Khanh Hoa confirms zero cases of suspected nCoV infection

The Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Health has announced that as of February 10, there are no longer any suspected case of acute respiratory infection due to the new strain of coronavirus (nCoV) to be isolated in the province.

A female receptionist infected with nCoV (C) in Khanh Hoa Province has been cured and released from hospital. (Photo: suckhoedoisong.vn)
A female receptionist infected with nCoV (C) in Khanh Hoa Province has been cured and released from hospital. (Photo: suckhoedoisong.vn)

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Accordingly, from January 9 to February 10, the total number of suspected nCoV infection cases who were under monitor and isolation in Khanh Hoa was 72. Of which, there was one patient that tested positive for nCoV, who is a female hotel receptionist, however she was successfully cured and discharged from hospital on February 4. The remaining 71 all tested negative for the deadly virus.

Up until now, 62 patients have been officially discharged from hospital and ten others, who have tested negative in stable health, have been transferred to the Khanh Hoa Hospital of Tropical Diseases for ongoing treatment.

* In Yen Bai province, the local medical authorities on Tuesday (February 11) said that all nCoV suspected cases in the northern province all have negative test results.

Since the first nCoV infection case detected in Vietnam so far, Yen Bai has recorded a total of 17 suspected cases with related nCoV-infection factors. They were isolated and monitored at a range of local medical facilities. After their samples were sent to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and confirmed negative for nCoV, they have been released from hospital. On Tuesday, the last two suspected cases were discharged.

At present, Yen Bai has more than 100 isolated cases under monitoring at home and in the community, since they have undergone less than 14 days in isolation. These cases now show normal health status, without any signs of suspected nCoV infection.

* The Red Cross Society of Da Nang city on Tuesday continued cooperating with the concerned local agencies to carry out a communication campaign on preventing nCoV, which runs from February 6 to 12.

Disinfect soap provided free of charge for local residents in Hoa Minh ward, Lien Chieu district, Da Nang city on February 11, 2020. (Photo: NDO/Thanh Tam)

Under the campaign, all local households will be directly supported by the association's staff on information related to nCoV prevention, as well as provided with instructions on hand-washing and germicidal soap for free. There have been over 10,000 disadvantaged households receive support under the campaign, which is being carried out with a total budget of over VND100 million from the city’s emergency fund.

* On Tuesday morning, Dr. Nguyen Tuan Khanh, Rector of Kien Giang University, said that over 4,000 students of the university have returned to their classes as normal after the extended Lunar New Year holiday, which lasted one week more than usual in the fear of nCoV spreading.

According to Khanh, the university has prepared a full range of epidemic prevention and control options so that students can be assured. Accordingly, the university has been disinfected, while over 20,000 supportive items such as medical masks, glass water bottles, cleaning solutions and rubbing alcohol have been distributed free of charge to students. In addition, the university has also been equipped with body temperature monitors and water filtration systems.

Students of Kien Giang University provided with knowledge on disease prevention. (Photo: NDO/Viet Tien)

On the same day, Chairman of the People's Committee of Giang Thanh District (Kien Giang province) Nguyen Thanh Ha said that the district has been chosen by the Kien Giang Provincial People's Committee as an isolation area to receive Vietnamese labourers returning home from the nCoV epidemic areas in China.

Specifically, the two isolation sites are expected to be two military barracks, located in Tan Khanh Hoa commune, with the capacity to receive from 400-450 people. The two locations are far from populated areas and are to be ensured with safety factors for local people and the surrounding environment. Reportedly, the whole province has about 400 Vietnamese employees working in China.

* Also on Tuesday morning, Ho Chi Minh City Electricity Corporation has assigned its two affiliated units, Cu Chi Power Company and Duyen Hai Power Company, to urgently coordinate with the city’s Department of Health and the People's Committees of the two districts of Nha Be and Cu Chi to develop and implement a plan to ensure electricity supply for two field hospitals that have been built there.

Up until now, Cu Chi Power Company has completed the construction of the electricity supply for the field hospital in the district, including 20 electric poles, 1,400 m of low voltage lines and five electric cabinets to ensure the supply for the buildings of the field hospital. The company has prepared a plan to install a backup transformer of 400 kVA and a generator of 400 kVA to be ready to put into use when required by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health.

Power workers in Cu Chi district construct an electricity supply line for a field hospital in the district serving nCoV prevention. (Photo: NDO/Quang Quy)

Currently, the field hospital in Cu Chi district has been put into operation. The city has prepared two field hospitals with a scale of 500 beds to serve the prevention and control of nCoV epidemic. In particular, the field hospital in Cu Chi district has a capacity for 300 beds, while the other in Nha Be district has 200 beds. Within just five days, the first field hospital was officially put into operation, one day earlier than expected.

Vietnam has recorded 15 nCoV infections so far, with the latest case being a three-month-old baby from Binh Xuyen district, northern Vinh Phuc province. However, medical officials are upbeat that with six among them having already recovered and discharged from hospital, Vietnam is completely capable of treating well for nCoV patients if the whole of society join hands in taking preventive measures as recommended by the Ministry of Health and raise awareness about the prevention of the epidemic.

According to the Ministry of Health’s infectious disease surveillance system, up until 3:50 pm on February 11, the world has recorded 43,104 cases of nCoV infection, of which 42,638 cases and 1,016 deaths have been recorded in mainland China.