Hanoi to set up field hospital to quarantine Vietnamese returning from China

The Hanoi Capital High Command will set up two field hospitals on the outskirts of the city to quarantine some 950 Vietnamese people returning from China and new coronavirus-stricken areas for medical check-ups.

The quarantine, which will last 14 days, will help classify the people and monitor their health in order to prevent the spread of the Wuhan virus, also known as the nCoV, Colonel Nguyen Viet Thang, head of the High Command’s Medical Service, was quoted by media as saying at a meeting in Hanoi on Monday.

Colonel Nguyen Viet Thang, head of the Hanoi Capital High Command’s Medical Service. Photo: Vo Hai/VnExpress

The individuals who have fever or other symptoms of nCoV infection will be transferred to specialized hospitals for treatment, Thang added.

The High Command is preparing facilities and medical supplies for the operation of the two field hospitals, the officer informed. The two field hospitals will be capable of housing 1,500 people in quarantine during 14 days.

Personnel of the Command will take over the Vietnamese people, who are now studying and working in China, at Noi Bai airport and Van Don airport in neighboring Quang Ninh province.

In 2005, Hanoi also set up a field hospital in Ha Dong district to cope with human influenza.

Hanoi has yet to record any individual infected with the nCoV so far, according to the local health authorities. 14 people are in isolation pending test results.

At a government meeting late last month, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered the Ministry of Defense to prepare nine field hospitals across the country to receive and treat nCoV patients.