No new coronavirus infection in Vietnam, active cases drop to 54

The Health Ministry confirmed no new Covid-19 case Tuesday morning, keeping Vietnam’s active patient count at 54 with 214 discharged.

Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have not recorded new infections in the last 17 days and six days, respectively.

Yesterday, Vietnam discharged eight patients in the northern province of Ninh Binh, two in HCMC and two in the central province of Ha Tinh. VNExpress, a local media reported.

The remaining patients are being treated at nine medical facilities across the country. Most of the patients are in stable health. Of the 54 active cases, seven have tested negative twice and 14 have done so once.

Health experts have cautioned that while Vietnam going four days without a new infection is a positive sign, it was vital that the nation remained vigilant and careful because the Covid-19 fight is likely to be long and complicated.

They said people should continue to maintain social distancing, refrain from gathering in crowds, wear masks when going out and wash their hands often.

Nationwide, nearly 51,000 people are in quarantine. Of these, 308 people are isolated in hospitals and more than 10,700 people in concentrated quarantine facilities. The rest are quarantined at home.

Southeast Asia could be the next coronavirus hot spot

The number of coronavirus infections in Southeast Asia has risen quickly in recent weeks, with mounting worries among experts that the region could turn into a hot spot for the fast-spreading disease. CNBC reported.

The region as a whole has reported more than 28,000 cases as of Sunday, according to data by Johns Hopkins University. Collectively, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore account for 87.9% of total cases reported in Southeast Asia, the data showed.