccination with additional doses and booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines in accordance with the guidance of the Ministry of Health

- Develop a plan and implement the vaccination with additional doses and booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines from December 2021 in accordance with the guidance of the Ministry of Health, giving priority to subjects at risk of infection.

- Continue to review in residential areas to mobilize and organize the vaccination against COVID-19 for those who have not been fully vaccinated, especially the elderly with underlying diseases.

6. Perfect and synchronously deploy the quarantine systems from the City level to the district and commune levels; flexibly response to the pandemic, depending on the severity of the Omicron variant

- Continue to perfect personnel, operation procedures and effectively deploy the special quarantine teams of the City Center for Disease Control; complete quarantine teams at district and commune levels; and implement the connection to create a synchronous and effective network in organizing the supervision, warning and timely and effective intervention in the pandemic in the localities.

- When detecting the first cases infected with the Omicron variant in the City, focus on investigating and tracing the initial source of infection and close contacts to urgently control the spread of the pandemic and break the chain of infection. Depending on the updated severity, ability to spread and cause severe illness of the Omicron variant, promptly implement corresponding pandemic control measures such as tracing, strict concentrated quarantine applicable to close contacts (F1 cases).

- Monitor and analyze data by groups, chains of people infected with the Omicron variant to assess its level of infection, level of severity, death, etc.

7. Continue to fully and effectively deploy mobile health stations; teams taking care of COVID-19 cases in the community

Thu Duc city and districts shall develop plans to set up mobile health stations, teams taking care of COVID-19 cases in the community and have plans to provide medical oxygen for health stations of communes, wards, townships to respond to the pandemic at all risk levels.

- Immediately implement activities to support and care for F0 cases who are undergoing the quarantine and treatment at home during the current pandemic situation and continue to respond effectively the Omicron variant in case it is introduced in Vietnam. Localities shall actively exchange, share and learn experience from others for the effective implementation in such localities and residential areas.

- Mobilize maximum resources of departments, sectors, socio-political organizations, volunteers to promote the highest efficiency of this model; consider this model to be a support system for long-term pandemic prevention and control in the context in which the pandemic may be complicated, prolonged and many new variants may appear.

8. Develop plans to deploy COVID-19 field hospitals or COVID-19 treatment establishments at district level, get them ready for the operation right upon the request

Maintain the operation of COVID-19 field hospitals that respond to COVID-19 treatment in the new circumstance. In addition, each district-level area shall establish more field hospitals (second storey) or COVID-19 treatment establishments (first storey).

IV. ORGANIZATION OF IMPLEMENTATION

1. The Department of Health shall

- Coordinate with border gate management agencies and related units in implementing supervision and quarantine measures at border gates in accordance with regulations of the National Steering Committee for Pandemic Prevention and Control.

- Coordinate with the City High Command and the Department of Tourism in implementing measures of mandatory testing and quarantine for people on entry in accordance with regulations.

- Implement monitoring and testing measures to detect the Omicron variant (if any) in the City as soon as possible. Strengthen the coordination with specialized units (Pasteur Institute, Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) in Ho Chi Minh City, etc.) to carry out genomic sequencing of the variant.

- Continue to coordinate with localities to deploy synchronously and effectively quarantine teams from the city level to district and commune levels.

- Coordinate with the Steering Committees for Pandemic Prevention and Control of localities to organize vaccination with the additional doses and booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

- Regularly update information about the Omicron variant, coordinate with the Department of Information and Communications in widely disseminating the information and guiding effective prevention and control measures to citizens and the community.

- Prepare plans to be ready to deploy COVID-19 field hospitals and treatment establishments of second and third storeys.

2. The City Public Security shall

- Strengthen supervision measures in residential areas to promptly detect, prevent and strictly handle illegal entry and residence activities in the City; especially in the central areas, places where a lot of foreigners work and live. Coordinate with the localities and health agencies in conducting quarantine and testing for illegal entry cases in accordance with regulations.

- Coordinate with professional departments of the Ministry of Public Security and the Public Security Departments of provinces bordering the City in performing the State management of people entering, exiting, transiting, residing and working in the City.

- Grasp the situation, inspect accommodations (hotels, enterprises’ guest houses, experts’ place of accommodations), means of transporting passengers from other provinces to the City.

