Doctors at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son said that experts had held an online meeting on March 11 about treatment for the patients in various hospitals in Hanoi, Danang, Hue, and HCM City. The ministry gave high regards to the preparedness and quick results in checking and tests.

Some patients have had symptoms of pneumonia but the situation was under control. The Hanoi-based National Hospital for Tropical Diseases said they were treating 11 patients and all are in good condition. They haven't had any worsening case and no one has to use invasive ventilation methods yet. The 17th patient has not had a fever for the last three days.

According to Son, there is no specific medicine for SARS-CoV-2 yet. The ministry has provided all the necessary treatments to the hospitals.

The ministry is also managing the online management and administration centre for supporting SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis and treatment. The centre will connect with all major hospitals for fast data transferring and experience exchange so that difficult cases can be consulted quickly.

Son said Vietnam had basically tracked, monitored and quarantined all cases.

As of March 12, Vietnam has a total of 39 Covid-19 cases, of which 16 people have been cured and released.

HCM City refuses cruise ship over Covid-19 concerns

HCM City has turned down a Bahamas-flagged cruise ship with Italians on board due to concerns over Covid-19 infection.

The decision was made following the proposal by the municipal Health Department.

The ship carries 826 people, including 423 passengers and 403 crew, including some Italians.

The ship wants to dock in HCM City today, March 14, so that its passengers could explore the city’s tourist sites.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Health said late March 12 that five more people had tested positive for Covid-19, taking the total number of Covid-19 cases in the country so far to 44.

Ho Chi Minh City adds 21,000 beds in quarantine zones

Amid intensifying measures to inspect new arrivals in Ho Chi Minh City, the southern metropolis has simultaneously been preparing additional isolation zones and field hospitals in a bid to cope with the increasingly complicated situation regarding the COVID-19 outbreak.

During an online meeting held on March 12 between the Municipal Party Committee, the HCM City People's Committee, and districts, Vice Chairman of the HCM City People's Committee Le Thanh Liem said the city has been preparing for a range of scenarios in order to be ready to deal with the complicated developments of the COVID-19 epidemic.

There are currently 30 isolation zones containing a total of 3,251 beds, with plans to add a further 21,000 beds at different hospitals throughout HCM City, bringing the total number of beds up to approximately 24,000.

With districts moving to implement strict isolation activities at homes and residential areas for 3,720 cases. A total of 3,126 cases have already had their isolation period ended.

At present, the southern city has two agencies capable of conducting tests for the COVID-19, including the Pasteur Institute and the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases. More than 3,000 test kits have been prepared, while the city has also invested in an additional 20,000 test kits for future use.

The city’s Department of Health has organised four training courses for health care workers in a bid to improve their diagnosis and treatment skills as a means of preventing the further spread of the disease.

With the effective implementation of preventive measures, the city has so far only recorded four cases of infection, with no cases spreading to the wider community. Most notably, three of the cases have been successfully cured.

The southern city has also requested that local authorities prepare medical logistics options, whilst also setting up further isolation areas and field hospitals so they are fully prepared to cope with any future developments of the epidemic.

Two streets in Binh Thuan quarantined following Covid-19 cases

Two streets in the southern central province of Binh Thuan’s Phan Thiet City have been quarantined after more local residents tested positive for Covid-19.

Many households on Hoang Van Thu and Ngo Si Lien streets have been isolated.

Fences have been set up to cover the streets with three checkpoints. People in the isolated area can only go out in very necessary cases.

On Thursday, Binh Thuan announced five new Covid-19 patients who are living in Phan Thiet City. They are all linked to Patient 34, a Vietnamese woman returning from the US early this month.

Five new positive cases have taken the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients in Vietnam to 44, the Ministry of Health said on Thursday.

The five are all linked to Patient 34, a Vietnamese woman returning from the US early this month. The five are residents of Phan Thiet City.

Patient 34 was confirmed as Vietnam’s 34th COVID-19 patient on Tuesday after returning to the country from the US and transiting in South Korea and Qatar.

Local authorities have continued tracking down people who had been close contact with Patient 34 and the other local Covid-19 cases for quarantine.

London-HCM City flight passengers quarantined

All crew members and passengers of a flight from London to HCM City have been quarantined because of a young woman with Covid-19 symptoms.

