A medical worker takes samples from quarantined people in Hà Nội for SARS-CoV-2 virus tests. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

HÀ NỘI — A British pilot critically ill with coronavirus is showing signs of improvement, according to the COVID-19 treatment sub-committee.

The 43-year-old is considered Việt Nam’s most seriously ill patient and works for national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines.

He has tested negative for the disease five times and doctors are preparing him to be transferred to Chợ Rẫy Hospital in HCM City for a lung transplant.

The treatment sub-committee, which is under the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, said that so far 260 patients have recovered from the disease, making up 82 per cent of the total number of people to contract the disease in Việt Nam.

A total of 58 patients are currently being treated for coronavirus at hospitals around the country. Most of them are in stable condition.

In another development, a delegation from the Ministry of Health (MoH) chaired by associate professor Lương Ngọc Khuê, director of the Medical Services Administration, on Saturday worked with medical staff at the Thái Bình Province General Hospital where 25 COVID-19 patients are being treated.

Experts from the MoH asked the hospital to do all they can to help the patients, give them special supervision, and regularly contact the MoH to discuss their conditions.

The most important work is preventing the disease from spreading to medical workers and other patients.

Earlier on Saturday morning, the treatment sub-committee assigned a task force team from the Hà Nội-based Bạch Mai Hospital to give professional support to the Thái Bình Province Hospital. — VNS