Vietnam ends 16th day without Covid-19 community transmission

Of the 270 patients recorded so far, 217 have been discharged and 53 are undergoing treatment, including 14 relapsed patients. Among the active ones,12 have tested negative once and nine twice.

Of the relapses, five are in Hanoi and six in Ho Chi Minh City including the latest two cases confirmed Saturday. The northern province of Quang Ninh has reported two relapsed patients and the south central province of Binh Thuan one.

So far, Vietnam has gone eight days without new infections. The latest patients, announced last Friday evening, were both students studying in Japan who returned to the Van Don Airport in Quang Ninh on April 22. They were quarantined on arrival and are now under treatment at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi.

Nearly 30,000 people are quarantined in the country – 244 in hospitals specialized for Covid-19 treatment, over 5,500 at centralized facilities and the rest at home.

The health ministry also said Saturday that three critically-ill Covid-19 patients in Vietnam have overcome "the most difficult stage."

The Covid-19 pandemic has spread to 212 countries and territories, with almost 240,000 deaths reported so far.