A total of 163 people from the south-central province of Phú Yên Province, who have been stranded in Đà Nẵng due to movement restrictions meant to fight the COVID-19 resurgence, were tested yesterday to help them leave the city to return home soon. Đà Nẵng authorities announced that people remaining stuck in the city need to register with local authorities if they want to leave for home. The returnees have to quarantine upon their arrival. — VNA/VNS Trần Lê Lâm

HÀ NỘI — There were no new COVID-19 cases in Việt Nam on Sunday, marking only the second time there has been no new community infections in a 24 hour period since the new wave of coronavirus hit the central region.

Nineteen COVID-19 patients were declared free of the virus on Sunday, including a 21-month-old baby.

Together with 14 recoveries on Saturday, the country’s total amount of patients beating the virus now stands at 695 out of the national caseload of 1040.

On Saturday, two patients tested positive. One is a 20-year-old man from Ba Đồn District in Quảng Bình Province. He arrived back in Việt Nam on a repatriation flight from Germany last Thursday and was immediately quarantined with other passengers.

The second is a 55-year-old man, living in Hòa Phong Commune in the Hòa Vang District of Đà Nẵng City. He was a patient at Đà Nẵng Hospital and tested positive on August 28th.

The number of cases in Việt Nam found related to Đà Nẵng outbreak since July 25 now stands at 550.

On Sunday, Hoà Vang medical centre in Đà Nẵng discharged from its care 14 COVID-19 patients.

Most of them had three to five negative tests before being given the all-clear.

Two patients although already recovered from COVID-19 will remain at the centre to be treated for other health issues.

Three other COVID-19 patients were discharged from Đà Nẵng Lung Hospital on the same day.

The recovered patients will continue to be isolated at their homes for another 14 days, under the monitoring of local health authorities.

As of Sunday, 54,392 people, who either came into close contacts with confirmed cases or returned from virus-affected areas, are currently in quarantine across the country.

Deaths

On Saturday, two more deaths related to COVID-19 were recorded in Việt Nam, pushing total number of fatalities to 32.

The 31st death relating to COVID-19 in Việt Nam is a 28-year-old man from Quảng Nam Province, the youngest COVID-19 fatality in country so far.

The man lived in Quế Trung, Nông Sơn in central Quảng Nam Province and was suffering from leukeamia.

The cause of death has been recorded as pneumonia caused by COVID-19, complications of septic shock and irreversible multi-organ failure in patients with acute leukeamia.

The 32nd death is a 67-year-old woman, who lived in Liên Chiểu District in the central city, had a number of underlying health issues, including kidney failure and type 2 diabetes.

Acting Minister of Health Nguyễn Thành Long in a recent meeting with local health authorities said that the pathogen has now infiltrated the community, so even if Đà Nẵng outbreak is under control we can still expect occurrence of community transmissions in the future.

He asked health authorities to be ready for all outbreak scenarios in their jurisdiction, especially in high-risks areas such as medical facilities, industrial zones or other crowded areas, to stamp out outbreaks as early as possible. — VNS