Hanoi (VNA)– Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, head of the National Steering Committee forCOVID-19 Prevention and Control, on August 2 stressed that those who fail to makehealth declarations and follow quarantine regulations must be handled strictly.

Speaking at a meetingof the committee on August 2, Dam called on each resident and all-levelauthorities to take responsibility for the pandemic combat, and stay vigilant.

He ordered tighteningCOVID-19 prevention and control measures in medical, army and police sectors,and reviewing medical check-ups and treatment in hospitals, with attention paidto departments with patients in critical conditions.

Apart from the mainhospitals in Da Nang where the outbreak began, response efforts will beexpanded in communities in the city as well as nearby province of Quang Nam,Dam requested.

He urged all peopleto use Bluezone, aBluetooth-based app that helps determine if a person has come intocontact with a COVID-19patient, and the nCOVI app for health declaration and monitoring.

Asfor provinces with the high risk of transmission, Dam asked the Ministry ofEducation and Training to coordinate with the Ministry of Health in reviewingregulations, prioritising the organisation of the high school graduation exams.

The health ministryreported that as 9am on August 2, Vietnam had recorded 590 COVID-19 patients,including 323 imported cases, and five deaths. Of the total cases, 373 haverecovered.

Since July 25, thecountry has reported 144 cases in seven cities and provinces, including 105 inDa Nang, 25 in Quang Nam, one in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak,eight in Ho Chi Minh City, two in central Quang Ngai province, two in Hanoi andone in Thai Binh.

Apart from importedcases, all of the new cases are linked to the outbreak in hospitals in Da Nang.

Speaking at themeeting, Acting Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said it is expected totake longer time to cope with this outbreak as compared with the previous ones,as it is taking place more rapidly and complicatedly.

Statistics from thehealth ministry also unveiled that from July 1-29, about 1.4 million peoplereturned from Da Nang or visited medical facilities nationwide. Meanwhile, 800,000people have been to the three hospitals involved in the outbreak in Da Nang,including 46,000 coming for health check-up and treatment.

More cases are likelyto be detected in Da Nang and other localities across the country in the timeahead, Long warned.

Participants at themeeting agreed to propose the classification of localities based on threelevels of risks, in order to impose suitable measures, with Da Nang and QuangNam in the group of high risks./.