The National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control confirmed the death on Sunday evening.

In total, six fatalities have been recorded since Friday.

The 53-year-old woman, known as 'Patient 429', is from central Đà Nẵng City. She had a number of underlying conditions including chronic renal failure, diabetes and heart issues.

She was treated for chronic renal failure at Đà Nẵng Hospital from July 19-30. She tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus on July 27.

She had breathing difficulties and suffered an acute respiratory failure on August 1 and had to undergo endotracheal intubation. 

The patient had to undergo continuous dialysis and was put on a ventilator on Sunday. She stopped breathing and was pronounced dead at 4.30pm.

The cause of death has been announced as acute heart failure, heart attack, chronic renal failure and diabetes with COVID-19 infection. 

Another 30 COVID-19 cases confirmed on August 2 evening

Vietnam recorded 30 new COVID-19 cases on August 2, raising the national tally to 620 as of August 2, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Among the new cases, 16 were reported in the central city of Da Nang, nine in central Quang Nam province, two in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, one in the southern province of Dong Nai, one in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa and one in the northern province of Ha Nam.

Most of the cases are linked to the outbreak in Da Nang city, except for Patient No. 603 who returned from the US and was quarantined upon arrival. He is now under treatment at Khanh Hoa Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

The number of cases relating to the outbreak in Da Nang has reached 173 since July 25. As many as 307 out of the total cases were quarantined right upon entry.

The committee’s treatment sub-committee reported that 373 cases have recovered so far. Among the 247 active patients, six have tested negative for the coronavirus once and eight at least twice. There have been five deaths.

More than 94,200 who had close contact with patients or came from pandemic-hit areas are now under quarantine nationwide.

Singaporean-based company helps Da Nang fight COVID-19

A joint venture between the Singaporean-based Sakae Holdings and SSF Investment limited company has submitted a document offering help in the form of medical equipment and necessities to the central city of Da Nang in its COVID-19 combat.

Accordingly, the firm’s assistance package includes seven remote body temperature monitoring devices, five Nihon Kohden patient monitoring devices, 20 Terufusion syringe pumps, and 10 tonnes of rice for Da Nang people in quarantine sites.

The proposal was sent with a document on Singapore’s experience on fighting COVID-19 compiled by Douglas Foo, president of Khoo Teck Puat hospital, the biggest public hospital in Singapore.

Foo said the experience is quite similar to current measures applied in Vietnam.

He stated Vietnam is doing well in its COVID-19 prevention and control, particularly in quarantine work and tracing people visiting high-risk locations.

Health Ministry urges speeding up tracing people returning from Da Nang

The Ministry of Health have sent a dispatch to authorities of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the central province of Quang Nam, asking them to accelerate the tracing of locals who returned from Da Nang during the period from July 1 to 28 and other locations with a high risk of infection.

The dispatch noted that the three localities have recorded new community infected cases which involved people visiting areas with high risk of infections in the central city from July 1.

Therefore, the People’s Committees of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Quang Nam are urged to continue to drastically and promptly carry out prevention and control measures in line with directions given by the Prime Minister and the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

The localities should boost their testing capacity by mobilizing the engagement of all capable health establishments, including private ones, and getting relevant facilities and equipment ready for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

The dispatch also requires the localities to instruct grassroots administrations to closely monitoring preventive measures in community and families, and timely detect any suspect infection case, thus preventing the epidemic from spreading in community.

Deputy PM orders strictly handling violations of COVID-19 control regulations

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, on August 2 stressed that those who fail to make health declarations and follow quarantine regulations must be handled strictly.

Speaking at a meeting of the committee on August 2, Dam called on each resident and all-level authorities to take responsibility for the pandemic combat, and stay vigilant.

He ordered tightening COVID-19 prevention and control measures in medical, army and police sectors, and reviewing medical check-ups and treatment in hospitals, with attention paid to departments with patients in critical conditions.

Apart from the main hospitals in Da Nang where the outbreak began, response efforts will be expanded in communities in the city as well as nearby province of Quang Nam, Dam requested.

He urged all people to use Bluezone, a Bluetooth-based app that helps determine if a person has come into contact with a COVID-19 patient, and the nCOVI app for health declaration and monitoring.

