With 5 New Recoveries, Vietnam Has Now Cured Over 90% Of Its COVID-19 Patients

COVID-19 in Vietnam, update on 3rd June

No new COVID-19 cases have been reported since our last update yesterday, bringing Vietnam into its 48th consecutive day with no new community transmissions recorded. The woman who illegally entered Vietnam from China via an unmonitored trail to avoid health checks, posing a threat to public health, has also been confirmed negative for the virus.

Meanwhile, the recovery rate in the country has now crossed the 90% mark as 5 more patients have been declared free of the virus and discharged. Patient 91, the only patient in critical condition remaining, also continues to improve.

No new cases and 5 recoveries

The 4 patients discharged from the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases yesterday
Image credit: National Hospital of Tropical Diseases

With no new COVID-19 cases reported by the Ministry of Health today morning, the total number of COVID-19 patients in Vietnam stays at 328. The latest case was reported last Saturday to be a 1-year-old boy repatriated from Russia on 13th May on a government-facilitated flight. A total of 34 people on this flight, including 32 passengers and 2 flight attendants, have been confirmed positive for COVID-19.

4 among these 34 patients were discharged from the National Hospital of Tropical Disease in Hanoi yesterday. On the same day, the Hồ Chí Minh City Hospital of Tropical Diseases also discharged one patient, a 50-year-old woman returning from Dubai.

With the latest numbers, 298 out of 328 COVID-19 patients in Vietnam have recovered, representing a recovery rate of 90.8%.

Patient 91’s condition continues to improve

At the same time, Patient 91, a 43-year-old British man who is the only patient in critical condition left in Vietnam, continues to get better. According to an update from the Chợ Rẫy Hospital, where the patient is currently being treated, he is now fully conscious and can smile and shake hands with doctors. They are putting him through physical therapy to help him regain muscle strength after 2 months of being comatose.

Steps are also being taken to gradually ease him off extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or ECMO – a life support system that replaces the functions of the heart and lungs which he has had to rely on for almost 2 months.

Patient 91 smiles and shakes hands with a medical staff
Video credit: Chợ Rẫy Hospital

According to doctors, over 50% of the patient’s left lung has recovered its function, and his right lung is also beginning to regain respiratory function too. This is a major improvement, as previously both his lungs had lost 90% of their capacity, and doctors had thought that the only chance of saving him was a lung transplant.

Woman who illegally re-entered the country confirmed negative for COVID-19

The 30-year-old woman who illegally entered Vietnam from China has tested negative for COVID-19 multiple times
(Photo for illustrative purposes only)
Image credit: National Hospital of Tropical Diseases

Yesterday, we reported on a 30-year-old woman who illegally entered Vietnam from China, posing a threat to public health. She has now tested negative for the coronavirus multiple times, confirming that she was not infected.

The woman will continue to remain in quarantine for another 2 weeks for further monitoring. According to lawyers, she could also face a fine of VND3,000,000-5,000,000 (~USD129.42-USD215.70) for crossing borders without authorization and another fine of VND2,000,000-VND5,000,000 (~USD86.28-USD215.70) for deliberately avoiding mandatory quarantine.

Vietnam’s COVID-19 update on 3rd June

With only 30 active patients remaining and 48 days with no new recorded infections in the community, the prospect of Vietnam being completely free of COVID-19 isn’t too far off. However, multiple cases of unauthorized entries from other countries affected by the pandemic have been reported, so the risk is still present.

As a result, while we can still enjoy a relatively normal life in Vietnam at the moment, let’s not forget to exert the necessary caution. Simply by wearing a mask when going out, you’re already contributing to the effort to keep the pandemic in check.

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Cover image for illustrative purposes only. Adapted from Chợ Rẫy Hospital

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