Vietnam’s DaNang: 12 quarantined people with high fever not infected with Coronavirus

Ngo Kim Yen, director of the DaNang municipal Department of Health, on Tuesday morning announced that, 12 people with high fever, who were put in quarantine for testing were not infected with the new Coronavirus.

“The city is awaiting test results for another 16 cases” she said.

DaNang Hospital on Sunday quarantined 12 people with high fever for coronavirus tests, seven of them Chinese and one Czech. None of the Chinese are from China’s Wuhan City, where the virus originated. 

As of Monday, January 27 there were around 12,000 Chinese nationals traveling or working in Da Nang. Last week 218 people from Wuhan City had left the central city for their hometown. VNExpress, a local media reports.

In a communication to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Monday Le Trung Chinh, Vice Chairman of Da Nang, said, “In case of necessity, flights, sea routes and traffic to and from the infected regions can be suspended.”

DaNang authorities said monitoring of visitors from infected regions coming by road is much more challenging than by air and water.

In a Monday meeting, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc had requested all relevant state agencies to “fight the epidemic like fighting the invaders”, stay alert to prevent the virus from spreading, and minimize casualties.

Localities have been asked to take measures to effectively prevent Coronavirus epidemics from being transmitted between tourists on airway, waterway and roads.

The government has established a national steering agency for Coronavirus prevention and control, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam.

“The government would accept some economic losses to protect people’s lives and health,” the PM said. He asked tour operators and airlines to “not pick up passengers from the affected areas” at the meeting.

Foreigners entering Vietnam through border gates will be subject to body temperature screening and mandatory health declaration forms. The border guard, security and customs officers are equipped with facial masks. Wildlife animals are strictly prohibited to be transported into Vietnam.

According to VNExpress, one of the two Chinese nationals who were the first confirmed cases of infection by the new coronavirus in Vietnam has recovered.

At the Saigon’s Cho Ray Hospital, Li Zichao, 28, was tested three times including on Monday and turned up negative every time. He had been at the hospital for six days.

Zichao is able to breathe without the assistance of a respirator and eats food normally, Dr Nguyen Tri Thuc, the hospital director, said.

His father, Li Ding, 66, is still receiving treatment. He sleeps and eats without difficulty and his organs are functioning well, but he still needs a ventilator.

Ding’s temperature became normal on Saturday night, three days after being admitted, but tests on Monday still showed positive for the virus, Thuc said. He is in quarantine.

The number of confirmed cases of the rapidly spreading coronavirus infection in mainland China has reached 5,974, health authorities said on Wednesday, a total that surpasses that of Sars, the epidemic in 2002-03 that killed more than 600 people worldwide.

As of January 29, 2020, the death toll from the new coronavirus has climbed to 132, they announced, with 840 newly confirmed cases in China’s Hubei province.

By VNExpress/ SCMP