An isolation area in HCM City. The Ministry of Health reports five new COVID-19 patients, bringing the country’s total cases to 153 on Thursday evening. — Photo qdnd.vn

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Health reported five new COVID-19 patients on Thursday evening, bringing the country’s total to 153.

Two of the five patients returned from abroad and entered Việt Nam from March 21 to 23 and were quarantined upon entry. The rest caught SARS-COV-2 from patients inside the country.

Case number 149 is a male patient, 40, Vietnamese national, living in Long Biên District, Hà Nội. The patient works in Hessen, Germany. On March 23, he arrived at Vân Đồn International Airport on Vietnam Airlines flight VN36, seat number 55C (with his mother, 68, seat 55A). Upon entry, the patient showed no symptoms.

In the quarantine area of ​​the Military School of Quảng Ninh province, he shared a room with two other people who were also on this flight. Test results of the Quảng Ninh Centre for Disease Control on March 25 confirmed the patient positive for SARS-COV-2 while the remaining 207 passengers were negative. Authorities sent him with his mother and two roommates to Hospital No. 2 of Hạ Long City for treatment and health monitoring.

Case number 150 is also a male patient, Vietnamese nationality, 55, residing in Tân Định Ward, District 1, HCM City. On March 13, the patient and his wife came from the US to Việt Nam, transited in Taiwan, China on EVA Air flight, BR395, 2D, 2K seats and entered the country through Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport.

The patient went home after entry and went to many places and interacted with many people from March 14-18. On March 14 he had a party at his home with four attendees. He went to Bún Gánh restaurant on Hàn Thuyên Street on March 15, met 24 people at Transimex Company on March 16 and attended a party at Hoa Viên Tri kỷ restaurant on the same day.

On March 18, he met friends in Nhà Bè District and went to Family Medical at No.34 Lê Duẩn Street where he was told to go the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases. Then he was transferred to an isolation area in the Cần Giờ COVID-19 treatment hospital. On March 23, the patient had a fever, cough and sore throat and samples were taken for testing. He is undergoing treatment at Cần Giờ COVID-19 treatment hospital.

Case number 151 is a female patient, Brazilian national, 45, living in Thảo Điền Ward, District 2, HCM City. The patient works at Gia Định Shoes Company with two branches, one in Vĩnh Cửu District, Đồng Nai Province and another in An Phú Đông Ward, District 12, HCM City.

The patient is a colleague and had close contact with patient number 124. For several days she went to work with patient 124 by car with a private driver, worked together at two branches and bought coffee at a Starbucks shop in District 2.

She also went to a number of places including a restaurant in Biên Hòa City, Đồng Nai Province on March 13, An Phú supermarket on March 16, Huệ Phong factory in Gò Vấp District, HCM City on March 19. On March 23, the patient was identified as a close contact with patient number 124 and was sent to a centralised isolation ward at Area C - School for Cadet, Củ Chi District. The school is also where the driver is isolated.

Case number 152 is a female patient, Vietnamese nationality, 27, living in Tây Thạnh Ward, Tân Phú District, HCM City. The patient lives in the same house as her younger brother (patient number 127), a male employee of Bar Buddha. She works at Formica Company - 3rd floor, building 414 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Ward 5, District 3, HCM City.

Every day, the patient had close contact with four colleagues at her office from March 10-14 and a partner at the company on March 19. From March 15-18, the patient went to several places and contacted some people: going to her parents' house in Tân Bình District on March 15; having lunch with two friends at the Sen Vegetarian Restaurant in District 1 on March 17, and had close contact with a delivery person on March 18.

On March 20, she learned a COVID-19 patient had gone to Buddha Bar and isolated herself at home and was approached and monitored by the ward health clinic. On March 23, authorities took her samples and sent her to the isolation area at the Cần Giờ COVID-19 Treatment Hospital. Her company is temporarily suspended from work.

Case number 153 is a female patient, Vietnamese nationality, 60, residing in Hải Châu District, Đà Nẵng City. The patient went to Australia to visit relatives and returned to Việt Nam on March 21 on Vietnam Airlines flight VN772 at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport.

After entry, the patient was sent to the isolation ward at the National University dormitory in HCM City. She shared a room with COVID-19 case number 143 and two others. On March 23, after confirming case number 143 was positive for SARS-CoV-2, the patient and two roommates were sent to Củ Chi field hospital for isolation, monitoring and collecting samples for testing. — VNS