20 new COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Vietnam over the past 24 hours, putting the country’s total patient count at 672. Of these, only 286 cases are active, while 378 have recovered from the disease. The latest 4 recoveries were reported yesterday.
The central city of Đà Nẵng remains the epicenter of this new wave of infection with 158 cases recorded so far. However, with most of the new cases contained within the Đà Nẵng Hospital, authorities have asserted that the situation is under control.
Image credit: Sức Khỏe & Đời Sống
Yesterday evening, the Ministry of Health announced 18 additional COVID-19 cases. Save for 1 imported case repatriated from Equatorial Guinea, all were linked to Đà Nẵng, including 16 residents of the city and a 50-year-old man living in Biên Hòa City, Đồng Nai Province who had visited the Đà Nẵng Hospital.
This morning, two men aged 33 and 37 from Đà Nẵng’s neighbor province Quảng Nam were also confirmed as Vietnam’s latest 2 COVID-19 patients. They both have been to the Đà Nẵng Hospital and had contact with previously confirmed patients.
On the other hand, the Hòa Bình General Hospital in the northern province of Hòa Bình declared 4 patients free of the virus and discharged them yesterday. All 4 are Vietnamese citizens repatriated from other countries in mid-July who were quarantined upon arrival.
Since the novel coronavirus first crossed Vietnam’s borders, the country has recorded a total of 672 patient cases. 378 have recovered, while 8 have succumbed to COVID-19. 286 patients remain in treatment as of this moment.
Image credit: National Hospital of Tropical Diseases
Yesterday, upon receiving Đà Nẵng’s call for assistance, authorities in the northern city of Hải Phòng agreed to send a team of 8 doctors and 25 nurses to the central city to share the healthcare burden with local medical staff. The team is expected to set out on 8th August. Hải Phòng will also provide Đà Nẵng and Quảng Nam with funds of VND5 billion each.
Meanwhile, the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, where the majority of COVID-19 patients in northern Vietnam were treated, is also sending two experts to the Đà Nẵng Hospital to help treat critical patients. Further support is promised depending on how the pandemic situation develops.
Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam, head of the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control
Image credit: Vietnam’s Government Portal
The National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control held a meeting yesterday, as reported by Vietnam’s Government Portal. At the meeting, officials asserted that most of the new infections reported in the past couple of weeks are linked to the cluster of 3 adjacent hospitals in Đà Nẵng, including the Đà Nẵng Hospital, the Đà Nẵng Hospital C, and the Đà Nẵng Orthopedic and Physical Rehabilitation Hospital.
The only COVID-19 cases found in major cities such as Hanoi and Hồ Chí Minh City so far are people returning from Đà Nẵng, and there have been no reported infections from these patients. As a result, the Committee has asserted that the situation is still under control, though it does warn that we’ll be seeing more confirmed cases and likely more deaths in the coming days.
It is true that the new wave of COVID-19 infections has yielded some concerning numbers, including hundreds of new cases in the span of just over a week, or confirmed deaths. However, the biggest clusters are being contained, and authorities have been performing intensive contact tracing to curb the spread of the virus.
So there is no reason to panic right now. Let’s all remain calm and carry out preventive measures to protect ourselves and the community.
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Cover image adapted from National Hospital of Tropical Diseases
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