Vietnam discharges 23 recovered Covid-19 patients

In Ha Tinh, Nguyen Thi Hien, dubbed "Patient 146" was discharged from Cau Treo Border Area General Hospital and will be quarantined at home in the neighboring Nghe An Province for 14 more days.

Hien, 17, was quarantined after returning from Thailand on March 20. She was confirmed infected six days later.

"Thanks to the support of many doctors and nurses, I was mentally strong and that helped me win the disease," Hien said.

In HCMC, three of the discharged cases were linked to Buddha Bar & Grill, the city's largest hotspot.

Three men, dubbed patients 124, 127 and 158, had been admitted to the Cu Chi field hospital after being infected.

"Patient 124" and "Patient 158" are Brazilians, respectively 52 and 45, living in District 2. The former visited the bar on March 14 and was diagnosed with the disease on March 24, and the latter contracted it from him and was diagnosed on March 27.

"Patient 127," 23, of Tan Phu District, worked as a waiter at the bar and tested positive also on March 24.

The other two discharged in HCMC, Patients 92 and 143, had contracted the disease outside Vietnam.

The former is a 21-year-old man from Da Lat who came from France through Qatar on March 17 and tested positive on March 21.

The fifth person is a 58-year-old South African woman living in Tan Phu District in HCMC, who flew in from the U.S. through Taiwan on March 21 and was diagnosed on March 26.

Of the 17 patients discharged from Hanoi's National Hospital of Tropical Diseases two were critical cases.

"Patient 24," a 69-year-old British man who arrived in Hanoi on March 2, had suffered a stroke and was put on a ventilator for 14 days before being removed from the intensive care unit. He was confirmed positive on March 8.

His wife, who was also infected but recovered earlier, said: "The pandemic has destroyed our trip. But Vietnamese doctors and nurses have saved us. Thank you very much."

"Patient 24" with his wife before being discharged in Hanoi's National Hospital of Tropical Diseases. Photo by VnExpress/Chi Le.

"Patient 50," a 50-year-old Vietnamese man who was found infected on March 14 after returning from France, was also discharged after days on a ventilator.

Six other patients, Patients 109, 114, 115, 186, 220 and 232, were also confirmed infected after entering Vietnam from overseas. 

Six other discharged, Patients 175, 177, 189, 190, 199, 208 and 214 are employees of the Truong Sinh Company, which provided food for several hospitals in Hanoi, including the Bach Mai Hospital, a major outbreak site.

The other two are linked to Bach Mai. "Patient 87" is a 32-year-old female nurse workig at the Covid-19 quarantine zone at the hospital. She was confirmed positive on March 20. "Patient 239" is a 71-year-old man in Vinh Phuc Province who came to Bach Mai for a check-up on March 11 and March 18. He was confirmed positive on April 4.

Vietnam has had 265 Covid-19 cases so far but no deaths.

The pandemic has claimed close to 120,000 lives and spread to 210 countries and territories.