Truc Bach street, where the 17th COVID-19 patient lives, in Hanoi has become a quarantine area (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi is promoting epidemiologicalinvestigation to identify the persons having contact with its first COVID-19case, confirmed on March 6, and localising areas with infected patients.
The city reported the first infected patient on late March 6and this is also the 17th case of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causesCOVID-19, in Vietnam. The 26-year-oldwoman had visited her sister in the UK, then travelled to Italy and France, andreturned to Hanoi on March 1 on flight VN0054.
Three others in Hanoi having contact with her were testedpositive for COVID-19 on March 7 and 8, raising the number of cases in Vietnamto 21.
The 18th patient is a 27-year-old man in NinhBinh province returning from the disease-hit Republic of Korea.
At a meeting of Hanoi’s steering board for COVID-19prevention and control on March 8, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’sCommittee Ngo Van Quy predicted more positive cases who had direct contact withthe 17th patient.
He said the most important now is to conduct epidemiologicalinvestigation to identify those having direct and indirect contact with thefirst patient in the city, stressing that this is the decisive factor incontaining the spread.
Quy noted over the last 40 hours, the steering board hasworked around the clock to deal with new developments of the outbreak in atimely manner. All relevant information has also been publicised.
All areas that have COVID-19 cases need to be disinfected,the official said, asking the departments of health and finance to prepareinfrastructure at a higher level so as to make timely response when necessary.
At the session, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s CommitteeNguyen Duc Chung said the city has clarified the sources of infection of theconfirmed cases, as well as persons having close contact with them. Quarantine hasbeen carried out as soon as they were identified, and all have been put inquarantine.
Health of the four patients is improving, and none of themare in critical condition, he added.
Chung said to actively prevent coronavirus infection,authorities will publicise all the places the patients have lived and gone toso that people can avoid those areas. The city even considers a suspect case resifinhon Lang street in Dong Da district as a new patient so as to quarantine peoplehaving contact with this person and disinfect this area.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has orderedministers, heads of ministerial-level and Government agencies, along withleaders of provinces and centrally-run cities to review all plans on foreigntrips and consider suspending those visits to focus on the fight againstCOVID-19.
Among the 21 confirmed cases in Vietnam, 16 have fullyrecovered./.
VNA
