Vietnam Covid-19 patient dies of kidney failure

By Le Nga August 18, 2020 | 05:23 pm PT

A medical worker with vials containing Covid-19 samples in Son Tra District, Da Nang, August 3, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Dong.

A 61-year-old man in central Da Nang City died of kidney failure complications, after testing negative for the novel coronavirus four times.

The Health Ministry said Tuesday that the 61-year-old man, Vietnam's 418th Covid-19 patient, had died on August 12.

He had tested negative for the coronavirus the same day, as well as on August 4, 10 and 11, the ministry said.

The man thus was not identified as a Covid-19 fatality.

The man suffered several underlying conditions, including chronic kidney failure, hypertension, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Treated at Da Nang Hospital from July 21 to 29, he tested positive for the virus on July 27, becoming the second case of community transmission in Vietnam after more than three months.

He was transferred to Hue General Central Hospital in the nearby Thua Thien-Hue Province and stayed there until he died.

Vietnam has recorded 989 Covid-19 cases so far, 438 active. The country's pandemic death toll is 25, with all patients suffering various comorbidities.