No new Covid-19 case Tuesday morning

This was the third morning in a row that Vietnam had had no new Covid-19 case. Since March 6, every morning briefing has reported several new Covid-19 infections.

While Monday morning also began without a new infection, four cases in the evening, taking the national tally to 245. Of these 95 have recovered fully and another 18 are expected to leave hospitals Tuesday.

A doctor in protective gear walks inside the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi on March 30, 2020, the day when the hospital discharged a batch of 27 Covid-19 patients. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh.

Many of the remaining active cases are Vietnamese nationals returning from abroad, mostly from Europe and the U.S.; and more than 60 people are related to the two major national Covid-19 hotspots - the Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi with at least 43 cases, and Buddha Bar & Grill in Ho Chi Minh City with at least 18 cases.

The number of new cases recorded in a day in Vietnam had fallen steadily over the past four days, from ten on April 3 to three on April 4, and then just one on April 5 before it went clean until the night of April 6.

Tran Dac Phu, senior advisor at the Public Health Emergency Operations Center under the Health Ministry, said at a meeting Monday that the improvement seen was not a reason for Vietnam and its citizens to neglect any measure needed to prevent the spread of the infection.

"We cannot say anything at this point about the decrease in the number of new cases because the incubation time has been identified at 14 days," he said, adding that as the number of cases are falling, stronger measures should be taken to keep up the good work.

"If we’re not careful, Vietnam can see the epidemic grow out of control, just like it has happened in many other places in the world right now," he said.

The country is a week into a 15-day nationwide social distancing campaign announced by the PM, not allowing gatherings of more than two people and asking people not to leave their homes to contain the spread of the pandemic. The PM cited a crucial two-week period in the nation’s Covid-19 fight when he announced the campaign.

The government also suspended all inbound international flights and halted road transport services until April 15 to limit travel in the country of 94 million people.

The Covid-19 pandemic has claimed more than 74,000 lives as it spread to 209 countries and territories.