One new COVID-19 case was reported in Vietnam yesterday evening, pushing the total patient count in the country to 271. Combined with 2 relapses over the weekend, Vietnam currently has 52 active COVID-19 cases.
Still, given that all recent cases are overseas arrivals who were quarantined immediately upon entry and no community transmission has been reported for 18 days, the Vietnamese government has been carefully easing social distancing measures. Restaurants and cafes have been allowed to reopen since 22nd April 2020. Today, students throughout Vietnam are returning to school.
Image credit: Fernando Zhiminaicela
The latest COVID-19 patient in Vietnam is a 37-year-old man from the UK who is an expert in the oil industry. He arrived in Hồ Chí Minh City on 28th April on a private flight with 12 others, and they were all quarantined upon entry.
The new imported case ends Vietnam’s streak of 8 consecutive days without new infections. However, the country is still maintaining its record of 18 days without community transmissions.
On the other hand, a total of 14 relapses have been reported so far, with the latest 2 reported on Saturday. Both of these are foreigners residing in Hồ Chí Minh City, discharged on 14th and 15th April respectively.
Image adapted from: Thời Sự VTV
As of 4th May, 2020, Vietnam has reported a total of 271 COVID-19 cases, of which 219 have recovered.
Among the 52 active cases, 12 have tested negative once, while 9 others have tested negative twice or more. So far, no fatalities have been reported.
Schools in Vietnam have been closed since the Lunar New Year in late January due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, on 4th May, schools have been reopened as the situation has stabilized, ending what the community quirkily dubbed “the longest Lunar New Year holiday in history”.
In order to ensure safety, the government has ordered schools to take preventive measures such as disinfecting all surfaces and maintaining a safe distance between students.
A secondary school in the central city of Đà Nẵng being disinfected
Image credit: Trường THCS Trưng Vương – TP Đà Nẵng
All students and teachers are also required to wear masks. They also have to have their temperatures taken and hands sanitized at the entrance.
A student sanitizing her hands before entering a university in Hanoi
Image credit: Hanoi University of Science and Technology
While things are slowly returning to normal in Vietnam, the relapses prove that the coronavirus’ development is unpredictable and the risk of transmission is still present.
Therefore, it is crucial that we stay alert and take precautions such as wearing masks while going out and washing our hands regularly.
For more COVID-19 stories, check out:
Cover image adapted from: Fernando Zhiminaicela, Hanoi University of Science and Technology
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