HCMC records first Covid death

The cause of death has been diagnosed as "severe Covid-19 on a patient with hypertension and end-stage renal failure," said doctor Nguyen Van Vinh Chau, director of the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

A resident in HCMC, she was confirmed with Covid-19 on May 25, tagged "patient 5463," after visiting her mother in District 3.

Her mother and two siblings had been announced to have Covid-19 five days earlier.

Until now, this cluster has recorded five patients, with the remaining one the 18-month-daughter of "patient 5463." The cause of transmission of this cluster remains unknown.

This patient had suffered chronic kidney failure and had gone through dialysis for six years now. She also had heart failure and hypertension.

The Ministry of Health has yet to confirm hers as a Covid-19 death but the HCMC’s health authorities have recorded this as the first Covid-19 fatality in the city.

Earlier, the ministry has recorded 48 Covid-19 deaths, including 13 in the ongoing wave, which broke out five weeks ago.

So far in this wave, HCMC has recorded 227 patients.