Patient 91 Officially Declared A Recovery, As Vietnam Reports 14 Additional Imported COVID-19 Cases

COVID-19 in Vietnam, update on 7th July 2020

As of 7th July 2020, Vietnam is on its 84th day without a new case of COVID-19 community transmissions. Last week, public concerns were raised when an Indonesian man living in the southern city of Bình Dương tested positive for the virus. However, this case has since been proven to be a false positive.

So far, Vietnam has recorded a total of 369 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic first crossed our borders. Of these, 341 have recovered, including patient 91 – who was one of the most critical cases in the country.

14 new imported COVID-19 cases in Vietnam

14 new COVID-19 patients were discovered among Vietnamese citizens returning from Bangladesh
(Photo for illustrative purposes only)
Image credit: Vân Đồn International Airport

During its evening update yesterday, the Ministry of Health reported 14 new COVID-19 cases that entered Vietnam on a flight from Bangladesh.

As all of these 14, as well as other passengers on the same flight, were immediately quarantined upon their landing at Vân Đồn International Airport in Quảng Ninh Province, there is no threat of them spreading the virus into the community.

Taking into account these new 14 cases, Vietnam is currently treating 28 COVID-19 patients, among whom 6 have had at least 1 negative test, and only 22 are still testing positive for the virus.

Patient 91 declared a recovery

Patient 91 has been officially declared a recovery
Image credit: Thanh Niên

Patient 91, a 43-year-old Scottish man, is probably the one COVID-19 case that has received the most public attention in Vietnam. Initially diagnosed with the virus and hospitalized on 18th March, the man’s health quickly took a plunge as his body’s immune system overreacted to the threat, causing severe damage to his organs.

The man fell into a coma for almost two months, completely reliant on life support as 90% of his lungs were coagulated at one point. Doctors had thought the only chance of saving him was a lung transplant.

Luckily, starting from early June, after he was cleared of the coronavirus, Patient 91’s health began to show signs of improvement. He has since then made what many doctors describe as a “miraculous recovery”. The man is now fully conscious, his organs functioning as normal, and he only needs physical therapy to regain the strength in his limbs.

Given his conditions, he was officially declared to have recovered from COVID-19 yesterday. Still, the patient will continue to remain in hospital until 12th July, when he’ll return to the UK on a flight facilitated by the government. A team of Vietnamese medical workers will be deployed to assist him during the flight.

3 men spotted trying to avoid quarantine

The men were fined between VND3,000,000 (~USD129.50) and VND5,000,000 (~USD215.83) for their actions
Image credit: Vtv.vn

On Sunday morning, security staff working at the Cầu Treo Border Gate in Hà Tĩnh Province spotted 3 men as they were hiding in the cargo cabin of a bus returning from Laos in an attempt to avoid the mandatory 14-day quarantine period that all overseas arrivals must serve upon their entry to Vietnam.

The three men were fined between VND3,000,000 (~USD129.50) and VND5,000,000 (~USD215.83) for their action and have now been taken into a quarantine facility in the nearby province of Nghệ An. So far, none have been found positive for COVID-19.

The news has sparked some outrage in the Vietnamese community, with many people taking to social media to criticize the men for their irresponsible actions. This is not the first reported incident of people trying to work their way around regulations either. Previously, many Vietnamese people living in Cambodia, China, and Laos were caught returning via unmonitored trails to avoid health checks, and a man even escaped during his quarantine.

Vietnam’s COVID-19 situation, updated on 7th July 2020

News of Patient 91’s recovery comes as a relief to many of us. Even though very few of us actually know him in person, we all have been following reports on his health condition and wishing him all the best. This truly goes on to show that when we Vietnamese said we leave no one behind during this pandemic, we actually meant it.

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Cover image adapted from Thanh Niên and Vân Đồn International Airport