The hotel where the 237th COVID-19 patient stayed in Ninh Bình Province was treated with disinfectant. — VNA/VNS Photo Đức Phương

NINH BÌNH — The authorities in Ninh Bình have tracked and traced more than 20 people who they believe came into close contact with a COVID-19 positive Swedish man who was staying the region.

They have all been tested for coronavirus and so far, all their signs are normal.

The carrier was patient 237, a 64-year-old man from Sweden who has been in Việt Nam since December.

He stayed at Ngọc Anh Hotel at 38 Lương Văn Tuy Street in Ninh Bình Province from February 22 to March 21.

Director of Ninh Bình Centre for Disease Control (CDC) Lê Hoàng Nam said the man often went out drinking in local bars and visited a number of tourist sites during his stay.

The authority has since identified one particular bar he visited regularly and a liquor store he often shopped at.

Before leaving the province on March 21, the man also went to a dental clinic close to where he was staying.

The driver and passengers of the vehicle he travelled in have also been located and tested for the virus. Results are being analysed by Ninh Bình General Hospital.

On March 26, he was involved in a traffic accident and was sent to Việt Nam – France Hospital in an ambulance. He returned to a hotel afterwards.

On March 31, he started having a nosebleed and had an examination at Đức Giang General Hospital then was transferred to the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion.

The patient was confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 on April 1 and admitted to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

In Hà Nội, 89 health workers who had close contact with the patient were quarantined and tested.

The health workers include 18 from Đức Giang Hospital, 45 of the Central Institute for Hematology and Blood Transfusion, four of Hospital E and 22 of Việt Nam – France Hospital.

The hospitals and hotel where he stayed have been disinfected. — VNS