At the Hoa Vang Field Hospital in the central city of Da Nang, ten patients were announced as recovered following their treatment there.
Nguyen Dai Vinh, Director of the Health Centre of Hoa Vang District, said that the 10 recoveries were Patients No. 466, 469, 495, 555, 581, 638, 682, 685, 665 and 730, with Patient No. 685 residing Son Tra District being the eight-month baby, the child of Patient 503 who is still undergoing treatment.
This is the first time Hoa Vang Field Hospital – the largest COVID-19 treatment facility in the country at this time – has released recovered COVID-19 patients.
After being discharged from the hospital, the patients were taken to their localities by the hospital’s dispatch coaches for further isolation and medical monitoring for the next 14 days.
Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son praised the work of medical staff in the region and said the recoveries were a good sign showing that the country is heading in the right direction.
He said that the health sector of Da Nang and the central government have poured their efforts into Hoa Vang to treat patients. More than 170 COVID-19 patients remaining there will continue to be provided with the best medical service and appropriate treatment regimens during their treatment at the hospital as well as following discharge, Son affirmed.
He attributed the initial achievements to the great support of leading experts in the resuscitation, pathology, cardiology, and artificial kidney fields in supporting hospitals in Da Nang, especially the Hoa Vang Field Hospital and Da Nang Lung Hospital.
In addition, Da Nang has also received more than 100 physicians from Phu Tho, Binh Dinh and Thua Thien Hue Provinces to coordinate in treatment and resuscitation activities.
So far, Da Nang has had 15 COVID-19 patients who have recovered from the disease.
Today also marks the largest number of patients announced as recovered since the new outbreak in Da Nang on July 25.
On the same day, two other patients in the neighbouring province of Quang Nam were also released following their full recovery.
Known as Patients 716 and 719, the duo were transferred to Quang Nam Province Central General Hospital on August 6 after being confirmed positive for COVID-19.
After a week of treatment from August 6 to August 13, the patients have had multiple negative test results, thus making them eligible for discharge.
This afternoon, doctor Ma Quoc Thien, Director of Bac Lieu Provincial General Hospital, announced that his hospital has discharged a 5-year-old child patient suffering from COVID-19 after her full recovery.
The girl is from Thai Binh City in Thai Binh Province and was repatriated home from Russia on a flight which landed at Can Tho Airport on July 9. After being confirmed as having contracted the coronavirus, she was transferred to the Infectious Department at Bac Lieu General Hospital for treatment.
The total number of people successfully treated for coronavirus now stands at 421. The Ministry of Health has so far reported a total of 883 COVID-19 cases, with 18 deaths.
To support Thua Thien Hue and Quang Nam in treating critically ill COVID-19 patients, the ministry will continue to send leading experts to assist the local hospitals.
On August 13, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Health in Hanoi, Acting Health Minister Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Long awarded a donation of VND1 billion each to two frontline hospitals treating COVID-19 patients, including the Hue Central Hospital and Quang Nam Central General Hospital.
Long said that the two hospitals are currently treating several patients in critical condition and at the risk of death. The ministry has provided maximum support to the hospitals in sending leading experts to support them to treat critically ill patients.
This afternoon, the ministry has continued to send top experts to support the hospitals, Long said, adding that his ministry would continue to provide them with medical equipment, drugs and other supplies.
In order to ensure safety for the community amid the complex COVID-19 pandemic, the Steering Committee for COVID-19 Control in Da Nang on August 13 decided to apply a medical blockage on A3 Vung Thung and B1 apartment buildings in Nai Hien Dong Ward, Son Tra District, as well as Hamlet Yen Ne 2 in Hoa Tien Commune, Hoa Vang District. The quarantine period will last for about 14 days, from 10 am on August 13 and can be extended.
According to Cao Dinh Hai, Chairman of the People's Committee of Nai Hien Dong Ward, these two apartment blocks have nearly 100 households with more than 400 people. The local health sector has identified six cases of COVID-19 there, meaning local authorities must execute a quarantine order to avoid the spread of the disease.
In the neighbouring province of Quang Nam, local authorities on the same day also decided to extend the current social distancing order in Hoi An City from 0:00 on August 14, with Hoi An locals advised to stay at home except for emergencies, buying food or medicine and going to production facilities or businesses involving trade in essential goods and services.
They should wear masks when leaving home, wash their hands often with soap or disinfectant, not gather in groups of more than two in public except in offices, schools and hospitals, and maintain a distance of at least two metres from each other.
Under the newly-imposed order, local factories, production facilities, traffic and construction works, as well as essential goods and services business establishments may continue to operate but with strict disease prevention measures.
The Provincial People's Committee also requested 12 other localities (not imposing social distancing), including Tam Ky, Nui Thanh, Phu Ninh, Tien Phuoc, Bac Tra My, Nam Tra My, Hiep Duc, Nong Son, Phuoc Son, Nam Giang, Dong Giang and Tay Giang, to suspend unnecessary socio-cultural activities in order to strengthen COVID-19 prevention and control.
