COVID-19 in Vietnam, update on 29th July 2020

In its daily update this morning, the Ministry of Health announced 8 more COVID-19 cases caused by community transmission in the central Vietnamese city of Đà Nẵng. Combined with the 7 cases reported yesterday evening, this makes for a sharp increase of 15 new patients since our last update.

Đà Nẵng has been put under a two-week lockdown, but given that the city is a tourist hotspot visited by thousands of people in the past month, authorities from other cities and provinces are taking steps to control the disease. They have been performing large-scale testing and tracking local residents who have been to Đà Nẵng recently.

Late yesterday, the Ministry of Transport also issued a document ordering preventive measures to be implemented in all forms of public transport.

8 COVID-19 cases reported this morning


Image credit: Sức khỏe & Đời sống

5 of the 8 new patients reported this morning have recently visited the Đà Nẵng Hospital – a COVID-19 cluster in the city – to take care of their sick family members. They are 5 women aged between 41 to 68, all living in Đà Nẵng City.

The other 3, including a 19-year-old man and 2 women aged 39 and 61, are patients at the Đà Nẵng Lung Hospital, the Đà Nẵng Hospital of Transportation, and the Đà Nẵng Hospital C respectively.

Another 7 COVID-19 patients were reported yesterday evening. These include:

  • 1 staff member and 3 patients at the Đà Nẵng Hospital.
  • A 71-year-old woman living in Sơn Trà District, Đà Nẵng.
  • 2 residents of the nearby Quảng Nam Province. One visited the Đà Nẵng Hospital between 13th and 16th July to take care of her husband who was a patient there, while the other was at a wedding feast at the For You Palace Wedding Centre in Hải Châu District, Đà Nẵng on 18th July. This is the same wedding that Patient 416, the first case of this new wave, attended.

Since last Saturday, Vietnam has recorded a total of 30 new cases of infection in the community after enjoying a 100-day period free of community transmissions. 26 of these 30 are from Đà Nẵng City, 3 are from Quảng Nam Province, and 1 is from Quảng Ngãi Province. All the cases from Quảng Nam and Quảng Ngãi had visited Đà Nẵng in July.

Currently, Vietnam’s total COVID-19 patient tally is sitting at 446.

Rumors of a new case in Hanoi

In the past hour, rumors have been going about on the Internet that a 23-year-old man working in a pizza house in Cầu Giấy District, Hanoi have been found positive for COVID-19.

No official news source has confirmed this at the moment of this writing. However, sharp-eyed netizens have spotted medical staff in full protective gear heading into the pizza house to disinfect it.


Image credit: Hà Nội Phố

A new version of the coronavirus


Dr. Nguyễn Văn Kính, head of the Vietnam Association for Infectious Diseases
Image credit: Sức khỏe & Đời sống

Researching samples taken from the new patients discovered in Đà Nẵng, health officials have come to the conclusion that these infections are caused by a new version of the novel coronavirus.

Dr. Nguyễn Văn Kính, head of the Vietnam Association for Infectious Diseases and former director of the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases, says that this new version of the virus is more infectious, but its virulence level remains the same.

“The SARS-CoV-2 virus is constantly mutating as it spreads through the world. Currently, 99 versions of the virus have been found, 6 of which have been documented in Vietnam,” he said.

Safety measures implemented on public transport


Image credit: Đường Sắt Việt Nam – Hành trình vạn dặm

Late yesterday, the Ministry of Transport issued a document ordering safety measures to be implemented on all forms of public transport in Vietnam.

Specifically, staff and passengers are required to wear masks on all public vehicles, as well as at bus stops, train stations, docks, and airports.

All public vehicles must be disinfected regularly and must be equipped with sanitizers and trash bins with covers. Passengers who use public transport other than taxis and buses are required to make a health declaration online, and they must also have their temperatures measured and hands sanitized before boarding.

Vietnam’s COVID-19 situation, update on 29th July 2020

News of more cases being documented every day is indeed concerning, but so far, Vietnam has proven that it is capable of handling the pandemic. So, for now, let’s all remain calm and keep ourselves updated on new regulations from the government and adhere accordingly.

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Cover image adapted from Sức khỏe & Đời sống and Hà Nội Phố

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