Hanoi (VNA) - This new COVID-19outbreak is different from the first as it has developed swiftly, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said on July 29, demandinggreater alertness since all localities are now at high risk of transmission.

He made the remarks while chairing a meeting ofthe Government’s permanent members to discuss COVID-19 preventionand control, following a string of cases reported in central Da Nang city.

Acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long saidthat as of the morning of July 29, there were 30 cases of infection related toDa Nang, including 27 in the city, two in neighbouring Quang Nam province, andanother in nearby Quang Ngai province.

Four more cases in major localities are set tobe confirmed later on the day, he noted.

Most of the cases are linked with threehospitals - the Da Nang Hospital, the C Da Nang Hospital, and the Da NangRehabilitation Hospital - which have been placed on lockdown.

Maximum priority is being given to addressingthe Da Nang cluster, Long added, pointing out that Hanoi, HCM City, and the Central Highlands provinces of Dak Lak and Dak Nong are quite likely to recordinfections.

He called on all localities nationwide toenhance their testing capacity to ensure the timely detection and treatment ofpatients.

Meanwhile, PM Phuc requested that local leaders engage the entirepolitical system in the fight and improve people’s vigilance in carrying outdisease prevention and control measures.

Asking for testing capacity to be strengthened,he told the Ministries of Health and National Defence to provide Da Nang withthe necessary equipment and personnel, as well as other localities when needed.

He also supported plans to increase patientreception at central and military hospitals along with healthcareestablishments in central Hue city and Quang Nam province, as many of theconfirmed cases in Da Nang have other serious illnesses.

The Government leader demanded that eachlocality gear up its response plans, as happened during the first period of the COVID-19 combat,and that those plans include recommendations to the public on limiting travel,wearing a face mask in crowded places and on public transport, washing their handswith soap, and sanitising their homes and workplaces.

The Ministries of National Defence and Public Securitymust ensure good border management, while localities with confirmed cases mustdelay any major festivals and restrict mass gatherings.

The Health Ministry also needs to more strictly monitorpeople with possible symptoms or who had direct contacts with infectedpatients. The Ministry of Education and Training and localities must also ensuresafety at the upcoming national high school examinations, the PM said./.