Vietnam confirms 11 new Covid-19 infections

All four HCMC cases are related to the Buddha Bar & Grill in District 2's Thao Dien Ward where four foreign customers had been confirmed infected earlier. Thao Dien is home to many expats in the city.

"Patient 124" is a Brazilian man, 52, who lives in HCMC’s District 2. He is an employee of Gia Dinh Shoes Co. Ltd., which has offices in District 2 and in Vinh Cuu District in Dong Nai Province, which neighbors HCMC.

For the last several days, he had traveled back and forth between the two offices, and also visited several restaurants and coffee shops in Dong Nai’s Bien Hoa Town, as well as the Vincom shopping mall in District 2 without wearing a face mask.

On March 14, he visited the Buddha Bar and was quarantined in District 2 on March 22 before testing Covid-19 positive. He is being treated at the city’s field hospital in Cu Chi District.

"Patient 125" is a 22-year-old South African woman residing in HCMC’s District 7. She patronized the Buddha bar from 9:30 p.m. on March 14 and stayed until 3 a.m. the next day. After learning about the bar’s customers being infected, she reported herself on March 22. From March 15 to the time she tested positive, she had quarantined herself at home.

"Patient 126" is another South African resident of District 7. The 28-year-old male teacher is a friend of "Patient 125" and was in the bar with her. Later, he visited her twice at home. They two are being treated at a quarantine zone in Can Gio District.

"Patient 127" is a 23-year-old man resident of HCMC’s Tan Phu District who was serving at the Buddha bar, working the night shift from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. He had a fever on March 16 and went to a local clinic in Tan Phu for a health check. Between March 17 and 20, he did not go to work, but visited several restaurants in town. On March 21, he reported himself after learning about Covid-19 positive cases related to Buddha bar. He was quarantined at home first before being sent to a centralized facility in the district, where he tested Covid-19 positive. He is undergoing treatment at the Cu Chi facility.

Earlier, four patients – three British men and a Canadian man – had been confirmed infected with the novel coronavirus after they visited the bar together on March 14, the day before the city closed all bars to limit the spread of the virus.

Buddha Bar & Grill in Thao Dien Ward, District 2, HCMC. Photo courtesy of Buddha Bar.

"Patient 128" and "Patient 129" are both 20, male and studying in Britain. "Patient 128" is from Hai Phong City in northern Vietnam, while "Patient 129" is a Hanoi resident. They landed March 20 at Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport on Vietnam Airlines flight VN54. One was confirmed infected on March 22 and the other on March 23. They are both quarantined and undergoing treatment at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in the capital’s Dong Anh District.

The other three patients are Vietnamese people who returned from Spain. They landed March 22 in Hanoi on Aeroflot flight SU290 after transiting in Russia. After entering Vietnam they were sent to a quarantine zone pending test results and are now being treated at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi. "Patient 130" is a 30-year-old man and "Patient 131" a 23-year-old man who both live in HCMC’s Binh Chanh District. "Patient 132" is a 25-year-old Hanoi resident.

"Patient 133" is a 66-year-old woman from Lai Chau Province in northern Vietnam. On March 22, she ran a fever on her way back home after staying for three weeks for some heart condition treatment at Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi. She tested positive the next day and is being treated at the province’s General Hospital. Two nurses of Bach Mai were confirmed infected with the virus last Friday.

"Patient 134" is a 10-year-old boy from Hanoi’s Thach That District. He arrived March 18 in the capital city on board Aeroflot flight SU290 from Moscow and was sent to a quarantine camp in Thanh Hoa Province in the north-central region. He was confirmed Covid-19 positive on March 23.

With the latest additions, Vietnam has recorded a total of 134 infections, including 17 who have been discharged after treatment. Of the current active cases, 14 have tested negative once, twice or three times.

Many of the currently active cases are Vietnamese nationals retuning from Europe and the U.S. and foreigners visiting from the same regions. Starting March 22, Vietnam has suspended entry for all foreign nationals, including those of Vietnamese origin and family members with visa waivers.

The Covid-19 pandemic has killed over 17,250 people globally, having spread to 196 countries and territories thus far.