Vietnam Covid-19 tally up by five to 66

"Patient 62" is a 18-year-old resident of Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem District, who landed at the Van Don Airport in Quang Ninh Province Monday on a Vietnam Airlines flight. He is now hospitalized at the Vietnam-Sweden Hospital in the northern province’s Uong Bi Town.

"Patient 63," 20, another Hanoi resident, stays at the Mandarin Garden apartment building in Cau Giay District. She landed at the Noi Bai International Airport from Britain on Thai Airways flight TG564 last Sunday. She is being treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi's Dong Anh District.

"Patient 64," 36, lives on Nguyen Thi Tan Street in Ward 2 of HCMC’s District 8. She flew back from Switzerland and transited in Dubai before landing at the Tan Son Nhat Airport on Emirates flight EK392 on March 12 along with her boyfriend, who had traveled to Hong Kong.

On Monday, she was taken to a medical center in District 8 for quarantine and after her samples tested Covid-19 positive, she was admitted to the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

"Patient 65" is a 28-year-old woman resident of Go Vap District’s Ward 17 who works for TOTO Vietnam Co. Ltd at 1A Pham Ngoc Thach, Ben Nghe Ward in HCMC’s District 1.

On March 7 and 10, she had worked directly with two men who tested positive last week in the city.

She started to feel fatigued on the morning of March 10 and isolated herself at home the next day. She was sent to a medical camp in District 8 on March 13 and is now under quarantine and treatment at the city’s field hospital in Cu Chi District.

"Patient 66", 21, is a resident of the Park View apartment building at 107 Nguyen Duc Canh in HCMC's District 7.

On March 14, she traveled from the U.S. to Toronto, Canada, transiting in Taiwan and arrived in Vietnam Monday on Eva Air flight BR395. While she did not show any Covid-19 symptoms on entering Vietnam, she tested positive the same day.

HCMC authorities have locked down two alleys, one on District 8’s Nguyen Thi Tan Street and the other, Alley 248 on Pham Ngu Lao Street, and Park View building. Several houses near the two alleys have also been placed in quarantine and those who have been in direct contact with the two patients have had their samples taken for testing.

With the latest additions, Vietnam has recorded 66 Covid-infections, 50 of them active, with 18 foreigners among them. The previous 16 patients were discharged weeks ago. On Monday alone, Vietnam had recorded four new novel coronavirus infections - a local man returning from Malaysia, a Vietnamese student, a Vietnam Airlines flight attendant and a French tourist.

As of Tuesday, 13 out of 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam have recorded Covid-19 cases.

Of the top five localities, Hanoi has the biggest number of infections (16), followed by Vinh Phuc Province (11, all discharged), Binh Thuan (nine), HCMC (11, three discharged) and Quang Ninh (five).

The Covid-19 outbreak has so far spread to 162 countries and territories, with the death toll climbing to over 7,400.