Three-month-old coronavirus patient recovers, discharged

A three-month-old baby is carried by her mother as she leaves Vietnam National Children's Hospital in Hanoi after being treated for the new coronavirus, February 20, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy.

Le Thanh Hai, Director of the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital, said her blood tests had shown negative for the virus twice and she can suckle normally.

"We are glad to inform that Vietnam has successfully cured the first child patient with Covid-19," Hai said.

Her mother was with her during the nine days of treatment.

She has been advised not to breastfeed directly, wear a face mask, disinfect hands, and strictly follow protective measures.

She tested negative for the virus, but is being closely monitored since she was in close contact with her baby.

The mother thanked doctors as they left the hospital.

"Thank you doctors for helping us through this. When she grows up, she will study hard to become a doctor to help other children like you," she said.

The girl child contracted the disease from her grandmother, who was infected by Nguyen Thi Du, 23, one of eight workers who went to Wuhan for training last November and returned on January 17.

On January 28 the infant was taken to her grandmother’s house in Binh Xuyen District of the northern Vinh Phuc Province.

After the grandmother tested positive, the provincial center for disease control quarantined the baby and her mother.

On February 6 the child developed a cough, and a blood test showed she had contracted the virus.

Among 16 cases of infection across Vietnam, 15 patients have recovered and another is still being treated.

Vinh Phuc Province, around 40 kilometers from Hanoi, reported the maximum number of cases in the country -- 11.

WHO said on Saturday that Vietnam has responded well to the epidemic from the outset and prevented its spread.

As of Thursday the global death toll had climbed to 2,120 and confirmed infections topped 75,000. Nearly 16,000 patients have recovered.