COVID-19: Vietnam stays clear of fresh coronavirus cases with 893 recoveries

Of the confirmed patients, 691 are cases of local transmission, and 368 cases were imported and put into quarantine immediately upon entry.

The number of infected cases related to the outbreak in the central city of Da Nang since the resurgence of the virus in late July stands at 551.

A total of  24 COVID-19 patients were declared to be free from the novel coronavirus over the past two days, lifting the overall number of recoveries to 893, while the number of fatalities remains at 35, with most of them being the elderly suffering serious underlying health problems.

Among the active patients receiving treatment, 19 have tested negative for the novel coronavirus once, 15 twice, and 22 three times.

There are more than 36,120 people in quarantine throughout the country after they came into close contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases or they have recently returned from pandemic-hit areas.

On September 9, the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control discussed how to ensure safety as the nation is poised to resume certain international flights as from September 15. 

Regarding the opening of flights for foreign experts to enter Vietnam, the Ministry of Health has consulted and studied the process from a number of countries, and issued instructions.

Accordingly, experts who are not subject to an isolation period of 14 days, must have a negative RT-PCR test result 3-5 days before their arrival in Vietnam. When entering Vietnam, the first test is required. After that, testing will be conducted every 2 days.

At the meeting, the Ministry of Science and Technology said it would order new products. If the test reagents give good results, the committee will propose conducting tests at airports and expand the testing at hospitals and in crowded events.