The woman who is a Vietnamese student in the UK took Vietnam Airlines’ VN50 which arrived in HCM City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport at around 5 am yesterday morning.

The information about her suspected Covid-19 symptoms such as cough and fever was reported to Tan Son Nhat International Airport’s Disease Control Centre by her parents after she was already in the air for two hours.

According to her parents, she had come to a hospital in the UK for examination, but was diagnosed with seasonal flu. She did not have a Covid-19 test.

She then developed symptoms such as cough and fever and still decided to return to Vietnam.

After hearing the report, the flight captain decided to move the woman to the last seat row of the plane to be quarantined from the other passengers.

As soon as the flight landed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, the woman was taken to HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases. Meanwhile, the crew and passengers were sent to a quarantine area in Cu Chi.

A separate area was also arranged for the flight to land to ensure safety. The aeroplane was sterilised.

Official highlights people’s role in COVID-19 fight

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Tran Thanh Man has stressed the importance of the engagement of the entire political system, especially the whole people, in the fight against COVID-19.

At a national teleconference held by the committee in Hanoi on March 11, Man said over the last two months, the entire political system has got involved in the COVID-19 prevention and control, which has received support from all people.

The Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, the cabinet, relevant agencies and localities have taken prompt and drastic actions to combat the disease, he said.

The VFF and its member organisations have carried out communications plans to encourage the public’s participation in the work, the official said, adding that the front’s staff in localities like Hanoi, HCM City, Da Nang, Vinh Phuc, Thanh Hoa and Khanh Hoa has even met each resident to disseminate information.

Pointing out complex developments of the outbreak, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long described each people as a soldier protecting themselves and the community and also a helper in the detection of those returning from COVID-19-affected areas.

He also asked socio-political organisations like the youth, women and war veterans’ unions to be more active in mobilising all people’s contribution to anti-coronavirus efforts.

Man said numerous challenges are lying in the path ahead, but also stressed that with people’s active and drastic engagement, the fight against the outbreak will definitely be a success.

He requested VFF committees and member organisations at all levels to better coordinate with authorities in the COVID-19 prevention and control while keep fulfilling their specific tasks so as to help achieve targets set for 2020 and the following years.

So far, Vietnam has recorded 39 cases of COVID-19 infection, 16 of them have fully recovered.

Centre for Disease Control in Cần Thơ to conduct tests for SARS-CoV-2

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in the Mekong Delta city of Cần Thơ will begin testing for SARS-CoV-2 after March 15.

The HCM City Pasteur Institute designated the Cần Thơ centre as one with sufficient capacity and ability to conduct tests of the virus. All machines and equipment have been installed and staff are fully prepared.

Nguyễn Quang Thông, head of the centre, said the institute had checked its facilities, equipment and personnel to ensure compliance.

The tests in the Cần Thơ centre will help shorten the time for detection and implementation of preventive measures in the Mekong Delta region.

In the past, the centre had to send samples to the HCM City Pasteur Institute for testing, and results took at least one day. It will continue to send samples to the institute until March 15.

The Ministry of Health on March 3 also approved testing at Thái Nguyên National Hospital, whose lab has sufficient conditions to satisfy biological safety level 2.

The hospital has a stable supply of chemicals and biological products, and has established standard practices before, during and after tests.

Tests of the virus are being conducted nationwide at 30 institutes, hospitals and centres for disease control and prevention.

They include the National Institute for Hygiene and Epidemiology, Bạch Mai Hospital, Việt Nam National Children’s Hospital in Hà Nội, Pasteur institutes in HCM City and Nha Trang, Central Highland Institute for Hygiene and Epidemiology, Hospital for Tropical Diseases and Chợ Rẫy Hospital in HCM City, and centres for disease control and prevention in the provinces of Quảng Ninh, Thanh Hóa, Bắc Ninh, Bắc Giang, Hà Tĩnh and Lào Cai, and in cities of Hà Nội and Đà Nẵng. Dtinews/VietNamNet/VOV/VNA/VNS

Compiled by T. Van

Vietnam confirms five more COVID-19 cases, totaling 44

The Ministry of Health said late March 12 that five more people had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country so far to 44.