The apartment building in Hoài Đức District where Patient 785 lives was disinfected Friday night. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The latest person to test positive for COVID-19 in Hà Nội is the director of a food company who had been to Đà Nẵng for a family vacation.

The 42-year-old man lives in Đức Thượng Commune on the outskirts of the capital in Hoài Đức district.

The Hà Nội Centre for Disease Control (CDC) have made public his travel history in a bid to track and trace anyone he came into contact with.

So far, they have traced nine people the man came into close contact with since returning from the central city and before testing positive for coronavirus.

During July 16-20, he went to Đà Nẵng with a group of 10 people, his immediate family and other relatives.

They all live within the same apartment building in Hoài Đức.

In Đà Nẵng, the group went to Bà Nà Hill on July 17. A day later, they visited Linh Ứng Pagoda, Đầm Dừa and Hội An.

They spent the July 19 in Đà Nẵng, buying souvenirs and gifts.

On the morning of July 20, they flew back on Vietnam Airlines flight VN154 (the patient and his relatives sat at rows 29 and 30).

After landing at Nội Bài Airport in Hà Nội, the two families hailed two separate taxis to get home.

On July 21, the patient’s family paid a visit to his sister in Hà Đông District, and met with his brother from Thanh Hoá Province who was visiting Hà Nội.

During July 26-27, the patient went to work in Thăng Long 2 Industrial Zone, Mỹ Hào District, Hưng Yên Province as usual.

The commute was by a company’s coach, which he shared with 12 other employees of the company.

The patient said he usually slept on the way, rarely spoke to other passengers but mostly to the driver, and wore a mask for the journey.

The driver is currently residing in Xuân Trạch village, Xuân Canh Commune, Đông Anh District.

The man worked in a large office room and did not attend many meetings, with most meeting conducted online.

The patient regularly has close contact with five people, including his secretary, the company’s chief accountant, human resources manager, planning manager and one other employee.

From July 27 until August 5, he began self-isolating at home after news broke over the newly detected COVID-19 cases in Đà Nẵng and potential outbreak in Hà Nội.

On August 3, the patient reported symptoms of coughing and tightness in his chest, but no fever or breathing difficulties.

On August 4, 14 days after he returned from Đà Nẵng, the patient still felt fine and went down to the building’s grounds to play shuttlecock, while wearing a mask.

On August 6, the patient returned to work but hearing the case of another COVID-19 patient reported in Hà Nội, he asked for a leave in the afternoon and went to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases’ second branch in Đông Anh District for examination.

He tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and is currently being treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

His entire apartment building was disinfected by the Hoài Đức District’s medical centre staff last night.

Trần Quang Tuấn, head of the centre, said that nine people who had close contact with the patient have been identified and the tracers are looking for more.

The building tenants have been asked to stay at home for now and police have been deployed to maintain security. — VNS