As the pandemic situation escalated from mid-June 2021, a COVID-19 RT-PCR laboratory was established to meet the urgent need for F0 screening in the city, following a decision by the Chairman of Vingroup. With investment in equipment and personnel from Vingroup, the laboratory began operations on June 18, 2021, at Oncology Hospital, Branch 2. The laboratory had a large capacity, equipped with 24 PCR machines, 9 automatic extraction machines, and 7 biosafety cabinets, able to process 30,000–60,000 pooled samples (equivalent to 300,000–600,000 individuals) within 24 hours. VinBiocare and the Vinmec Healthcare System were assigned to coordinate with Ho Chi Minh City CDC for implementation.
At midnight on June 30, 2021, Vinmec Central Park Hospital received an urgent order to conduct PCR testing overnight for the entire population of Thu Duc wholesale market following the discovery of a new outbreak. This event marked the official launch of Vinmec’s peak campaign for F0 tracing.
From July 1, 2021, Vinmec Central Park mobilized more than 5,000 staff and volunteers to be trained in PCR sample collection while simultaneously deploying sampling teams to hotspot areas in the city. Within five days, over 2 million people were tested.
On July 4, 2021, the laboratory officially moved to Vinmec Central Park Hospital, expanding its capacity and becoming the largest screening laboratory in Ho Chi Minh City. More than 100 healthcare workers and 200 volunteers—including Vingroup staff and university students—participated in testing campaigns across all districts of Ho Chi Minh City, extending to Binh Duong, Long An, and Tien Giang. Among the medical staff, 80% came from Vinmec Times City and Vinmec High-Tech Center (Hanoi), Vinmec Hai Phong, Vinmec Ha Long, and Vinmec Da Nang.
Here, everyone worked in unison and with great dedication to process as many samples as possible, with the highest accuracy and speed, contributing to the timely tracing of F0 cases. Continuously, day and night from June 18 to September 9, the laboratory conducted tests for 5,713,080 residents, detecting 26,859 positive cases, making a significant contribution to the successful containment of COVID-19 outbreaks in Ho Chi Minh City during that critical period of the pandemic.
On the afternoon of July 11, 2021, during an inspection of COVID-19 prevention efforts and to encourage frontline personnel in Ho Chi Minh City, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his delegation visited Vinmec Central Park Hospital while the laboratory was in operation. The Prime Minister’s direct attention provided valuable encouragement for the hospital’s COVID-19 response team.
Earlier, at the beginning of 2021, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health had praised Vinmec Central Park for its dual achievements in specialized medical development and COVID-19 prevention. The department commended the hospital for early implementation of triage emergency rooms and two negative-pressure isolation rooms in the emergency department to proactively respond to suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases.
To ensure a safe hospital environment, Vinmec Central Park strategically located triage emergency rooms separately from crowded areas. Adjacent negative-pressure rooms were ready to isolate infectious or suspected cases.
Throughout the three years of nationwide COVID-19 response, Vinmec Central Park and all hospitals in the Vinmec Healthcare System maintained convenient screening locations for patients. All leadership and hospital staff received continuous training on COVID-19 diagnosis, treatment, and prevention to enhance proactive awareness, ensuring the safety of both the hospital and patients. During social distancing, the hospital pioneered new services in Vietnam, such as telehealth and same-day surgery. By maintaining high technical standards and a safe medical environment, Vinmec Central Park was recognized by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health as one of the most reliable hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic and selected as one of nine hospitals to care for incoming travelers at Tan Son Nhat Airport during quarantine.
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