A 73-year-old Vietnamese-American patient, who had been diagnosed with COVID-19, was discharged from the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in HCM City yesterday (Friday, Feb 21) following nearly three weeks of treatment. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY— An American national who tested positive for COVID-19 and was treated at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in HCM City was discharged on Friday from the hospital after nearly three weeks of treatment.  

Nguyễn Văn Vĩnh Châu, the hospital’s director, said that the hospital had complied with the Ministry of Health’s treatment protocols.

The 73-year-old Vietnamese-American patient had a number of underlying health conditions, making treatment more difficult.

The man was under severe stress initially but warm care and dedicated treatment from the hospital’s doctors and nurses have helped him "regain his spirit," he said during an interview with the media.

“A patient’s psychological state is a decisive element that can lead to successful treatment,” Vĩnh Châu said. 

According to the Ministry of Health, the man arrived at the city’s Tân Sơn Nhất Airport on a China Southern Airlines flight from the US to Việt Nam on January 15 after having a two-hour transit in Wuhan, China. 

He stayed at a hotel in District 3. On January 26, he started feeling ill, with severe coughing and breathing difficulties and was brought to the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases on January 31.

He tested positive for COVID-19 and was taken to an isolation room at the hospital.  

After treatment, tests were taken five more times and the results were negative for COVID-19, but the hospital still kept him for treatment of his other diseases.

As of Friday afternoon, HCM City had no new patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Fifteen out of 16 patients tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals. — VNS