HÀ NỘI — Two new cases of COVID-19 were announced on Friday afternoon raising the country’s total patients to 257, according to the latest report from the Ministry of Health.

The 256^th patient is a 52-year-old Vietnamese man living in Đình Dù Commune, Văn Lâm District in the northern province of Hưng Yên. He returned from Russia to Việt Nam on March 27 on flight SU290 and entered the country via Nội Bài International Airport in Hà Nội. He was then immediately put into quarantine at the Vĩnh Phúc Art and Culture School in Vĩnh Phúc Province. Now he is undergoing treatment at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases No 2 in Hà Nội’s Đông Anh District.

A 15-year-old Vietnamese girl was confirmed as the 257^th patient. She lives in Hạ Lôi Village, Mê Linh Commune, Mê Linh District in Hà Nội. She is a student and has been at home all the time. Her father is a friend of the 243^rd patient. The 243^rd patient came to her house and talked to her father on March 20.

She started to experience a high temperature and sniffles on April 8, and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 two days later. Her father tested negative for the virus. Now she is also undergoing treatment at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases No 2. — VNS