Another COVID-19 case reported in Hanoi

The Emergency Department of the E Hospital in Hanoi (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi - An 87-year-old man from the northern province of Phu Tho has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 while being treated for another disease at a hospital in Hanoi.

This was the only new case confirmed by the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on August 20 morning, raising the national tally to 994.

The patient lives in Thanh Ba district, Phu Tho province, and went to E Hospital in Hanoi for a health check-up on August 12.

He stayed at a relative’s house in Co Nhue, Bac Tu Liem district, Hanoi, after that and was admitted to the Hepatobiliary Department of the E Hospital on August 13.

The patient was diagnosed with pneumonia after a CT scan and transferred to the Department for Tropical Diseases of the E Hospital.

He had his blood sample taken on August 18 and the result was positive for SARS-CoV-2.

The man is being treated at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi’s Dong Anh district.

The E Hospital stopped receiving new patients from 8pm on August 19 and traced all staff who came into close contact with the man.

It was initially estimated that nearly 100 medical workers had close contact with the new patient.

All employees at the hospital will be tested for COVID-19 and each department sprayed with disinfectant.

The new patient lives with his son, daughter-in-law, two grandchildren and one great grandchild in Phu Tho province.

He had not left his house in Pho Tho for a month prior to travelling to Hanoi.

His family’s relatives did not visit any COVID-19 hotspots and he has no underlying medical conditions.

Of the total cases confirmed in Vietnam so far, 533 have made full recovery. There have been 25 fatalities.

As many as 83,644 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or came from pandemic-hit areas are under quarantine nationwide, including 1,887 in hospitals, 20,294 in other establishments and 60,981 at home.