HÀ NỘI — Four new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on Tuesday afternoon, bringing the total patients reported in Việt Nam to 249, said the Ministry of Health.

The 246^th patient is a 33-year-old Vietnamese man from Yên Thành District, the central province of Nghệ An. He works as a cook in Moscow in Russia. He returned to Việt Nam on March 24 on flight SU290, seat 49F, and entered Hà Nội's Nội Bài International Airport one day later. He was put into quarantine at FPT University’s dormitory in Thạch Thất District after entering Việt Nam. He tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on April 6 and is now being treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases No 2 in Đông Anh District.

A 28-year-old Vietnamese man was confirmed as the 247^th COVID-19 patient in the country. His residence is in Ward 1, Bình Thạnh District, HCM City. He works as a production line manager at Gia Định Shoes Co Ltd in Thanh Phú Commune, Vĩnh Cửu District in the southern province of Đồng Nai. He travels from HCM City to Đồng Nai Province for work every day, and he is a colleague of and had close contact with the 124^th and 151^st patients.

After discovering that the two patients had tested positive for the disease, he was put into quarantine on March 24 at Đồng Nai University’s dormitory. He tested negative for the disease by the HCM City Pasteur Institute on March 26 and did not show any symptoms during quarantine. On April 6, when he was finishing his quarantine, he tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. He has been moved to Đồng Nai Lung Hospital for treatment and is in a stable condition. Four people sharing his room at the quarantine centre now are under supervision but show no symptoms of the disease.

The 248^th patient is a 20-year-old Vietnamese man. He travelled from the US, transited in Japan and entered Việt Nam on flight JL079 on March 23 via Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City. He then quarantined at HCM City National University’s dormitory. As he was scheduled to finish his quarantine, he tested positive for the disease on April 5. He was then moved to Củ Chi Hospital for treatment in a stable condition. Two people sharing his room during quarantine have also been put into special care.

The last patient reported on Tuesday afternoon, the 249^th patient, is a 55-year-old Vietnamese man. He travelled from the US, transited in Hong Kong and entered Việt Nam on March 22. He started showing symptoms on March 10 in the US. After returning to Việt Nam, he was sent straight into quarantine. He had headache and slight temperature at the quarantine centre, but was not coughing. He is now being treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases No 2. — VNS