The information was confirmed by the Vietnamese Ministry of Health (MoH) on Monday (Feb 3) morning, saying that the female patient residing in Binh Xuyen District, Vinh Phuc Province joined a delegation (including eight workers) on a training course in China’s Wuhan City, the centre of the nCoV epidemic. Other three workers in this group were also found to be positive for nCoV on Jan 30.
Up until now, Vietnam has recorded eight positive cases with nCoV, including the latest case in Vinh Phuc, two Chinese nationals (a man and his son, with the son already recovering), three Vietnamese citizens returning home from Wuhan, a Vietnamese receptionist in close contact with two Chinese patients above, and an American citizen who came to Vietnam after transiting in Wuhan.
The female patient in Vinh Phuc and her seven colleagues were sent to Wuhan for training by Japan-invested Nihon Plast Co., Ltd. and returned to Vietnam on China Southern Airlines flight CZ8315 on Jan 17. They are in the same team with the three patients previously identified as positive with nCoV before.
On Jan 31, a MoH’s task force inspected the outbreak in Binh Xuyen and took the samples from the female patient and immediately put her into isolated treatment. Currently, the patient is being isolated at Dong Anh Central Tropical Diseases Hospital in Hanoi and her health is in stable condition.
By 7:30 am on Feb 3, the world has recorded 17,387 people suffering from acute respiratory infections caused by nCoV, with 362 deaths, of which 361 fatalities reported in mainland China and one death in the Philippines.
Given the complicated situation of nCoV epidemic, Vietnam is urgently carrying out various epidemic control measures. On Feb 2, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed Official Letter No. 156 /CĐ-TTg on strengthening the prevention and control of acute respiratory infections caused by nCoV, urging for limiting crowds and stopping all festivals in localities have announced nCoV outbreaks. Students have been allowed to leave their schools.
All classrooms, libraries and campuses in Hoang Dieu Primary School in Hanoi’s Ba Dinh District sprayed with disinfectant on February 1, 2020. (Photo: NDO/Duy Linh)
At least 36 cities and provinces nationwide have decided to temporarily close schools from February 3 in an effort to stem the spreading of the virus, following PM Phuc’s instruction to give students a temporary break over the concern about the novel virus. A total of 137 universities and colleges have also announced to extend the Lunar New Year holiday for one or two more weeks.
On Feb 2, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs issued an urgent notice asking companies in Vietnam to suspend receiving Chinese workers who return from infected areas in China after the Lunar New Year holiday. Those who have already arrived in Vietnam must be quarantined and monitored for 14 days, the notice says. Industrial parks, processing and economic zones across the country must also halt granting new working permits to foreigners from infected areas. The ministry also recommended to temporarily postpone the departure of Vietnamese guest workers to countries reporting nCoV infection.
The National Super Cup 2019 has also been postponed because of the nCoV outbreak. The Vietnam Football Federation has decided to cancel the tournament’s opening match between Hanoi FC and Ho Chi Minh City FC on February 7. It said the match would be held on February 21 or March 1 instead.
On Feb 2, Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam, Head of the National Steering Committee for Prevention and Control of Acute Respiratory Infections caused by nCoV, inspected the disease prevention and control in Quang Ninh Province. The delegation checked the special quarantine area in Mong Cai City and the immigration area at Mong Cai International Border Gate. A local special isolation hospital is in its final process, with a capacity of 500 beds, to provide isolated treatment to patients.
Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam (far left) inspects the prevention and control of pneumonia caused by nCoV at the Mong Cai International Border Gate in Quang Ninh Province on February 2, 2020. (Photo: NDO/Quang Tho)
The deputy PM asked the local authorities and functional units to well carry the welcome of Vietnamese people to China to do business and now to return home, while seriously implementing quarantine to not let the pathogens go deep into Vietnam.
According to a quick report from Mong Cai City authorities, by 2 pm on Feb 2, the city has isolated 105 people returning to Vietnam from China.
On Sunday afternoon, a delegation from the MoH led by Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen inspected the prevention and control of nCoV in Lang Son Province. The delegation checked the work at Dong Dang International Railway Station, Huu Nghi International Border Gate and Dong Dang Regional Clinic in Cao Loc District. Vice Chairman of Lang Son Provincial People’s Committee Duong Xuan Huyen reported that up until now Lang Son has not recorded any cases of nCoV infection yet. As it has a long border with China, Deputy Minister Tuyen proposed Lang Son to set up inspection and supervision teams, while its rapid response teams must be available 24 hours a day when an outbreak occurs.
Hospitals in Da Nang City are monitoring 22 suspected cases of nCoV infection, including one Chinese and 21 Vietnamese. Currently the health of most of the patients has stabilised, while some cases are still with mild fever. On the morning of Feb 2, the People's Committee of Da Nang City hosted an environmental cleaning campaign and distributed leaflets to encourage local citizens to prevent and fight nCoV.
Da Nang leaders inspect the prevention and control of nCoV spread at Da Nang International Airport. (Photo: Da Nang Centre for Disease Control).
On Feb 2, Thai Nguyen Provincial Party Standing Committee held a meeting on prevention and control of diseases caused by nCoV, requesting the local agencies to closely monitor cases at risk of nCoV infection to avoid spreading to the community.
Vinh Phuc Province has organised a training course to guide the diagnosis and treatment of acute respiratory infections caused by nCoV for commune health stations and village health workers in Binh Xuyen and Tam Duong districts, where two people were infected with nCoV. By Feb 2, all agencies, units, schools and crowded areas in Tam Duong and Binh Xuyen districts were sprayed with disinfectant.
Nam Dinh Provincial People's Committee has issued a document instructing the People's Committee of Nam Dinh City and related units on stopping the opening of the 2020 Tran Temple Festival in Loc Vuong Ward, Nam Dinh City, which is expected to open on the night of Feb 7.
Spraying and disinfecting means through a quarantine post in Quang Lam Commune, Dien Bien Province’s Muong Nhe District. (Photo: NDO)
On Feb 2, the Vietnam Railways said that it is considering to suspend the operation of Vietnam - China international transit train against the complex development of nCoV epidemic. The railway industry has deployed spraying disinfectant and epidemic prevention at transport stations such as Dong Dang, Lao Cai and Gia Lam.
Facing the high risk of nCoV spreading, on Feb 3, the border guard station at Mong Cai International Border Gate and the Quang Ninh Border Guard donated 10,000 medical masks to the Dongxing City’s border and immigration station in China’s Guangxi Province.
A policeman in Dak Lak Province distributes free medical masks to people traveling by coach on Ho Chi Minh Highway. (Photo: NDO)
