They include four Vietnamese residing in Ho Chi Minh City, an Australian of Vietnamese origin, and 15 foreign tourists.

Among them, five foreigners took flight VN223 from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, then boarded the Viking Cruise ship to travel to Cambodia on March 4.

One of these five passengers shared the same business class cabin with the 17th COVID-19 patient, and is being quarantined on the ship.

The centre has asked passengers who sat in the same cabin with the quarantined person on flight VN223 to immediately contact local medical stations and fill in health declarations. Other passengers on the flight should monitor their health at home as guided by the Health Ministry.

Also on March 8, the Health Department in the northern province of Hai Duong said two passengers on flight VN0054 who returned to the province have tested negative to SARS-CoV-2.

In the northern province of Quang Ninh, nine foreigners who arrived in Vietnam on flight VN0054, including four testing positive to the virus, have been sent to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases for treatment and quarantine.

All areas at high risk of infection in Ha Long city have been zoned for quarantine.

Nine new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Vietnam as late March 8, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in Vietnam so far to 30. Among the cases, the first 16 patients were cured and discharged from hospital in February. The 17th patient was confirmed on late March 6, followed by more infections.

Lao Cai transfers COVID-19 British couple to National Hospital of Tropical Diseases

The People's Committee of the northern Lao Cai province has moved to transfer the locality’s first two positive cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in order for them to undergo treatment.

The information was released at the press conference of the Lao Cai People's Committee on March 9.

The two infected cases involve a British couple who were on flight VN0054 alongside the country’s 17th COVID-19 patient.

Upon arriving in the nation, the British couple took the train from Hanoi to Lao Cai on March 4, before traveling to the Muong Thanh Lao Cai Hotel on March 5. From there, the pair moved to the ToPas Ecolodge Resort in Sapa where they came into contact with a number of Mong and Dao ethnic minority people who sold them various items.

Following this, on March 6 the couple did not go out, but came into close contact with two massage staff.

On March 7, medical workers provided a health-check up for the pair at the resort, with both of them being taken to Lao Cai General Hospital after the husband displayed symptoms of a fever with temperature of over 38 degrees Celsius.

Despite this the man showed no signs of a cough or shortness of breath while his wife was in a stable health condition.

At present, Lao Cai has successfully identified 180 cases of people who came into both close and indirect contact with the British couple, all of whom have been put into isolation to undergo strict monitoring in line with regulations set by the health sector.

Four other British passengers who were traveling on flight VN0054 but in different cabin with the COVID-19 British couple, have also been put into quarantine at Lao Cai General Hospital.

Hoang Quoc Huong, Director of Lao Cai Province Department of Health, stated that after transferring the two cases to the National Hospital for Tropical Disease, a further 21 cases have been put into the isolation ward at Lao Cai General Hospital. /.VNA

Minister on same flight with 17th coronavirus patient tests negative for virus

Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung has tested negative for coronavirus even though he was in the same C-class cabin with N.H.N, Vietnam’s 17th Covid-19 patient, on a flight from the United Kingdom to Vietnam.  

Twenty-five in contact with COVID-19 patient test negative for virus

Twenty five out of 33 people in close contact with Hanoi's first COVID-19 patient have tested negative for the virus, according to the municipal Department of Health at an urgent meeting on Saturday morning.