Hanoi (VNA) - Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has urged medicalcentres in other provinces and cities to share the burden with Da Nang as thecentral coastal city is now a hotspot of COVID-19.

After 15community infection cases were recorded at three hospitals in Da Nang, doctorsof Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi and Cho Ray Hospital in HCMCity have come to Da Nang to offer assistance in treatment and medicalequipment.

Da Nang Hospitalhas made arrangements to ensure quarantine and treatment conditions for severecases.

Hue Central Hospital in neighbouring ThuaThien-Hue provinceis preparing equipment and infrastructure to receive critically-ill COVID-19patients, especially those suffering from various diseases or on kidneydialysis, to share the burden with Da Nang.

During anonline meeting with leading hospitals on July 28 on the treatment of COVID-19 patients, leaders of the DaNang Hospital said among 15 active cases, two patients (No 416 and 418) are incritical condition.

Patient 416,the first locally-transmitted case found in Vietnam after more than three months, has been now on Extracorporeal MembraneOxygenation (ECMO) for four consecutive days.

He is alsoon blood filtration and a breathing machine. Hishealth indexes and body functions are in control.

Patient 418was diagnosed with a severe acute respiratory infection and suffering fromother conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes as well as kidney damageand increased white blood cells. Doctors are considering ECMO.

These twopatients no longer have a fever, according to doctors.

Deputy PrimeMinister Vu Duc Dam, head of theNational Steering Committee for COVID-19 Preventionand Control, said: “The treatment needs utmost efforts in order to avoidfatalities."

“Thepandemic is very dangerous. If we are negligent, we will see rapid developments,”he said.

He asked theMinistry of Health to use technology in testing to trace the infection sourcesas soon as possible. Hospitals must strictly follow prevention and controlregulations when receiving patients and get ready to offer help to others ifnecessary.

Society musttake preventive measures, from immigration control, testing, quarantine tochecking those exposed to infections, he said.

Seven more new COVID-19 cases were confirmedon July 28 in Da Nang city and Quang Nam province,taking the total count in the country to 438 as of 6pm of July 28, according tothe National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Three COVID-29 patients were given the all clear on July 27and one more on July 28, raising the number of recoveries to 369./.