As for provinces with the high risk of transmission, Dam asked the Ministry of Education and Training to coordinate with the Ministry of Health in reviewing regulations, prioritising the organisation of the high school graduation exams.

The health ministry reported that as 9am on August 2, Vietnam had recorded 590 COVID-19 patients, including 323 imported cases, and five deaths. Of the total cases, 373 have recovered.

Since July 25, the country has reported 144 cases in seven cities and provinces, including 105 in Da Nang, 25 in Quang Nam, one in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, eight in Ho Chi Minh City, two in central Quang Ngai province, two in Hanoi and one in Thai Binh.

Apart from imported cases, all of the new cases are linked to the outbreak in hospitals in Da Nang.

Speaking at the meeting, Acting Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said it is expected to take longer time to cope with this outbreak as compared with the previous ones, as it is taking place more rapidly and complicatedly.

Statistics from the health ministry also unveiled that from July 1-29, about 1.4 million people returned from Da Nang or visited medical facilities nationwide. Meanwhile, 800,000 people have been to the three hospitals involved in the outbreak in Da Nang, including 46,000 coming for health check-up and treatment.

More cases are likely to be detected in Da Nang and other localities across the country in the time ahead, Long warned.

Participants at the meeting agreed to propose the classification of localities based on three levels of risks, in order to impose suitable measures, with Da Nang and Quang Nam in the group of high risks.

Five banks give Da Nang 1.07m USD for COVID-19 fight

Five banks have donated a total of 25 billion VND (1.07 million USD) for the fight against the new COVID-19 outbreak that is hitting Da Nang city hard, according to the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV).

The Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Agribank), Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank), Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV), Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (VietinBank), and Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank (MB-Bank) each gave 5 billion VND (215,627 USD).

The SBV had called on them to donate to help Da Nang buy COVID-19 test kits.

With many new cases being diagnosed now, especially in Da Nang, the need to test locals and visitors there is very high, according to the SBV.

The banking industry has donated hundreds of billions of VND since the pandemic began in the country early this year./.

Two more COVID-19 patients die in Vietnam

Two more COVID-19 patients in Vietnam died on August 2 due to related complications, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son said.

The latest deaths are an 86-year-old woman from Quang Nam province and an 83-year-old woman from Da Nang. Both had underlying health conditions.

The 86-year-old was suffering from chronic kidney failure and heart problems. The cause of death has been announced as acute respiratory failure, multi-organ failure with COVID-19 infection.

Meanwhile, the 83-year-old died from acute coronary syndrome, cholecystitis, polyarthritis, hypertension and COVID-19 infection.

In total, five fatalities have been reported since July 31. All the deaths have occurred to patients with serious health conditions.

Hundreds more Vietnamese citizens flown home from abroad

Nearly 280 Vietnamese citizens from 24 European and African countries were brought home on August 2, with their flight landing at Van Don International Airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

The flight was arranged by Vietnamese and French authorities, and the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines.

Passengers included children under 18, the elderly, pregnant women, people with illness, students without accommodation, stranded tourists, and labourers with expired contracts and visas.

Right after landing at the airport, all the passengers were given health check-ups and then sent to quarantine areas in accordance with current regulations.

Also on August 2, more than 230 Vietnamese citizens in Thailand were brought home on a flight organised by Vietnamese and Thai authorities and budget carrier Vietjet Air.

More flights are expected to be launched in the time ahead to repatriate overseas Vietnamese citizens in accordance with their wish, the pandemic situation and quarantine capacity at home.

Vietnam confirms four new COVID-19 cases, bringing tally to 590

Four new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on August 2 morning, including two linked to the outbreak in Da Nang, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

One of the two cases related to Da Nang city is a 42-year-old man living in HCM City who had been to Da Nang for vacation. He is now under treatment at the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

The other is a 40-year-old man from central Quang Ngai province. He had close contact with patient No. 517 at Da Nang General Hospital. He tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus on August 1 and is being treated at a local medical centre.

The remaining two patients flew from Russia to Van Don International Airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh on July 17 onboard Vietnam Airlines flight VN5062. They were quarantined right upon entry in the northern province of Hoa Binh, and are being treated at the provincial general hospital.

Twenty-one others on the same flight had previously been confirmed infected as well.

