The health of 13 patients suffering from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has started to deteriorate, with 10 individuals being put on a ventilator, according to health authorities.

An isolation area at a treatment facility for COVID-19 patients

Of the severe cases, a total of COVID-19 patients are being treated at Hue Central Hospital, four at Da Nang General Hospital, and one at Da Nang Lung Hospital.

The remaining three patients are currently receiving treatment at Quang Nam Central Hospital and Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

An additional 21 patients who are developing serious complications are given treatment at other medical facilities.

Luong Ngoc Khue, director  of the Administration of Medical Service, said leading doctors across the country have been mobilised to treat critical cases, the majority of which involve elderly people suffering from underlying health issues.

Online consultations are held regularly to strictly monitor the health of these patients, noted Prof. Dr. Khue.

The Ministry of Health has therefore requested that medical centres provide regular updates on the changing COVID-19 epidemic situation in order to timely detect all suspected cases, particularly those coming from the areas which have been heavily affected by the latest outbreak.

Hospitals have been asked to strictly implement the guiding documents issued by the Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control and the Administration of Medical Service, while also taking a range of preventive measures to avoid cross infection at treatment facilities.

As of the morning of August 3, Vietnam has recorded 621 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with six fatalities being reported so far.

Infographic: VN conducts 78 citizen repatriation flights

Viet Nam has arranged 78 rescue flights since April 10 to bring over 19,082 citizens stranded overseas back home.

The rescue flights have landed at five designated airports, namely Van Don, Noi Bai, Da Nang, Tan Son Nhat and Can Tho.

All the incoming passengers shall be quarantined and tested for Covid-19 as currently regulated.

Covid-19 infections detected at all industrial zones in Danang

Four employees at four different firms in Hoa Khanh, Van Don, Tho Quang and Hoa Cam industrial parks in Danang have been tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.

According to the trade union of hi-tech and industrial zones in Danang, four firms with positive patients are Mane-K Company which has 400 workers, Sinaran with 500 workers, Matrix with 2,000 workers and Danang Sea-products Import-Export Corporation with 800 labourers.

Mane-K has suspended operation since July 31 while three other companies are still in operation. Danang CDC has worked with related agencies to control the spread of the virus, disinfect the factories and quarantine people close to the patients.

Danang has over 77,000 employed workers. After news about the first patient in Danang was announced last week, firms have implemented preventive measures to ensure safety for employees and operation such as taking body temperatures, wearing face masks, washing hands and keeping distance.

Many people have called on firms to let employees stay home to self-isolate for 14 days. However, Dinh Thi Thu Ha, vice head of Danang Labour Union, said it was impractical.

"Letting employees stay home for 14 days will push firms, especially firms that are rushing to complete orders, to the brink of bankruptcy and employees will not have wages. Many may be unemployed for a long time," she said.

Huynh Duc Tho, chairman of Danang People's Committee, issued a directive on August 1 to ask all localities to implement preventive measures and asked firms at industrial parks to ease production schedule and adjust business plans.

Covid-19 dead bodies in Danang cremated

All bodies of patients who die of Covid-19 in Danang have to be cremated to mitigate the risk of viral infection, according to the municipal Department of Health.

Under the Ministry of Health’s regulations, people who die of Covid-19-related causes can be buried or cremated in line with strict virus prevention steps.    

The bodies need to be buried or cremated within 24 hours since after the patients die. Only medical staff and patients’ relatives who are guided with the virus prevention regulations and provided with safety equipment are allowed to join the burial or cremation ceremony. The whole burial and cremation areas are quarantined and sterilised before and after receiving the bodies.

However, the ministry said that the cremation needs to be prioritised to reduce possible infection.

Danang City’s Department of Health has instructed to cremate all patients who die of the pandemic at An Phuong Vien Cremation Centre in Hoa Vang District.

The department noted that in cases, the same regulations are also applied to other patients who are being treated at quarantined areas of Danang Hospital, Danang C Hospital, Da Nang Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Hospital and Danang Oncology.

Currently, An Phuoc Vien is the only cremation centre in Danang which can handle 12 bodies maxim a day.

Vietnam has to date confirmed six deaths connected to Covid-19, including four patients at Danang Hospital and Danang Oncology hospitals and the two others at Hue Central Hospital. These patients are all elderly and have different serious other diseases such as heart and kidney problems.

Urgent notification on movement history of Covid-19 patients

The Ministry of Health has just issued an urgent notification calling on those who were present at the following addresses to contact the nearest health establishments for health instructions.
1. No. 10 Pham Quang Anh, An Hai Bac Ward, Son Tra District, Da Nang, on the afternoon and evening of July 18;

2. Mercure Danang French Village, Ba Na Hills, Da Nang, from July 19-20.

3. Alilte Luxury Hotel at No. 9, Phan Boi Chau, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province, from July 20-21.

4. Hue Homestay Villa at No. 27 Le Trung Dinh, Thuan Loc Ward, Hue city, Thua Thien – Hue Province, from July 23-24.

5. Mat Biec Coffee at No. 68 Bao Vinh, Huong Vang Ward, Huong Tra District, Thua Thien – Hue Province on July 23.

The Ministry of Health is also finding passengers onboard the flights VN155 from Da Nang to Buon Ma Thuot on July 25 and VN119 from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City on July 25.

