COVID-19 in Vietnam, update on 17th April 2020
The COVID-19 curve continues to flatten in Vietnam. This morning is the second time this month that we have gone 24 hours with no new cases spotted.
Meanwhile, 6 previously-confirmed patients at 3 medical facilities across Vietnam have made recoveries and been discharged since our last update yesterday.
No new cases in 24 hours
Image credit: Bệnh Viện Sản Nhi Quảng Ninh
With no new COVID-19 cases spotted this morning, Vietnam has gone a full 24 hours without recording any new infections. This is the second time such an occurrence has happened this month, with the first being on 9th April 2020.
However, it’ll still take some more time before we can finally let our hair down and rejoice with friends, as the newest COVID-19 cluster of Hạ Lôi Hamlet in Hanoi is yet to be fully contained. Although the entire hamlet was locked down immediately after the first case was spotted there, many of its citizens had been to other parts of the city beforehand, which means the risk of infection is still present in the community.
6 patients discharged
Patient 211 being discharged from the Ninh Bình General Hospital
Image credit: Dân Trí
6 COVID-19 patients who were receiving treatment in the northern provinces of Hà Nam, Quảng Ninh, and Ninh Binh were confirmed to have recovered yesterday, raising the total recovery count in Vietnam to 177. At present, only 91 cases are still active.
Two of the 6 discharged patients, Patient 52 and Patient 149, had entered Vietnam from overseas and were monitored at the No. 2 Hospital in Quang Ninh.
Patient 52 is a 24-year-old woman from Hạ Long City, Quảng Ninh. She was a student in the UK who returned on 9th March and was confirmed positive on 14th March 2020.
Patient 149 is a 40-year-old man from Long Biên District, Hanoi. He flew in from Germany on 23rd March, was quarantined on arrival, and was confirmed positive on 26th March 2020.
Three others are employees of the Trường Sinh Company, which provided food, water, and logistical services for the Bạch Mai Hospital, a major Covid-19 hotspot. They were treated at the Hà Nam General Hospital. They include:
- Patient 168, a 35-year-old woman who was confirmed positive for the virus on the 28th of March.
- Patient 188, a 40-year-old woman in from Chương Mỹ District, Hanoi. She was confirmed positive for the virus on the 29th of March.
- Patient 231, a 57-year-old woman from the northern province of Bắc Kạn. She was confirmed positive for the virus on the 3rd of April.
The latest recovery reported is Patient 211, a 23-year-old woman from Đống Đa District, Hanoi. She was a student from the US who returned on 20th March. Upon testing positive on 25th March 2020, she was treated at the Ninh Bình General Hospital.
Most notably, Patient 52 was tested a whopping 13 times with mixed results over the course of her treatment. It was not until her tests came back positive 3 times in a row on 13th, 14th, and 15th April that she was declared free of the virus.
Another 14 patients are expected to be discharged today.
The COVID-19 situation in Vietnam
With recoveries outnumbering new cases every day, the prospect of Vietnam being completely free of COVID-19 in the near future is no longer just wishful thinking.
However, that can only happen if we all do our part to contribute by staying at home.
For more COVID-19 stories, check out:
- Makeshift food store in HCM gives free food to people
- Social distancing policy extended in Vietnam
- Happy supermarkets open in Vietnam to help people in need
Cover image adapted from Bệnh Viện Sản Nhi Quảng Ninh, Dân Trí
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