Four more returnees add to Vietnam’s Covid-19 tally

The latest additions also increase the number of active cases to 58.

"Patient 315," a 39-year-old man of Tan Chau District in Tay Ninh Province on the Cambodian border, traveled by bus from home to Siem Reap on January 10. Then, he illegally returned to Vietnam by coach through a trail on May 2.

Vietnam has closed borders with southwestern neighbor Cambodia and suspended entry as well as all cross-border activities since April. Cambodia said Saturday that the last of its 122 Covid-19 patients has recovered and the country has reported no new case since April 12.

The man then took a motorbike taxi driven by a Cambodian national to his aunt's home in Tan Chau District. Upon his aunt's request, he reported his return to a nearby police station and was quarantined on May 3. On May 5, medical staff took his blood samples for testing and results showed he was Covid-19 negative.

On Friday, he had his samples taken for the second time and the results showed he was infected with the virus. He is being treated at Tay Ninh General Hospital.

Health officials said 17 people who had close contact with him have been quarantined at local health facilities.

"Patient 316" is a 19-year-old youth from Da Nang in central Vietnam. On May 14, he returned to Vietnam from the Philippines on Bamboo Airways flight QH9352, one of the special flights operated by Vietnam since April to repatriate citizens from pandemic-hit countries. He was quarantined on arrival at the Can Tho International Airport in the Mekong Delta. He tested positive for the virus Friday and is being treated at the Sa Dec General Hospital in the delta’s Dong Thap Province.

"Patient 317" is a 29-year-old man from Khanh Hoa Province in central Vietnam and "Patient 318" a 41-year-old woman from the north-central province of Thanh Hoa.

They flew from Russia to Vietnam on Vietnam Airlines flight VN0062 that landed Wednesday in the northern province of Quang Ninh. They were quarantined on arrival at a facility in Thai Binh Province in northern Vietnam.

Their samples were taken the same day for testing and they were confirmed positive Friday. They are now undergoing treatment at the Thai Binh General Hospital.

The repatriation flight had carried 345 Vietnamese home from Russia. Twenty-five others on that flight have already tested Covid-19 positive.

Saturday marks the 30th day that Vietnam has gone without recording any Covid-19 infection caused by community transmission.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has said that the country will focus on preventing transmission sources from abroad. It will continue to close its doors to international commercial flights and foreign tourists, he said.

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected 213 countries and territories, with reported deaths close to 309,000.