The new cases bring the total number of COVID-19 patients in Vietnam to 590, including 306 imported cases who were quarantined right upon arrival.

Of the total cases, 373 have recovered so far. There have been three deaths related to the virus.

As of August 2 morning, the total number of coronavirus cases linked to the outbreak in Da Nang increased to 144 since July 25.
Among the active patients, six have tested negative for the virus once, and eight at least twice.

A total 94,216 who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or came from pandemic-hit areas are under quarantine nationwide.

Quang Nam takes measures to curb epidemic

Located in the area adjacent to Da Nang City with a large number of people travelling through, Quang Nam province is taking the most drastic measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Not only geographically adjacent to Da Nang city, Dien Ban town of Quang Nam province is also the southern gateway to Da Nang city with more than 1,500 workers from Da Nang working in industrial zones travelling through.

As of July 30, the town had four positive SARS-CoV-2 cases.

Right on 30/7, Hoi An city blockaded An Hoi street after the first cases of Covid-19 had been detected. This move has received local people’s consent.

With new developments of Covid-19, Quang Nam province has directed localities in the areas bordering Da Nang to take stronger measures to prevent the spread of the disease in the community.

Da Nang’s Hoa Vang field hospital ready to treat COVID-19 patients

The field hospital at Hoa Vang district’s medical centre is ready to serve COVID-19 infected patients from August 1 morning to share difficulties with the Da Nang Hospital which is being overloaded in the disease check-ups and treatment.

The establishment of this field hospital followed the July 31 decision of Da Nang city’s Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control. During the preparation process, the field hospital has received great support from the Hoa Vang medical centre’s staff as well as local agencies, organisations and individual donors.

The 200-bed hospital is used for quarantining and treating COVID-19 patients, especially those with severe symptoms and complicated underlying diseases.

Previously, the municipal People’s Committee decided to establish a 1,000-bed field hospital in Tien Son Sport Centre.

On August 1 morning, Vietnam reported 12 more cases positive for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, raising the total amount of COVID-19 cases nationwide to 558.

Of the total, 116 are related to the outbreak in central Da Nang city since July 25.

Da Nang works around the clock to stamp out COVID-19 outbreak

Joint forces are racing against time to build a field hospital in the central city which has reported more than 100 locally transmitted coronavirus infections for just a week.

The hospital, which is to take shape inside the Tien Son sport palace covering 2,400 square metres, is projected to receive and treat thousands of patients, according to local authorities. 

Work began on the project on July 31 and it is scheduled for completion over four days.

With dozens of cases announced on July 31 alone, the Da nang Municipal Department of Health asked medical facilities to receive, quarantine and treat the patients.

The city’s three leading hospitals where the SARS-CoV-2 virus was detected have been overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients, and they are in dire need of support from other medical hospitals, said Ngo Thi Kim Yen, director of the Municipal Department of Health.  

Easing the overload at the three hospitals will make it easier for relevant agencies to control the outbreak, minimizing cross-transmission risks, she added.

Yen disclosed a number of COVID-19 patients will be transferred by specialized vehicles to private hospitals such as Family Hospital, Vinmec International Hospital, and North Quang Nam General Hospital in the coming days.

Da Nang has been stepping up contact tracing and extensive testing for local residents showing virus symptoms and those living around the three blockaded hospitals, namely Da Nang Hospital, C Hospital, Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Hospital.

Nearly 3,000 people living in these affected areas will be tested for the virus, Yen said.

Admitting that medical workers are at a high risk of virus infection, Yen said more than 3,000 workers at the three hospitals have been tested, and 5,000 others at other medical facilities will undergo tests in the coming days.

The Ministry of Health has established a task force comprised of experienced epidemiologists and doctors in Da Nang to deal with the outbreak. Medical school universities have been mobilized from nearby provinces to assist with contact tracing and testing.

With medical supplies from the Ministry of Health and leading hospitals, the local healthcare sector is now capable of conducting between 8,000 and 10,000 specimens a day, Yen revealed.

Da Nang has quarantined 5,600 cases, including medical workers, patients, their relatives, guards and canteen staff of the three affected hospitals. It has also identified nearly 10,000 other cases closely linked to COVID-10 patients.

Da Nang is the locality where the first locally transmitted infection was confirmed 99 days after the disease has been put under control in the country.