The 30-year-old worker is a resident in Minh Quang commune, Tam Dao district. He returned to Vietnam from China’s Wuhan in January on a Southern China flight, the same flight with four other Vietnamese previously tested positive for the novel virus.

He is one of the eight workers of the Vinh Phuc-based Nihon Plast Company who were sent to Wuhan for a training course and returned to Vietnam on a flight of the Southern China on January 17.

He is being isolated and receiving treatment at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Dong Anh district, Hanoi. He is now in stable condition.

The other cases include two Chinese nationals (a man and his son, with one already recovering), a Vietnamese hotel receptionist having contact with the Chinese father and son, and a US citizen transiting Wuhan on his flight to Vietnam.

On February 2, companies in Vietnam were asked to suspend receiving Chinese workers who return from infected areas in China after the Lunar New Year holiday, following an urgent notice issued by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

Those who have already arrived in Vietnam must be quarantined and monitored for 14 days, the notice says.

Industrial parks, processing and economic zones across the country must also halt granting new working permits to foreigners from infected areas.

According to the health ministry, the deadly virus originating from Wuhan has now spread 27 countries and territories worldwide, with 19,843 confirmed cases as of 6:00 on February 4.

By 9am of February 4, Vietnam had 304 suspected cases of nCoV infection, including 214 with negative testing results and 90 under strict quarantine. In addition, 270 people without symptoms of nCoV infection are isolated for having contact with the suspected people.

Health sector capable of diagnosing, curing nCoV patients: official

The isolation ward for nCoV patients at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City

The health sector of Vietnam is capable of diagnosing, treating and curing patients infected with the acute respiratory disease caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus (nCoV), Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son has said.

Expressing the confidence at a meeting in Hanoi on February 3, Son further said there are about 17,000 confirmed nCoV cases, including 362 deaths, around the world at present. The fatality rate of this disease is some 2 percent, compared to the 9.6 percent of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in the past.

He predicted that the number of nCoV cases is likely to soar in the time ahead.

Meanwhile, health of the eight infected patients in Vietnam has shown improvement. Notably, a case under treatment at the Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City has been tested negative for the virus for three times, and he is set to be discharged from hospital on February 4. A patient in Thanh Hoa province has also been tested negative and came out of hospital on February 3.

The deputy minister said with the health sector’s capacity, support from other sectors and drastic directions by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam, the Ministry of Health will fulfill its tasks to ensure people’s health.

Regarding Chinese nationals returning to work in Vietnam after the Lunar New Year holiday and the possible surge of Vietnamese coming home from China, where the nCoV is raging, Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lt. Gen. Tran Don said the border guard force has suspended the entry into Vietnam by people from China at all border crossings.

At border gates, relevant agencies will isolate all people coming from nCoV-hit areas, especially China’s Hubei province – the epicenter of the epidemic. Meanwhile, suspected cases or persons from other affected regions will also be quarantined at medical establishments or local communities, he added.

At the meeting, Deputy PM Dam, head of the national steering committee for the nCoV-caused disease prevention and control, stressed that relevant agencies and localities must not be subjective but stay proactive in disease prevention and control.

MoH virus hotline open for questions

A free-of-charge hotline set up by the Ministry of Health has received more than 18,600 calls relating to coronavirus outbreak issues since it was set up two days ago.

The hotline (19009095) is being manned by 80 healthcare experts.

Most questions are focused on symptoms of the nCoV infection and how to prevent the disease, accounting for 51.3 per cent, places for testing (15.1 per cent), prices of masks and telephone numbers for market surveillance agencies (15 per cent), information on school closures (10.8 per cent), spraying disinfectant in residential areas and schools (5.2 per cent), costs of testing and medical treatment (1.4 per cent), and immigration procedures (1.2 per cent).

The peak hour was at 7pm on Sunday when 2,700 calls were placed regarding school closures.

Nguyen Lien

Coronavirus: A visual guide to the outbreak

Six maps and graphics explaining how the respiratory virus has spread and how it is being dealt with.

Chinese employees barred from returning to Vietnam

Companies and organizations employing foreign workers have been asked to temporarily stop receiving Chinese employees hoping to return to Vietnam after the Lunar New Year holiday.