COVID-19: 17 out of 18 fresh infections linked to Da Nang outbreak
VOV.VN - The Ministry of Health on August 14 afternoon announced 18 more new cases of COVID-19, including 17 related to central Da Nang city, and one of illegal entry into Vietnam which were quarantined in Ho Chi Minh City.
The latest case in Ho Chi Minh is a 27 year-old Chinese man who illegally entered into the northern Vietnamese border on July 27 together with other 7 Chinese people.
His third sample came back positive for SARS-CoV-2 on August 12 after he tested twice negative earlier. Currently the patient is isolated for treatment at Cu Chi field Hospital.
The remaining 17 cases related to Da Nang are patients, care takers and those having close contact with infected people.
The same day, 12 COVID-19 patients, including 10 in the central city of Da Nang and two in Ba Ria-Vung Taun were declared to have fully recovered from the disease.
Of the total active infections, 437 patients have declared to be free from COVID-19, representing a recovery rate of 47%. Among 471 cases in treatment, 50 have tested negative once and 91 others at least twice.
Currently, more than 172,000 people who had contact with COVID-19 patients and returned from abroad have been put in isolation for medical surveillance at medical centres, concentrated quarantine facilities and places of residence.
With regard to the current epidemic situation in two major cites- Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that Hanoi is still at a high risk as it has a large number of people who recently returned from Da Nang.
The Ministry of Health has strived to provide comprehensive support to the capital, especially in terms of its testing capacity. Out of a total of 30,000 test samples collected in Hanoi, no positive cases were detected. As such, the Ministry of Health has asked the Director of the Hanoi Department of Health to expand sampling and screening tests at hospitals throughout the capital.
According to the Ministry of Health's assessment, Ho Chi Minh City has done well to cope with the impact with the disease, with punishments being enforced on those who fail to wear a face mask in public places. Indeed, following 40,000 samples being tested, no additional cases were detected.
By 6:00 pm of the day, the country reported 929 COVID-19 cases, including 322 imported ones, 461 related to the central city of Da Nang since July 25, and 21 fatalities caused by underlying health issues and COVID-19.