All the above people are also urged to contact the ministry’s hotline 19009095 or Da Nang Center for Disease Control’s hotline 0905 108 844, or Quang Nam Center for Disease Control’s hotline 0914 085 388, or Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control’s hotline 0869 577 133, or Thua Thien-Hue Center for Disease Control’s hotline 0907 795 480 to provide phone numbers of those who have been in close contact with them.

All the above people have to declare health status at address https://tokhaiyte.vn or download an app at https://ncovi.vn and regularly update their health conditions.

This is the 22nd emergency notification issued by the Minsitry of Health since July 25.

Da Nang considers home quarantine for COVID-19 patients

As the country’s latest COVID-19 hotspot, Da Nang city is considering implementing a home quarantine on individuals in the event that the number of infections increases rapidly, said Huynh Duc Tho, head of the municipal administration.

“The city is ready for this option which will be carried out in a strict manner,” Tho stated on August 2 during an online cabinet meeting.

However, he revealed the Ministry of Health doesn’t yet feel the need to encourage the idea.

This comes after Da Nang has recorded 120 fresh cases of community transmission since the first case was detected on July 25. The central city has since imposed a lockdown on five hospitals and several residential areas, in an effort to prevent the virus from spreading further within the community.

“With patient zero yet to be found, we feel more people in the community will be susceptible to the virus,” said Tho.

Due to the virus rapidly spreading, Tho went on to describe how the city has adopted a strategy of stepping up contact tracing, conducting extensive testing, quarantining individuals, and putting every effort into stamping out the fresh outbreak.

The official added that Da Nang is planning to build a second field hospital at the municipal trade fair and exhibition centre in order to ease the burden on overloaded hospitals.

Work originally began on the first field hospital in the city’s Tien Son sport complex on July 31, and the medical centre is expected to take shape on August 5. Once the project is complete, it will be capable of receiving and treating thousands of COVID-19 patients.

One new COVID-19 case reported early August 3

Vietnam on August 3 morning confirmed one new locally transmitted case of COVID-19, a 60-year-old woman from the central province of Quang Ngai with link to the Da Nang hospital hot spot.

According to the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control, she visited and took care of a sick relative at Da Nang Hospital in the central city between July 18-22.

This case brought the number of cases connected to the outbreak in Da Nang to 174. The outbreak began with the detection of a 57-year-old male patient on July 25 and ended the streak of 99 days of no community infections in Vietnam. It has also resulted in six deaths, all of them with serious underlying health conditions.

The national tally has so far amounted to 621, of which 307 were imported cases and were quarantined right upon entry.

The committee’s treatment sub-committee reported that 373 cases have recovered so far. Among the remaining active patients, ten have tested negative for the coronavirus once and six at least twice. There have been sixth deaths.

Quang Nam isolates areas amid Covid-19 case rise

The central province of Quang Nam has decided to quarantine several residential areas due to developments in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Under the decision, Thinh My street area in Hoi An City with 163 households which is home to 3 Covid-19 cases have been put under quarantine since midnight Sunday.  

Quang Nam isolates areas amid Covid-19 case rise. 

Authorities set up five quarantine stations in the area, including three on Lac Long Quan Street, one on Truong Minh Hung Street and the other on De Vong Street.

Many other vulnerable areas in Dien Ban District have been isolated since Sunday afternoon, including Chau Lau Village and part of Dong Duc Village with 1,800 people in total; Nam Ha Village with 2,004 people and part of Dien Nam Dong Ward with 1,200 people.

Meanwhile, Residential Area 4 in Dien Hong Commune with 184 people is also in the list.

In Thang Binh District, provincial authorities have zoned and isolated Luu Minh residential area in Ha Lam Town which has 384 people since midnight Sunday.

By Monday morning, Hoi An had 12 Covid-19 cases. Around 230 people have been identified to have had close contact with the patients; while 500 others have contacted them at varying levels.

Since July 31, authorities in Quang Nam have decided to reinstate enhanced social distancing regulations throughout the popular tourist city of Hoi An for Covid-19 prevention.

Stranded tourists in Da Nang given support

Over 300 tourists stranded in the central city of Da Nang due to the new COVID-19 outbreak have received support from the local tourism department and hotels to ensure their safety during the social distancing period.

Some 314 tourists are now stranded in Da Nang. The local tourism department has arranged for six hotels to accommodate them during the social distancing period. When not free, room rates range from 8.6 to 12.9 USD per night.

The list of supporting hotels is available on the city’s information portal and Facebook fanpage Danang Fantiscity. The support of hotels and the local tourism department have left a good impression on the tourists./.

Vietnam repatriates 230 citizens from Thailand due to COVID-19

Low-cost airline VietJet Air on August 2 successfully brought home more than 230 Vietnamese citizens left stranded in Thailand due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The repatriation flight was arranged by Vietnamese agencies, the Vietnamese embassy in Thailand, and relevant Thai agencies. 

On board the flight were minors under 18, elderly people, pregnant women, sick people, students without accommodation due to the closure of dormitories, workers with expired contracts, and others in specially difficult circumstances.

The Vietnamese embassy in Thailand dispatched staff to the airport to assist the citizens with necessary procedures before they boarded the plane.

VietJet Air strictly implemented medical measures to prevent the possible spread of the novel coronavirus throughout the journey.

As soon as the aircraft landed at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, all crew members and passengers underwent medical check-ups and were transferred to quarantine facilities in line with regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control.

Under Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s instructions, domestic authorities and Vietnamese representative offices abroad are devising plans to bring home more Vietnamese nationals based on their needs and the nation’s current quarantine capacity.