Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son (L) talks to a Vietnamese-American patient being treated for nCoV at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City.

On Sunday afternoon, Doctor Nguyen Tri Thuc, Director of Cho Ray Hospital, said that Mr. Li Zing, a 66-year-old Chinese patient, is making good progress with the nCoV treatment at the hospital. He is awaiting results from the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City for his latest sample.

His wife, Hu Xiao Lan, had a negative result with nCoV and now lives with her son. The son had also suffered from nCoV infection but was discharged several days ago after being successfully treated at Cho Ray Hospital.

Thuc said that 28 people who interacted with Mr. Li and his son – the first two nCoV cases detected in Vietnam – have all spent 14 days in isolation and are now in good health.

Earlier, a female nurse, who had been in contact with Li and his son for a minute and a half, discovered that the duo from Wuhan and had promptly activated the nCoV epidemic treatment system. She also spent 14 days in isolation and has returned to work in good health.

The remaining foreign nCoV patient receiving isolated treatment in HCM City is a Vietnamese-American. THK, 73, is being treated at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in HCM City and is progressing well. The patient has been breathing by himself for two days.

On Sunday afternoon, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son phoned him and shared his belief that his health would soon be stable. All physicians and nurses directly treating THK are healthy and have no respiratory symptoms.

A mission from the Ministry of Health led by Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen inspects epidemic prevention in Ha Giang Province on February 9, 2020.

On the same day, the Ministry of Health (MoH) sent separated missions to inspect the nCoV prevention and control in the provinces of Ha Giang and Lai Chau, in which the local authorities were requested to continue performing well in the supervision of the community for workers returning from China, while effectively implementing the prevention of cross-infection and the disinfection in isolated areas.

Earlier, on Sunday, the MoH confirmed the 14th nCoV infection case in Vietnam. The 55-year-old female patient is a neighbour of a worker in Son Loi Commune, Binh Xuyen District, northern Vinh Phuc Province, who had tested positive for the virus after coming back home from a training course in China’s Wuhan City – the centre of the deadly virus spreading.

In response to the situation that Vinh Phuc has detected nine people having nCoV infection, the Vinh Phuc Provincial Department of Health has issued recommendations to locals to implement epidemic preventive measures against nCoV, such as regularly washing hands with soap, cleaning items with regular detergents and wearing a mask when going to public places or on transport means. When the weather is cold, they have been suggested to avoid closing their houses’ doors, while keeping warm and installing heaters to limit the multiplication of nCoV and the spread of the disease. Local factories should be ventilated and equipped with heaters when the weather is cold.

A mission from the Ministry of Health led by Deputy Minister Truong Quoc Cuong checks the prevention and control of nCoV spread at a Lao Cai Province’s border gate on February 9, 2020.

On Sunday afternoon, the People's Committee of Thua Thien - Hue Province said that from February 9, Hue Central Hospital began performing tests for nCoV infection, instead of sending samples to Pasteur Institute of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa Province. This is the fifth unit in Vietnam and the first hospital in the central region and the Central Highlands to perform testing for nCoV. On the same day, the Military Command of Thua Thien - Hue cooperated with the province’s Steering Committee on nCoV epidemic prevention to rehearse the receival of Vietnamese citizens returning from China.

The MoH has also responded to the Ministry of Education and Training for giving professional advice on conditions and criteria for students to leave school. Accordingly, for localities where no nCoV infection case has been detected, it is possible to let pupils return to schools after disinfecting classrooms while ensuring hygienic conditions to prevent diseases for them. Children, parents and teachers should be guided on how to prevent nCoV infection in schools. For localities that have reported nCoV infection cases, they should continue to monitor the situation and only let the students back to school after disinfecting classroom and applying preventive conditions, and only after 14 days of isolation for nCoV infection and without new cases reported. The MoH also suggests that people maintain a nutritious diet to boost the prevention and treatment of nCoV.

Thanh Hoa Province policemen provide free medical masks to workers at Truong Thang Garment Company, Nong Cong District.

According to the MoH’s infectious disease surveillance system, up to 9:30 am on February 10, the world has recorded 40,554 cases of nCoV infection, of which 40,171 cases and 908 deaths have been recorded in mainland China. Twenty-seven countries and territories (outside of mainland China) have reported cases of nCoV infection.

Vietnam has recorded 14 infection cases, with three who were successfully treated and discharged from hospital, while the country has 82 suspected cases and 745 cases that have been confirmed negative for the deadly virus. Nhan Dan

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