COVID-19 in Vietnam, update on 17th June 2020

Since our last update on Monday, Vietnam has reported one new COVID-19 case, who is a citizen returning from overseas. This is the 335th COVID-19 patient that Vietnam has recorded since the pandemic began.

Meanwhile, one previous patient who was previously declared free of the virus on 5th June has relapsed and been moved back to a local medical facility for treatment again.

Yesterday, the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi also discharged 2 COVID-19 patients after they tested negative for the virus several times.

1 new COVID-19 case and 1 relapse


1 new COVID-19 case and 1 relapse have been reported in Vietnam, both citizens returning from other countries
(Photo for illustrative purposes only)
Image credit: Vietnam Airlines

The latest COVID-19 case in Vietnam was reported by the Ministry of Health this morning to be a 24-year-old man from the northern province of Thái Nguyên. The man had been living in Kuwait for two years before returning to Tân Sơn Nhất Airport in Hồ Chí Minh City, Vietnam yesterday.

Immediately upon landing, he was quarantined for testing, and his result came back positive for COVID-19 on the same day. The patient is now being treated at the Hồ Chí Minh City Hospital of Tropical Diseases.

One relapse was also reported in Vietnam yesterday. This patient, a 34-year-old woman, was repatriated from Russia on 13th May, then tested positive for COVID-19 on 21st May. She was then treated at a hospital in Hải Dương province before being discharged on 5th June.

The woman then returned to her hometown in Ninh Bình Province, where she continued to be isolated for further monitoring. On 15th June, however, she once again tested positive.

As the relapse was spotted when the patient was serving a mandatory 14-day period of isolation following her initial discharge, there is no risk of her spreading the virus into the community. 6 family members who came into close contact with her have also been quarantined and tested, and so far all of their results have been negative.

2 new recoveries


The two patients discharged from the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi yesterday
Image credit: National Hospital of Tropical Diseases

Yesterday, the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi discharged two more patients who were previously confirmed positive for COVID-19.

The two discharged are both men aged 29. One returned from Russia on the same flight as the relapsed woman, while the other came back from China by land just last week.

The National Hospital of Tropical Diseases has been where the majority of COVID-19 cases in northern Vietnam were treated. With the latest development, though, only 1 COVID-19 patient currently remains in its care.

Patient 91’s strength continues to recover


Patient 91 can now stand with the help of medical staff
Image credit: VNExpress

Good news regarding the health condition of Patient 91, the most severe COVID-19 case in Vietnam, continues to be reported.

According to the latest updates, the man is now able to stand with the help of medical staff and is currently practicing physical therapy to regain the strengths in his limbs. He’s also able to communicate verbally now as the tube installed in his windpipe to help with his breathing has been removed.

Patient 91’s recovery has been described by officials as “miraculous”, as not even a month ago, the man was on the brink of death with 90% of his lungs having lost their function. He only woke up from a two-month coma a couple of weeks ago and has since shown drastic improvement.

Vietnam’s COVID-19 update on 17th June 2020

The COVID-19 situation in Vietnam continues to remain calm, as no new infections in the community have been detected for 2 months. All overseas arrivals are quarantined upon entry, so imported cases aren’t a threat to public health either.

But while our lives are returning to normal, let’s not forget that there is no vaccine for the coronavirus yet. Therefore, practicing preventive measures such as wearing masks in public places isn’t redundant. After all, you can never be too careful.

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Cover image adapted from National Hospital of Tropical Diseases and VNExpress

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