Two more discharged bring total COVID-19 recoveries in Vietnam to 266

Vietnam announced two more COVID-19 recoveries on Thursday afternoon (May 21), bringing the total number of patients now free from the disease to 266 out of the 324 confirmed cases so far.

Two COVID-19 patients were announced as recovered May 21 afternoon. (Photo: NDO/Lam Ngoc)
Two COVID-19 patients were announced as recovered May 21 afternoon. (Photo: NDO/Lam Ngoc)

>>> Vietnam records no new community COVID-19 infections for 35 consecutive days

The Vietnamese duo, known as Patient 188 and 261, were treated at the Hanoi-based National Hospital for Tropical Diseases Base 2, in which Patient 188, a 44-year-old woman, re-tested positive after first being discharged from Ha Nam Province General Hospital on April 16. She was admitted to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases on April 18 to continue her treatment. The patient’s test results on May 15 and 18 were negative for SARS-CoV-2.

The other is a 60-year-old woman. Both now have stable health, with no fever, no cough and no shortness of breath. The duo will continue to undergo self-isolation for the next 14 days.

Regarding the only critical case, Patient 91 – a British pilot of a Vietnamese airline being treated at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City, he has now tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 six consecutive times, according to Director of the Health Ministry’s Department for Management of Medical Examination and Treatment Luong Ngoc Khue.

The patient’s virus culture results at the Pasteur Institute in HCM City showed that the deadly virus has not developed, showing that the patient is now clear from COVID-19, as well as having no possibility of re-infection from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, Khue added.

This morning, Patient 91 was transferred to the city’s Cho Ray Hospital to continue active resuscitation, background treatment and infection control, Dr. Khue said. The British national will continue to be assessed toward his lung transplant which will take place when all eligible conditions are met.

Also according to Khue, Patient 91 has no relatives coming to visit or tend to him. However, the patient has been actively cared for by Vietnamese doctors.

In addition, in the past week, 59 people registered as potential lung donors to Patient 91, the youngest volunteer being 21 years old and the oldest 76. This shows the spirit of solidarity of the Vietnamese people for those in need of support, Khue affirmed.

Appreciating their intentions, the health official noted that the patient needs two whole lungs, not just one or part of one, so donations from brain-dead donors are to be given top priority.

Medical experts are also considering transferring the patient to the UK, since he is now free of COVID-19.

However, Khue said, the man remains in a coma and is on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support, so he must regain consciousness before a suitable plan of action is to be determined.

Patient 91 was treated for COVID-19 for two months and three days, including 46 days on ECMO, and his lungs have condensed by 90%.

A second CT scan shows that about 20-30% of his lungs have recovered and their functioning has also improved considerably. His heart and blood pressure are also stable, according to Khue.

Earlier, two of the only three most severe COVID-19 cases in Vietnam were confirmed clear of SARS-CoV-2. Patient 161, 88 years old, has also now recovered from COVID-19 after receiving treatment at Hanoi’s National Hospital for Tropical Diseases. She has also been discharged from Bach Mai Hospital after being sent there for treatment of a stroke.

Meanwhile, Patient 19, who also suffered three cardiac arrests, is recovering and will leave hospital shortly, Khue informed.

So far, all three severe cases of COVID-19 in the country have become clear of SARS-CoV-2.

As of 4 pm on Thursday, Vietnam did not record any new cases of COVID-19 in the community, marking 35 straight days without new community infections. The total count remained at 324, including 184 imported cases that were quarantined upon their arrival.