Two more patients discharged in Vietnam's coronavirus hub

The man, 29, and the woman, 55, were treated at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi after they tested positive for the new coronavirus.

Nguyen Thanh Hai, health department director of Vinh Phuc, home to most Covid-19 infections detected in Vietnam so far, said two patients had no fever or cough, and their health was stable. Tests have revealed they are free of the new coronavirus and are eligible to be discharged from the hospital, he said.

Both were among eight workers of Japan-invested Nihon Plast Company sent to Wuhan City, epicenter of the new, deadly pneumonia virus outbreak. They returned to Vietnam on January 17. Six of them have tested positive for the virus and two others are awaiting the test results.

The man developed symptoms on January 21 and was confirmed positive for the new virus on January 30.

The woman developed symptoms including fever, headache and a runny nose on February 2.

On February 9, blood test results confirmed her positive for the virus and she was sent to Hanoi for treatment. She tested negative after one week of treatment.

Eleven of the 16 Covid-19 infections confirmed in Vietnam so far have been in Vinh Phuc. Of the remaining five, three were found in Ho Chi Minh City, one in Khanh Hoa and another in Thanh Hoa.

Nine patients have been discharged, including six of the workers returning from Wuhan.

Starting February 13, Vinh Phuc Province has locked down Son Loi Commune, where eight people have contracted the new coronavirus.

Provincial authorities have established a field hospital with 300 beds and a 200-bed facility at a military school in the province.

Medical experts have confirmed there is no specific medicine or vaccine to treat the novel coronavirus, though Vietnam has enough capacity, experience and confidence to treat patients.

The WHO said Saturday Vietnam has responded well to the epidemic from the very outset, preventing its spread.

Vietnam declared the nCoV outbreak an epidemic on February 1.

As of Tuesday, the global death toll had climbed to 1,873 and confirmed infections topped 73,000. Nearly 12,000 patients have recovered.