7 Additional Imported COVID-19 Cases And 1 Relapse Reported In Vietnam

COVID-19 in Vietnam, update 19th June 2020

7 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Vietnam since our last update, adding to the country’s total patient tally of 342. Meanwhile, one relapse case has also been recorded.

Officials have affirmed that all these new patients were imported cases and have been timelily quarantined and pose no danger to public health. As of today, Vietnam has gone for over 2 months without a new COVID-19 infection in the community – the latest case of community transmission was last reported on 16th April.

7 new imported COVID-19 cases

The 7 new COVID-19 patients are Vietnamese who returned from Kuwait
(Photo for illustrative purposes only)
Image credit: Vietnam Airlines

The 7 new COVID-19 patients reported are all men aged between 25 and 41. They were passengers on a flight returning to the Tân Sơn Nhất Airport in Hồ Chí Minh City from Kuwait on 16th June. Previously, another man on the same flight was also confirmed positive for COVID-19.

As all passengers on the flight were quarantined upon landing, there is no risk of them spreading the virus to the community.

Taking into account the 7 new patients, Vietnam has recorded a total of 342 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic reached our shores. Of these, 325 have recovered and only 17 currently remain in treatment. No fatalities associated with the disease have been reported in the country so far.

1 relapsed case

One relapse was reported in Vietnam yesterday
(Photo for illustrative purposes only)
Image credit: NASA

The relapsed patient is a 26-year-old man from the northern province of Thái Bình. On 13th May, he returned to Vietnam from Russia and was quarantined for COVID-19 testing on arrival.

When his test came back positive the next day, the man was moved to Thái Bình Province’s General Hospital for treatment, where he continued to have 6 additional COVID-19 tests with mixed results.

On 8th June, the patient was declared free of the virus and discharged from the hospital. He then continued to be isolated in a quarantine facility. However, he tested positive again on 16th June.

The man has now been hospitalized again, and since he had remained in isolation since his initial discharge, there is no risk of community transmissions.

Patient 91 expected to make full recovery

Patient 91 shaking hands with Hồ Chí Minh City’s Chairman of People’s Committee Nguyễn Thanh Long
Video credit: Thông Tin Chính Phủ

Patient 91, who had been in critical condition for almost two months, continues to recover. According to doctors, his heart, liver, and kidneys are now working as normal, and his lungs have also regained 90% of their capacity. The patient’s recovery speed has impressed many doctors, as just earlier this month, he was suffering from multiple organ failure and had to completely rely on ECMO, a life support system that replaces the functions of the heart and lungs.

This “Motherwell” scarf is a gift from the patient’s friends in Scotland
Image credit: Thanh Niên

Visited by Hồ Chí Minh City’s Chairman of People’s Committee Nguyễn Thanh Long and British Consul-General Ian Gibbons on 17th June, the patient expressed his gratitude toward the Vietnamese government and medical workers for their dedicated effort in saving him. In a picture taken during the meeting, the patient is seen proudly presenting a scarf bearing the logo of Motherwell, his favorite football team. The scarf is reportedly a gift from one of his friends in Scotland.

The man is currently practicing physical therapy to regain strength after two months of being comatose. The Ministry of Health expects that he’ll make a full recovery in the near future.

Vietnam’s COVID-19 update 19th June

We are glad to see that even with the COVID-19 situation in Vietnam being stable right now, the government has still not let its guard down and is continuing to carry out measures to prevent imported patients from spreading the virus into the community.

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Cover image adapted from: Vietnam Airlines and Thanh Niên

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