The Vietnam’s Health Ministry confirmed no fresh coronavirus (Covid-19) cases Sunday morning, keeping the nation’s tally of active infections at 40.
Of the country’s 270 patients, 230 have been discharged from hospitals. The 40 active infections exclude six relapse cases, including one who has left Vietnam.
As of last Friday morning, Vietnam had gone eight straight days clear of new infections, but the evening saw two new cases- both students studying in Japan who returned to the Van Don Airport in Quang Ninh on April 22. They were quarantined on arrival and are now under treatment at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi.
Related: Vietnam reports two new imported coronavirus cases, total 270
The nation has had six relapse cases, with the latest two being “Patient 36,” a 64-year-old woman in the south central province of Binh Thuan, and “Patient 137,” a 34-year-old man in the north central province of Nghe An.
The three other relapse cases are “Patient 188,” a 44-year-old woman in Hanoi; “Patient 52,” a 24-year-old Vietnamese woman returning from London, and “Patient 149,” a 40-year-old Vietnamese man returning from Germany.
“Patient 22,” a British man whose samples tested positive as he left Vietnam, had tested negative again in his home country.
According to VNExpress, the remaining relapsed cases are being monitored at different hospitals. The Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and HCMC Pasteur Institute have cultured the virus taken from them to find the cause of the relapse.
Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said at a meeting Saturday he was concerned that if a second Covid-19 wave hits the country, Vietnam’s healthcare system will face many difficulties.
He said that while Vietnam has had very few new cases, there could be people carrying the virus. Many recorded infection cases had no clinical symptoms, he noted, adding: “These cases are easy to be ignored during screening.”
“We are worried about the risks of a second Covid-19 wave like those in Japan, South Korea, and Singapore which have arisen within the communities without being noticed until they spread on a large scale.”
They did almost everything right and were praised for it even by the World Health Organization (WHO), highlighting their approach to controlling the coronavirus outbreak. But they might have let their guard down far too soon.
Also read: Should we worry about second wave of coronavirus?
The Covid-19 pandemic has reached 210 countries and territories with a reported death toll of almost 202,976.
Reporting by Le Nga @ VNExpress