>>> Vietnam reports no new COVID-19 cases for a week
>>> PM agrees to designate Hanoi a COVID-19 risk area, down from high-risk
According to the Treatment Subcommittee under the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, Patients 206, a 48-year-old Vietnamese national was discharged from the hospital after 24-days of treatment at the facility. Since being admitted on March 30, he has tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 many times and is now eligible for the all-clear .
He is also the last patient out of 33 who have received isolated treatment at the Cu Chi field hospital. In addition to the facility, another COVID-19 hospital in the city – the Can Gio hospital – no longer has any patients undergoing treatment.
The latest discharge leaves the city with just one active case, with 53 out of 54 COVID-19 patients detected in HCM City having recovered.
The only remaining case is Patient 91, a 43-year-old British pilot being treated at the HCM City Hospital of Tropical Diseases. This morning, the seriously ill patient was stable, with no fever and normal blood pressure. Despite having to rely on mechanical ventilation and ECMO intervention, the patient has passed the critical stage he had been in over previous days.
Up until now, Vietnam’s total infection count has remained unchanged at 268 for a whole week, while 224 have been discharged from hospitals, accounting for an 84% recovery rate.
Despite the Prime Minister having decided to ease restrictions after a three-week nationwide social distancing period which started on April 1 under Directive No. 16, the Ministry of Health recommends the public stay vigilant amid the complex development of the epidemic. People are suggested to minimise social contact, wear face masks and maintain social distancing when going out in public places, as well as washing hands often with soap or antiseptic solution.
Lockdown lifted in Dong Van township, Ta Kha hamlet
The People’s Committee of the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang on April 23 decided to lift the lockdown order on Dong Van township and Ta Kha hamlet in Pho La commune, Dong Van district’s Pho Bang township, based on positive developments in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic in the province.
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A quarantine checkpoint at Pin Tung hamlet, Pho La commune, Dong Van district of Ha Giang province, where the first and only COVID-19 case in the locality resides. (Photo: NDO/Duy Tuan)
These localities are required to continue following the PM’s Directive No. 16 on social distancing. On April 22, they were locked down to prevent COVID-19 from spreading into the community, after a H’Mong ethnic minority girl in Dong Van district’s Pho La commune was confirmed as infected with the disease on April 16. Identified as Patient 268, the 2004-born youth is the first and only COVID-19 infection case Ha Giang has recorded so far.
No new cases have been detected since. Health authorities have to date taken test samples from 358 people that had contact with the patient. Of these, 318 samples were negative. The patient is being isolated at Dong Van District General Hospital and her health is progressing well without any cough.
Binh Dinh’s hospital eligible for conducting SARS-CoV-2 screening tests
Le Quang Hung, Head of Binh Dinh Provincial Department of Health, has said that Binh Dinh General Hospital has been recognised by the Nha Trang Pasteur Institute as meeting all conditions necessary to conduct screening tests for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, helping the province in the prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic.
According to Hung, from now on, all samples with epidemiological factors related to COVID-19 in the province will be transferred to the hospital for screening tests; only suspected samples that need to be confirmed positive or negative for SARS-CoV-2 will be transferred to the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang to undergo confirmatory tests.
Currently, the screening test capacity at Binh Dinh General Hospital is about 270 samples a day, thanks to the receipt of 500 sets of SARS-CoV-2 virus testing kits donated by Viet A Corporation, as well as its investment in facility upgrades and staff capacity enhancement.
Foreign airline crews to stay at designated hotels to prevent COVID-19 spread
The Ministry of Transport has proposed Hanoi and relevant municipal departments designate hotels for the accommodation of foreign airline crews as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 spread.
The proposal was made in an official document signed by Deputy Minister of Transport Le Anh Tuan, recently sent to the Hanoi People’s Committee as well as the city’s Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control and Departments of Health, Tourism and Public Security.
Accordingly, the ministry proposed the above agencies and units agree on the arrangement of three hotels, including the Pullman Hanoi, Pan Pacific Hanoi and Crowne Plaza West Hanoi, for the accommodation of foreign airline crews in Hanoi.
The ministry also asked Hanoi to tighten the quarantine and monitoring of all foreign crew members. The crews must undergo daily medical checks, the ministry said, adding that those having COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath must be put into quarantine and tested for the coronavirus in compliance with regulations.
