As reported, two Chinese nationals, residents of Wuhan, who had been detected with fever manifestations at Da Nang International Airport, were found negative to nCoV and have been discharged from the hospital. Thus, up until Jan 19, Vietnam has not yet recorded any cases of nCoV.
The MoH has noticed that as several countries in the region have recorded acute pneumonia caused by nCoV, the risk of the disease spreading into Vietnam is very possible, especially as the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) festival approaches.
For that reason, the ministry continues to direct and closely monitor epidemics at border gates and hospitals and in the community to quickly detect any suspected cases for timely treatment, while sending missions to inspect disease prevention and control in localities to ensure that disease prevention work is carried out continuously even during Tet and other festivals at the beginning of the new lunar year.
To proactively prevent acute pneumonia caused by nCoV, the MoH has provided advice for people on how to protect themselves from the virus by warning them to limit contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections. If necessary, people should wear surgical masks and keep their distance.
People were also advised to keep warm, maintain personal hygiene, wash their hands with soap and gargle with antiseptic mouthwash to prevent pneumonia, the ministry said.
The ministry also recommended that people cover their mouths and noses when coughing or sneezing, preferably with a cloth or handkerchief, to reduce the spread of respiratory secretions, as well as to limit close contact with animals or wildlife.
The MoH also suggested that people in the city who had returned from Wuhan, or had close contact with a person with pneumonia, in the last 14 days should visit their nearest health centre for examination and treatment if they show any signs of fever, coughing or shortness of breath.
The move came after the ministry said that Wuhan – the capital of China’s Hubei Province – had admitted 59 people to hospital with an unidentified form of pneumonia, including 45 cases of acute pneumonia caused by nCoV, and 41 of them tested positive for nCoV.
Chinese health officials on Monday morning confirmed the third fatality from acute pneumonia caused by nCoV. China also recorded three more patients with nCoV pneumonia, with two in Beijing and one in Guangdong.
According to the Wuhan Health Department's announcement on January 20, by Sunday evening, the locality had recorded 198 cases of acute pneumonia caused by nCoV, including three deaths, 44 in critical condition and 25 cases of recovery and discharge.
In other countries in Asia, there have been some cases of nCoV-induced acute pneumonia, including two in Thailand (both are residents from Wuhan traveling in Thailand) and one in Japan (a Japanese returning from Wuhan who had contact with patients with acute pneumonia there).
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there is no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission so far.
