COVID-19: Two patients die, death toll rises to 34

The 69-year-old patient, a resident of Da Nang city, the country’s largest coronavirus outbreak, tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus on August 5.

He was given treatment at Da Nang Lung Hospital and died there on August 31. The patient was diagnosed with severe pneumonia, respiratory failure, septic shock, irreversible multi-organ failure, heart stroke, diabetes (type II), and chronic renal failure.

Meanwhile, another COVID-19 patient, 55, also died at home in Da Nang city. The man experienced septic shock, respiratory failure, diabetes (Type II), and severe depression. He had tested negative three times but the latest fourth test on August 27 showed he was still carrying the virus.  

The two were the 33rd and 34th coronavirus fatalities Vietnam has recorded since the virus resurged in the country in late July. During the previous months Vietnam had registered no deaths at all.

Most of the deaths were elderly people who suffered from serious diseases such as end-stage chronic kidney failure, end-stage blood cancer, coronary syndrome, acute respiratory failure, polyarthritis, hypertension, diabetes (Types 2), sepsis, pneumonia, and multi-organ failure.

According to the Ministry of Health, six out of 11 severe cases are currently in critical condition and they are at a high risk of death. They were all locally transmitted and closely linked to the Da Nang outbreak.

As of 06.00hrs August 31, Vietnam had confirmed a total of 1,040 cases, including 695 recoveries.

The remaining 372 cases are receiving treatment at health facilities across the country, with 144 cases having tested negative at least once.