This morning marks the 27th day that Vietnam has gone without a case of COVID-19 community transmission. With 3 more patients discharged since our last update, the curve continues to show signs of flattening in the country.
Currently, the total patient tally is sitting at 288, of whom 252 have recovered. With such impressive numbers, Vietnam has earned praise from the World Health Organization.
No new community transmissions have been spotted in Vietnam for 27 days
Image credit: Bệnh viện Bệnh Nhiệt đới Trung ương
With no new COVID-19 cases reported since our last update yesterday, Vietnam has stayed clear of new infections for 6 days in a row.
In terms of public health, there hasn’t been a new community transmission in the country for 27 days, with the latest case of such a nature spotted all the way back on 16th April. Since then, new cases have all been overseas arrivals who were immediately quarantined upon arrival with no risk of spreading the virus to the community.
3 patients, all of whom were relapsed cases, were discharged from the Củ Chi Field Hospital in Hồ Chí Minh City yesterday, bringing the recovery count of Vietnam to 252.
These 3 patients include a married couple and another man who is friends with them, all of Brazilian nationality. They were associated with the Buddha Bar in Hồ Chí Minh City, formerly a major COVID-19 hotspot of Vietnam.
The Brazilian couple taking pictures with medical staff when they were first discharged on 18th April
Image credit: baoquocte.vn
The three were initially discharged between 18th and 20th April. However, they all tested positive for COVID-19 again during the 14-day isolation period that followed the discharge and were quickly rehospitalized.
With this latest development, only 36 COVID-19 patients are still receiving treatment across various medical facilities in Vietnam. The majority of these are in good health, however, one is currently under critical condition.
This is a 43-year-old British man who worked as a pilot for Vietnam Airlines. Since contracting the disease in late March, he has suffered severe damage to his lungs and has required life support for over a month. Doctors say his only chance of making it now is a lung transplant, and they are preparing him for the operation.
During a meeting with the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control yesterday, Dr. Kidong Park, a representative from the World Health Organization, praised Vietnam’s swift and effective responses to the outbreak.
Dr. Kidong Park at the meeting yesterday
Image credit: Vietnam Government Portal
“[Vietnam] has been quick and transparent in the sharing of information and effective in applying information technology,” he said.
Vietnam is now looking to restore the economy and bring back citizens stranded overseas. A total of 340 Vietnamese have returned from Russia between yesterday and today. They will all be quarantined and closely monitored to minimize the risk of another wave of infection.
Vietnamese citizens returning to the Vân Đồn International Airport in Quảng Ninh Province from overseas
Image credit: Van Don International Airport
Even though Vietnam has reported no new case of community transmissions for almost a month and experts have said that relapses are not a major threat to public health, we are not completely free of the virus just yet.
The government has repeatedly emphasized that the risk is still present, and that citizens must continue to practice preventive measures such as wearing masks and maintaining a safe distance from one another in public.
For more COVID-19 stories and updates, check out:
Cover image adapted from Bệnh viện Bệnh Nhiệt đới Trung ương, baoquocte.vn
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