Health sector’s COVID-19 testing capacity improves considerably
The testing capacity of the health sector has improved considerably during the latest COVID-19 outbreak, figures from the Ministry of Health (MoH) show.
A worker of the disease control centre of Quang Ninh province conducts COVID-19 testing (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The testing capacity of the healthsector has improved considerably during the latest COVID-19 outbreak, figuresfrom the Ministry of Health (MoH) show.
Facing the resurgence of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in central Da Nang city andsome localities in late July, the MoH ordered the enhancement of testingcapacity across the entire health sector.
In less than a month, from July 23 to August 19, the sector tested 390,490samples, or 47.8 percent of the total handled since late January, when thedisease first appeared in Vietnam. The figure was 426,718 between late Januaryand July 24.
In particular, 3,094 samples were tested from January 22 to March 5, or 70samples per day on average. The number increased to 182,109 between March 6 andApril 22 (3,874 per day) and 237,815 between April 23 and July 22 (2,631 perday). The average reached 14,470 between July 23 and 1pm on August 19.
Since July 25, when the new outbreak began in Da Nang, the city has handled thelargest number of samples, of about 86,000, followed by Ho Chi Minh City andcentral Quang Nam province.
There are currently 123 facilities capable of conducting RT-PCR testsnationwide, with a maximum capacity of some 46,000 samples a day. They include71 establishments carrying out confirmatory tests, with total capacity of morethan 36,000 samples a day.
The MoH has set up testing support systems to help localities promote testingcapacity when necessary./.
Seven COVID-19 patients were given the all-clear and released from hospitals in central Thua Thien-Hue province and nearby Da Nang city on August 19 after testing negative to SARS-CoV-2 between three and eight times.
Vietnam News Agency Television Centre (Vnews) and the agency’s bureau in the northern province of Hai Duong on August 19 presented 5,500 face masks and 2,000 sets of protective clothing to the local centre for disease control and health department, in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
An 87-year-old man from the northern province of Phu Tho has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 while being treated for another disease at a hospital in Hanoi.
A group of volunteers in the central city of Da Nang have raised funds to make more than 200 automatic, hands-free hand sanitiser dispensers which were given to disease prevention and control teams across the city.
A 27-year-old patient tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 four days after being discharged from hospital, the HCM City Centre of Disease Control said on August 20.
Despite storm-related disruptions and flight delays, the organs were successfully transported via a combination of air and ground travel. All patients are currently stable and recovering well.
The patient, Tieu Viet But, born in 1970 and residing in Binh Tri commune, Binh Son district, the central province of Quang Ngai, was working aboard fishing vessel Qng – 95657TS when the incident occurred at 7:00 am.
All drugs entering hospitals must have a clear origin, so counterfeit drugs are only in the market, not in hospital, affirmed Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan.
To achieve its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2045, Vietnam is prioritising the integration of AI and digital tools into the training of future doctors, said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Viet Nhung, Dean of Medicine at University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vietnam National University (VNU) Hanoi.
Health experts called for collective disease prevention and integrated solutions to achieve zero dengue deaths in the country at an online talk show on June 14.
The PM called for closer, broader, and more effective cooperation with Vietnamese partners, guided by the principles of mutual benefit, joint efforts, shared outcomes, and common development, including promoting stronger public-private partnerships and collaboration with businesses.
Renowned for its expertise in complex surgeries, the hospital has attracted foreign patients seeking treatment for conditions such as kidney and urinary tract stones, urological and gastrointestinal cancers, and male reproductive disorders. Most procedures are performed using advanced techniques, including laparoscopy and robotic surgery. T
Leading Vietnamese companies specialising in respiratory and dermatological treatments, traditional medicine, immune support supplements, and functional foods will have an opportunity to connect with international distributors and secure export deals.
The project aimed to enable early detection and reduce the risk of dangerous complications, targeting patients with chronic diabetes, cardiovascular conditions and metabolic disorders.
A 2023 report by the Vietnam Health Economics Association estimated that the total cost of tobacco-related healthcare and economic losses reached 108 trillion VND (4.14 billion USD) annually – equivalent to 1.14% of GDP and five times higher than the budget revenue generated by the tobacco industry.
All eligible patients will receive surgical interventions and post-operative care in accordance with Vietnamese medical standards and global care protocols.
Medical screenings and surgical interventions for children with disabilities are being carried out at health centers across Dien Bien. So far this year, 242 children have been identified for diagnosis, treatment, surgery, and the provision of assistive devices.
The Red Journey has become the country’s largest and most effective blood donation campaign, leaving a strong impression on the national voluntary blood donation movement.
This case marks the ninth fetal cardiac intervention conducted in HCM City, and it was considered the most technically demanding to date due to the fetus’s extremely early gestational age and the severity of the condition as diagnosed with aortic atresia.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place one day after the VNVC Vaccine JS Company and Sanofi Group exchanged cooperation documents on vaccine production technology transfer under the witness of State President Luong Cuong and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Vietnam’s traditional medicine took centre stage at the International Congress Biopharm Nonclinical Development, BioNCiD 2025, held on May 25-26 in the Cuban city of Varadero, amid growing global interest in sustainable healthcare solutions.
Under the agreement, VNVC and Sanofi will gradually implement technology transfers to enable domestic production of several key Sanofi vaccines that are widely used in Vietnam. In addition, Sanofi will support VNVC in training human resources and quality management in vaccine research and manufacturing.
Despite the ongoing global circulation and unpredictable developments of SARS-CoV-2, the World Health Organisation (WHO) hasn’t issued new warnings about COVID-19, said the Ministry of Health.
A worker of the disease control centre of Quang Ninh province conducts COVID-19 testing (Photo: VNA) 
