Da Nang on guard as coronavirus threat returns

By Khoi Tran July 24, 2020 | 07:48 pm PT

Locals and tourists in Da Nang have started wearing masks, sanitizing their hands and checking their temperature after a man tested positive for Covid-19.

After 99 days without a single case of community tranmission, the Ministry of Health on Friday said a 57-year-old man in Da Nang City had tested positive with the novel coronavirus four times. He went to Da Nang C Hospital after coughing and feeling tired on July 22. After diagnosing him with pneumonia, doctors took his samples for testing for Covid-19, and the result turned up positive. The fifth test, carried out by the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Hanoi, will come out on July 25. Da Nang C Hospital, where the man came, has been locked down since the noon of July 24.

After Vietnam had gone 99 days without a single case of community transmission the Ministry of Health on Friday said a 57-year-old man in Da Nang City had tested positive with the novel coronavirus four times. He went to Da Nang C Hospital coughing and feeling tired on July 22, and was diagnosed with pneumonia. Doctors then tested him for Covid-19 four times, and each time he was positive.
The result of a fifth test by the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Hanoi will be known Saturday. Da Nang C Hospital has been locked down since noon yesterday.

Relatives of people staying the hospital rush to the gate to give food and other stuffs to their loved ones. Many have to wait for a long time under the scorching summer sun. Others write information of receivers on their packages and give them to security men, who all wear face shields and mask while having contact with outsiders.

Relatives of people staying in the hospital bring food and other things to their loved ones. Many have to wait for a long time under the scorching summer sun to hand over the things they bring. Others write recipients’ details on packages and hand them over to security men, who all wear face shields and masks.

At many drug stores on Quang Trung and Hai Phong Streets, close to Da Nang C Hospital, masks become the hottest items among locals and patients. According to a staff member, there is not a lot of masks and they are sold at regular prices, VND65,000 for a box of 50 masks.

At many drugstores on Quang Trung and Hai Phong Streets near Da Nang C Hospital, masks are in huge demand. According to a pharmacy employee, there are not a lot of masks in stock, but they are sold at the regular price of VND65,000 ($2.82) for a box of 50.

Van Thi Thao, 27, buys boxes of masks for her family, friends and colleagues.

People wear masks on the streets. The patient had visited a lot of places before being hospitalized, and local medical authorities have set up a hotline for people with information related to Covid-19 to call.

Nguyen Thi Tung, 66, wears a mask while selling noodles at the corner of Hoang Dieu and Trung Nu Vuong Streets.

An employee at an English center on Nguyen Van Linh Street checks the temperature of students before allowing them in. Hand sanitizers are placed at the front door.

Activities at Da Nang International Airport are normal and there was no cancelled flight on the afternoon of July 24, 2020.

Da Nang International Airport functions normally and there was no flight cancelations on July 24, 2020.

Masks become a must for people traveling and working at the airport, from the parking lot the luguage belts.

Masks are a must for people traveling to and working at the airport.

Some tourtists cannot be at ease amid the Covid-19 threats. Huy, traveling to Da Nang on the evening of July 23, 2020 and planning to stay until July 26, immediately changed his flight and returned to Ho Chi Minh City at 5 p.m. on July 24, several hours after the information about the suspected Covid-19 patient came out. I am a worried because the suspected case is dangerous with high level of community tranmission. My business is not too important, so I cancel it. The most important thing now is the safety of myself and everyone, Huy said.

Some people are wary and altering Da Nang travel plans. Huy, who had been planning to stay in Da Nang for three days from the evening of July 23, changed his mind and returned to Ho Chi Minh City on July 24 evening, hours after news of the suspected Covid-19 patient came.
"The most important thing now is the safety of myself and everyone," he said.

By Thursday night the Da Nang Center for Disease Control and Prevention took samples from more than 100 people thought to have been in contact with the man in the past days, including his family members, and all of them tested negative.

By Thursday night the Da Nang Center for Disease Control and Prevention took samples from more than 100 people thought to have come in contact with the man, including his family members, and all have tested negative.

Photos by Khoi Tran