- Participate in protect the security and order at quarantine areas (health establishments, accommodation areas; motels, hotels used for concentrated quarantine), field hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients; promptly detect, prevent, and strictly handle at-risk cases or cases infected with the Omicron variant that escape from quarantine areas and field hospitals.

3. The City High Command shall

- Develop and complete a plan to effectively respond to new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus

- Be willing to close coordinate with the Public Security, departments, sectors of the City, Thu Duc city, districts and related agencies and units to deploy military control force and militia are in charge of blocking, patrolling and controlling people and vehicles entering and leaving the City, at areas, checkpoints of pandemic control, ensuring the continuation in strict implementation of prevention and control measures, and political security, social order and safety in the City.

- Coordinate with the Department of Health to participate in setting up and serving in quarantine areas, COVID-19 field hospitals for receipt and treatment of COVID-19 patients; effectively deploy the medical militia groups participating in health stations of wards, communes and townships and 01 standing militia group on duty to provide first aid and coordinate with other forces to ensure security and order at health stations.

- Coordinate with forces in organizing testing and tracing of F0 and F1 cases, vaccination, first aid, home treatment of F0 cases and health counseling.

- Organize forces coordinating in propagating, mobilizing and transporting “social security bags” (bags of groceries) and medical oxygen cylinders to citizens in the areas as assigned.

- Organize special groups in charge of receipt, transportation and processing of corpses and ashes of patients who died from COVID-19; and coordinate with the chemical units of the Ministry of National Defence, Military Region 7, the Department of Health, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment in handling environmental pollution.

4. The City Border Guard shall

- Coordinate with the Port Authority and relevant competent units in implementing supervision and quarantine measures to ensure maritime security.

- Implement measures to closely monitor cases undergoing the quarantine at ships in accordance with regulations.

- Strengthen monitoring, detecting, strictly handling cases of illegal embarkation and disembarkation.

5. The Department of Information and Communications shall

- Coordinate with the Department of Health in organizing the widespread dissemination so that the citizens and community understand correctly, and cooperate with competent agencies to effectively implement measures to COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control, including the Omicron variant.

- Coordinate with competent agencies in taking measures to timely prevent misleading information related to pandemic prevention and control, including prevention and control of the Omicron variant, avoiding adversely affecting the effectiveness of pandemic prevention and control.

6. The Youth Union of the City shall

Coordinate with the Department of Health and the Steering Committee for Pandemic Prevention and Control of Thu Duc city, districts, wards, communes and townships in preparing the union members and voluntary youth to participate in COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control; prevention and control of the Omicron variant if it appears in Vietnam or in the City.

7. Steering Committees for Pandemic Prevention and Control of localities, export-processing zones, industrial parks, agencies, factories and enterprises shall

- Disseminate fully and effectively the contents of prevention and control of the Omicron variant; implement COVID-19 prevention and control in accordance with guidance of health agencies and media agencies.

- Implement supervision measures to early detect people on illegal entry, cases with COVID-19 reinfection or people entering the country within 28 days who have suspected COVID-19 symptoms to coordinate with health agencies in carrying out testing for early detection of cases with Omicron variant infection (if any).

- Implement the plan for safe and effective vaccination with additional doses and booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the defined subjects in accordance with the direction of the City Steering Committee for Pandemic Prevention and Control and guidance of the Department of Health.

- Coordinate with the Department of Health to immediately deploy COVID-19 field hospitals at the district level; and prepare a plan to resume the concentrated quarantine areas at the district level.

- Effectively organize 100% of teams caring for and supporting F0 cases in the community in each neighborhood, hamlet, residential group, and people's group; review and propose the re-establishment of mobile health stations depending on the pandemic situation in the localities; coordinate with military forces in the localities in effectively deploying medical militia groups to participate in the health stations of wards, communes and townships.

The above is the plan on adopting medical measures to cope with the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant in Ho Chi Minh City. Heads of Departments and sectors of the City; People's Committees of Thu Duc city and districts, relevant agencies and units shall strictly implement this Official Dispatch. Any difficulty and problem arising in the course of implementation should be promptly reported for guidance and direction./.