No Title

HÀ NỘI — Two patients from the northern province of Vĩnh Phúc who were infected with coronavirus (COVID-19) were released from hospital at 10am today (February 18).

This raises the number of patients discharged from hospital to nine.

Phạm Văn Ch, a 29-year-old man from Tam Dương District, tested positive for the virus on January 1. He was among group of workers attending a training course in China’s Wuhan – the epicentre of the epidemic.

N. T. Y., a 55-year-old woman from Sơn Lôi Commune in Bình Xuyên District, tested positive for the virus on February 9.

N. T. Y. is a neighbour of Nguyen Thi D, a worker who also returned from Wuhan. The worker was discharged from hospital on February 10.

During Tết (Lunar New Year), Y visited D for about an hour. Two days later, Y began suffering a high fever, headache, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing.

She tested positive for COVID-19 and was sent to the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hà Nội, where Ch was treated.

The National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hà Nội received a total of five patients from Vĩnh Phúc and all have been cured and released so far.

Also, four patients treated at the clinic in Bình Xuyên District, Vĩnh Phúc Province, were expected to be discharged today.

According to the Vĩnh Phúc Health Department’s director Nguyễn Thanh Hải, the four patients tested negative for the virus after two rounds of tests.

Three of the patients are the mother, sister and cousin of worker Nguyen Thi D.

The fourth was Nguyen Thi D’s colleague who was sent to Wuhan for the training course.

So far, Việt Nam has reported 16 cases of the virus. As of February 13, there have been no new cases.

The six patients who were released from hospital previously are in a stable condition. They have since tested negative for the virus.

Vĩnh Phúc is the province with the most people infected with coronavirus, 11 patients.

The source of infection was from a group of eight workers of Nihon Plast Company who were sent to a training course in Wuhan. They returned home on January 17.

One of these eight workers, D., infected five others, including her father, mother, younger sister, cousin, neighbour and 3-month-old-baby who was infected by her grandmother, a cousin of D.

Thus, if all six cases were announced to be cured of COVID-19, up to now, the total number of patients who have recovered from the virus would be 13 out of 16.

Three cases were still being monitored but their condition was progressing well. They were expected to be released from hospital soon, according to health workers.

Medical equipment assistance

The clinic in Sơn Lôi Commune, Bình Xuyên District in Vĩnh Phúc Province, today received a mobile X-ray van donated by the National Lung Hospital.

The vehicle is a special van with a disinfection system, advanced digital technology, automatic film reading and artificial intelligence systems which help detect lung diseases and respiratory problems, said Dr. Nguyễn Viết Nhung, director of the National Lung Hospital.

The mobile X-ray van also has a transmission system which sends images to doctors at the National Lung Hospital, he said.

Together with the X-ray van, the Sơn Lôi Clinic was also offered an ambulance and provided with information and preventive measures on the COVID-19 epidemic.

The hospital would continue to offer medical supplies such as disinfectants, medical masks and protective clothing.

Sơn Lôi Commune was quarantined on February 13.

So far, Vình Phúc Province had set up several measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

Yesterday, the provincial People’s Committee issued a letter to relevant agencies to enhance management over animal breading farms and strictly control wildlife trading.

At present, there are more than 200 farms breading and trading wild animals in Vĩnh Phúc Province. — VNS