With the announcement, Vietnam has reported no new cases of the coronavirus for the past two consecutive days.
Since the first person was hospitalized for coronavirus treatment in Vietnam in late January, a total of 268 cases have been confirmed to contract the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease. NO fatalities have been reported.
Of the total, 198 patients have fully recovered and received discharge from hospital. April 17 alone saw as many as 21 healthy patients leave the hospital, a record high figure so far.
Currently, 70 COVID-19 patients, including four foreigners, are being treated at 12 health facilities across the country.
More than 10 patients have tested negative for the deadly virus, and they need more negative tests to ensure they completely recover from the disease.
Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam warns of a long battle against COVID-19 in Vietnam
At a meeting in Hanoi on April 17, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam noted that the very low rate of infection over the past days indicated that the disease has been brought under control in Vietnam.
However, he warned localities do not rest on their laurels and they need to brace themselves for a long battle against the disease as the outbreak is far from over.
On April 18, the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control is to submit a new directive on coronavirus prevention to the Prime Minister for consideration.
The new directive will detail ways of dealing with the epidemic on a national level and groups of localities falling into three risk categories.
