Deputy Director of Thanh Hoa General Hospital, Hoang Huu Truong, said that after ten days of isolated treatment and intensive care, N.T.Tr, 25, has tested negative for nCoV, and so was discharged from the hospital on Monday to continue receiving isolated care at home. It makes Thanh Hoa General Hospital the first provincial medical facility to successfully treat nCoV-positive patients.
Tr., a native of Dinh Hoa Commune, Thanh Hoa’s Yen Dinh District, was among a group of workers under Japan-invested Nihon Plast Co., Ltd., who underwent a two-month training course in Wuhan. On January 17, Tr. returned to Vietnam via Noi Bai Airport and then arrived at her company’s headquarters in Thien Ke Commune, Binh Son District, Vinh Phuc Province.
On January 23, Tr. took a coach to Giap Bat station in Hanoi and continued her travel by coach back home in Dinh Hoa Commune, Thanh Hoa Province’s Yen Dinh District. At about 10 pm on the same day, the patient manifested respiratory inflammation, mild fever and a cough. At 1 pm on January 24, she was taken to Yen Dinh District General Hospital and was then transferred to Thanh Hoa General Hospital, where she received isolated monitoring and treatment. The analysis of her medical samples from the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology showed that Tr. was positive for nCoV.
However, after 10 days of intensive care and treatment under the guidelines from the Vietnamese Ministry of Health, the patient no longer has a fever or a cough, with all of her medical indices within normal limits. Her samples sent for retesting also showed that she was negative for nCoV.
Doctor Truong also revealed that in addition to Tr. who has been cured, his hospital is monitoring and isolating four other patients with related epidemiological factors. However, patient L.N.H was reported negative for nCoV, while the remaining two patients were also identified as having a normal flu, with stable health. Only patient L.T.H.H from Van Thien Commune, Nong Cong District admitted to the hospital recently still has a fever.
The hospital has developed contingency plans on four levels for the disease control, while preparing all the necessary facilities, drugs, chemicals, equipment, human resources and medical logistics to ensure isolated treatment for patients.
* On Monday morning, the People's Committee of Hai Phong City requested to suspend the entry of passengers and flights from the nCoV epidemic areas to the northern port city. Accordingly, Hai Phong City Police directed the immigration agency at Cat Bi International Airport to strictly control and not allow entry procedures for all passengers on flights from the nCoV epidemic areas into Hai Phong. At the same time, Cat Bi International Airport was urged to notify all airlines to immediately stop flights from epidemic areas to Hai Phong until the new direction from the city People's Committee is announced.
* In Hai Duong, on February 3, medical centres simultaneously continued to provide training for commune health workers on nCoV control. Training courses will resume on February 4 in all communes and towns. The province’s Department of Health has set up five mobile teams to respond to the nCoV infection, with each team consisting of six members, equipped with an ambulance with sufficient emergency resuscitation facilities.
Hai Duong health sector has instructed all local agencies, units, schools and houses to concentrate on sanitation and disinfection to prevent nCoV infection. Local schools have been thoroughly provided with information on preventive measures against the virus to officials, teachers, students and parents.
* On February 3 morning, Da Nang City Lung Hospital received two new cases of suspected nCoV infection, in order to reduce the overload at the Department of Tropical Medicine in Da Nang Hospital. The treatment reception area in Da Nang City Lung Hospital has a capacity of 30 beds ready to receive 1-2 patients per room.
Two patients suspected with nCoV infection being transferred to Da Nang Lung Hospital on the morning of February 3, 2020. (Photo: NDO)
Doctor Le Thanh Phuc, Director of Da Nang Lung Hospital, said that as of Monday morning, the hospital is providing treatment for seven Vietnamese patients suspected with nCoV infection while preparing to a fully disinfected environmental for potential patients.
According to a report from the central coastal city, by 8 am this morning, Da Nang has 37 samples tested negative for nCoV without any positive cases so far. Two cases of suspected nCoV infection have been released (with negative test results and stable health), while local hospitals have received four more suspected cases. Da Nang is currently monitoring 25 suspected nCoV patients, including 24 Vietnamese and a Chinese national. Currently, the patients’ health have stabilised, with only some cases with mild fevers.
* Facing the complicated spread of nCoV, Ninh Binh Provincial People's Committee has issued a document requesting local units to suspend the organisation of spring festivals and crowded activities in the northern province.
At Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival, which is the first festival in Ninh Binh held in the early spring 2020, the number of visitors to the pagoda decreased significantly compared to the previous year. During the last weekend, Bai Dinh Pagoda provided over 10,000 free medical masks for tourists to prevent nCoV spread.
Bai Dinh Pagoda in Ninh Binh Province presents free medical masks to tourists to prevent nCoV spread. (Photo: NDO)
* On Monday morning, Vinh Long University of Technology Education organised a communication campaign on prevention and control of nCoV for its all lecturers, officials and students. Before the commencement of the event, all teachers, staff and students underwent body temperature checks and were given free medical masks.
Vinh Long University of Technology Education measures students' body temperature on the morning of February 3, 2020. (Photo: NDO)
Also in Vinh Long, tens of thousands of students have returned to their classes after the Lunar New Year festival. Me Kong University established an emergency medical team of 12 people on duty 24 hours a day and an isolation room to act against an occurrence of the nCoV infection. Mien Tay Construction University also dedicated the whole of Monday to organise counselling on the prevention of nCoV to all students and staff in the university.
* On the same day, Son La Provincial People's Committee sent a dispatch to the provincial Department of Education and Training and the People's Committees of districts and cities, allowing students to leave school amidst the prevalence of nCoV.
Accordingly, local students at all levels are allowed to leave school from February 3 to the end of February 9. Local schools were asked to coordinate with the concerned medical facilities to organise disinfectant spray before students return to school, while coordinating with their families to do spread the relevant information on the prevention and control of epidemics.
According to Director of Son La Provincial Department of Health, Nguyen Thi Kim An, up until now, there has been no case of nCoV infection detected in the northern mountainous province. At the Provincial General Hospital, there are two suspected nCoV cases being isolated for treatment. Other cases arriving from localities related to China are under close monitoring.
Van Ho District Health Centre in Son La Province distributes anti-epidemic drugs for grassroots medical units. (Photo: NDO)
* At present, 51 provinces and cities have decided to let students leave school to avoid the spread of nCoV, with the most recent being Yen Bai, Ha Tinh and Quang Tri Provinces.
* On February 3, Chairman of Kien Giang Provincial People's Committee, Pham Vu Hong, signed Document No. 105 directing all the local departments, agencies and localities to immediately perform tasks and measures to prevent and combat nCoV.
* On the same day, the Hoa Binh Provincial People's Committee held an urgent meeting for epidemic prevention and control, discussing measures to prevent the spread of nCoV.
