Vietnam recorded one more cases of relapse, a 10-year-old boy in HCMC, tagged “Patient 204.” He has been tested positive with the novel coronavirus 25 days after being discharged, making the 10th relapse in HCMC and 15th nationwide.
Of the relapses, two were discharged from hospital on Tuesday. VNExpress, a local media reported.
Related: Vietnam reports Two recovered Covid-19 patients relapsed
Studying at least five virus samples taken from relapses, health experts in Vietnam have so far confirmed that the virus is “inactive” and relapse patients are unlikely to infect others.
Doctor Nguyen Van Kinh, head of the board in charge of treating Covid-19 patients at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, said what’s left inside the body of relapsed patients are just the genetic fragment of the virus and there is no chance it could be transmitted to others.
“In terms of public health, we do not need to be afraid of relapse cases,” he said.
The Vietnam’s Ministry of Health confirmed zero fresh case of Covid-19 on Wednesday morning, keeping the nation’s tally at 271 as last updated on Sunday evening.
This means Vietnam has gone 20 consecutive days without reporting any community transmission infections.
Of the total cases, 232 have recovered and 39 are still under treatment. The latest patients were a British oil expert confirmed on Sunday and two Vietnamese students from Japan confirmed on April 24, who were all quarantined upon entering the country.
Related: Vietnam reports ONE new imported coronavirus case on Sunday, total 271
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected 212 countries and territories, with almost 257,000 deaths reported so far. VNExpress’s Le Nga – Le Phuong reported.
Five COVID-19 relapse cases linked to Buddha bar in Saigon
Two foreigners ride a motorbike past the sealed-off Buddha bar in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City in this undated file photo. A lockdown imposed on the bar has been lifted from April 23, 2020. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre
Two COVID-19 patients linked to Buddha bar in Ho Chi Minh City, who had previously been given the all-clear from the respiratory caused by the novel coronavirus, have tested positive again, a local health official told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Friday night.
The two new relapse cases are a 52-year-old man from Brazil, who is identified as Vietnam’s patient No. 124, and a 25-year-old man from the UK — the country’s patient No. 235.
Both were diagnosed with COVID-19 after going to Buddha bar in District 2 on March 14, when a Saint Patrick’s Day party was thrown there.
At least 19 people who could be traced back to the party have caught the disease, making the facility the biggest cluster of infections in southern Vietnam to date.
The latest additions bring the total number of relapse cases that can be traced to Buddha bar to five, out of the city’s six total cases having retested positive for COVID-19 after making full recoveries. Tuoi Tre Newspaper reported.