Vietnam detects a suspect case with COVID-19 in community

Hospital C where the patient visited for medical check-ups has been locked down and disinfected against the possible spread of the virus

The man, who lives in Lien Chieu district, has twice tested positive for the virus by the Da Nang Centre for Disease Control.

The RT-PCR test was then confirmed on July 24 by the Nha Trang Pasteur Institute, but doctors are awaiting the results to be confirmed by the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, scheduled for July 25 morning.

The patient said he had virus symptoms like a high temperature, a cough with sputum on July 20, and decided to see a doctor at Hospital C in Da Nang City the same day.

He said he has only stayed in Da Nang for the past month taking care of family affairs and meeting with his neighbours.

During the past month, he visited Da Nang Hospital to look after his mother, visited one of his relatives for a party and attended a wedding party in Hai Chau district. 

Relevant agencies scrambled to impose a lockdown on Hospital C in Da Nang and quarantine 50 people who had contact with the patient.

The Da Nang Municipal Department of Health tested those who had close contact with the patient, with 103 samples all coming back negative.

The department also directed relevant agencies to conduct epidemiological investigations, trace close contacts, and cordon off the patient’s house, in an attempt to prevent the possible spread of the virus to the community.

The patient was later transferred to Da Nang Hospital for medical surveillance and treatment. He is likely to be put on the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a life support machine, due to severe pneumonia, said doctors.

Medical workers disinfected Da Nang Hospital and Hospital C.

If the test is confirmed, this will be the first coronavirus case to be detected in the community over 99 days in a row in Vietnam.