Vietnam Reports 31 COVID-19 Recoveries And Only 6 New Cases

COVID-19 in Vietnam, update on 8th April 2020

---

The COVID-19 situation in Vietnam continues to remain stable, as the number of new cases reported daily has been kept to single digits for the past few days. Only 6 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, placing the total COVID-19 patient tally in the country at 251 as of 9AM, 8th April 2020.

However, the government has warned everyone not to let their guards down. Since some of the recently discovered cases had contact with many people, we could be seeing a second wave of infections if we’re not careful.

But on the brighter side of things, 31 more COVID-19 patients have been declared free of the virus and discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recoveries in Vietnam to 126 as of 1PM, 8th April 2020.

---

6 new COVID-19 cases

---

Medical staff at a quarantine facility attending to a patient
(Photo for illustration purposes only)
Image credit: Bệnh Viện Sản Nhi Quảng Ninh

Of the 6 new cases, 3 are Vietnamese returning from abroad in March, and 2 are associated with previously-confirmed patients. The source of infection for the last patient has not been identified.

Case 246 is a 33-year-old man from Nghệ An province. He had worked as a chef in Moscow, Russia, before returning to Vietnam on 25th March. He was quarantined on arrival.

Case 247 is a 28-year-old man from Bình Thạnh District, Hồ Chí Minh City. He was working at a shoe company in Đồng Nai province, and one of his colleagues here had close contact with cases 124 and 151.

After case 124 was confirmed positive for COVID-19 on 24th March, case 247 was quarantined at a facility in Đồng Nai province. He tested negative at the time.

During his quarantine period, the patient stayed in the same room with 4 other people who also had close contact with cases 124 and 151, all of whom were asymptomatic. However, on 6th April, when his swabs were taken for testing to prepare for discharge, his results came back positive.

Case 248 is a 20-year-old man who returned to Hồ Chí Minh City from the US on 23rd March and was quarantined on arrival. During quarantine, he shared a room with 2 others, and they all were in good health. However, on 5th April, he tested positive.

The patient has now been transferred to the Củ Chi Field Hospital for treatment. His roommates will continue to be monitored separately for the next 14 days.

Case 249 is a 55-year-old man who returned from the US on 22nd March. He was quarantined on arrival.

Case 250 is a 50-year-old woman from Mê Linh District, Hanoi. She is a neighbor of case 243 and has had close contact with him.

Case 251 is a 64-year-old man from Hà Nam province. He has been at the Hà Nam General Hospital for treatment of unrelated health problems since 20th March. Yesterday, he tested positive for COVID-19 and was immediately quarantined. The source of infection is currently still under investigation.

---

31 new COVID-19 recoveries in Vietnam

---

A discharged patient dropping a heart sign
(Photo for illustration purposes only, not one of the 31 mentioned in this article)
Image credit: Quang Huy Lê

31 COVID-19 patients were discharged from various hospitals across Vietnam yesterday afternoon, increasing the total recovery count in the country to 126.

Of these 31, 11 were discharged from the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, 2 from Huế Central Hospital in the central province of Huế, 13 from three different hospitals in Hồ Chí Minh City, and 5 from hospitals in the Mekong Delta provinces of Đồng Tháp and Bến Tre.

Among the 11 patients in Hanoi is a 29-year-old doctor who was working directly with COVID-19 patients. He was the first doctor in Vietnam to have contracted the disease. Others include 7 overseas arrivals and 3 patients associated with the Bạch Mai Hospital, which is currently the biggest COVID-19 hotspot in Vietnam.

The 2 patients in Huế are a 66-year-old woman and a 49-year-old man, both from the UK. They were passengers on the same flight landing in Hanoi on 2nd March.

The 13 discharged in Hồ Chí Minh City include 6 cases associated with the Buddha Bar, another COVID-19 cluster in Vietnam, and 7 people returning from other countries.

4 of the remaining 5 new recoveries were passengers on a flight to Cần Thơ Airport from the UK on 18th March. They were quarantined for treatment at a hospital in Đồng Tháp Province. The last case is a 17-year-old girl from Bến Tre province. She returned from Malaysia on 17th March and tested positive on 23rd March.

---

We should not let our guards down

---

Good news about patient recoveries has been coming in constantly in the past few days, which is a great sign. However, the government has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is still unpredictable and urged citizens to stay on high alert.

So, let’s adhere to the nationwide social distancing policy and stay at home for now.

For more COVID-19 stories, check out:

• HCMC business invents rice ATM to help the poor while still practice social distancing
• Vietnamese-based US singer covers folk song to raise awareness about COVID-19
• Vietnamese are giving out food to help the underprivileged

---

Cover image adapted from: Bệnh Viện Sản Nhi Quảng Ninh, Quang Huy Lê

Enjoying The Smart Local Vietnam? Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn for more stories like this.