Eight new COVID-19 cases reported in central Da Nang city

ABO/VNA - Eight more people in the central city of Da Nang have tested positive for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes the acute respiratory disease (COVID-19).

The National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control said the total number of people who have contracted the disease since the first case back in January now stands at 446.

The new cases include five women, aged between 41 and 55, who had been taking care of family members being treated at Da Nang General Hospital.

Other new cases are a 19-year-old male patient at Da Nang Lung Disease Hospital, a 61-year-old female patient at C Da Nang Hospital and a 39-year-old female patient at Da Nang Transport Hospital.

A street in Da Nang is blocked as the city began lockdown of COVID-19 hotspots on July 2819 cases reported in central Da Nang city.

There are currently 16,248 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or entering Vietnam from pandemic-hit regions in quarantine, including 375 at hospitals, 12,996 at other facilities, and 3,352 at home.

No deaths have been recorded in the country so far.

Hospitals ready to assist Da Nang in COVID-19 patient treatment

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has urged medical centres in other provinces and cities to share the burden with Da Nang as the central coastal city is now a hotspot of COVID-19.

After 15 community infection cases were recorded at three hospitals in Da Nang, doctors of Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi and Cho Ray Hospital in HCM City have come to Da Nang to offer assistance in treatment and medical equipment.

Da Nang Hospital has made arrangements to ensure quarantine and treatment conditions for severe cases.

Hue Central Hospital in neighbouring Thua Thien-Hue province is preparing equipment and infrastructure to receive critically-ill COVID-19 patients, especially those suffering from various diseases or on kidney dialysis, to share the burden with Da Nang.

During an online meeting with leading hospitals on July 28 on the treatment of COVID-19 patients, leaders of the Da Nang Hospital said among 15 active cases, two patients (No 416 and 418) are in critical condition.

Patient 416, the first locally-transmitted case found in Vietnam after more than three months, has been now on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) for four consecutive days.

He is also on blood filtration and a breathing machine. His health indexes and body functions are in control.

Patient 418 was diagnosed with a severe acute respiratory infection and suffering from other conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes as well as kidney damage and increased white blood cells. Doctors are considering ECMO.

These two patients no longer have a fever, according to doctors.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, said: “The treatment needs utmost efforts in order to avoid fatalities."

“The pandemic is very dangerous. If we are negligent, we will see rapid developments,” he said.

He asked the Ministry of Health to use technology in testing to trace the infection sources as soon as possible. Hospitals must strictly follow prevention and control regulations when receiving patients and get ready to offer help to others if necessary.

Society must take preventive measures, from immigration control, testing, quarantine to checking those exposed to infections, he said.

Seven more new COVID-19 cases were confirmed on July 28 in Da Nang city and Quang Nam province, taking the total count in the country to 438 as of 6pm of July 28, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Three COVID-29 patients were given the all clear on July 27 and one more on July 28, raising the number of recoveries to 369.

(Source: VNA)