Intercontinental danang

The Hanoitimes – The Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi had treated a number of seriously ill Covid-19 patients and its staff are now willing to share their experiences with Danang.

Danang city, which is now the largest epicenter of Covid-19 in Vietnam, has welcomed dozens of doctors, nurses, and all forms of support from other localities nationwide, including Hanoi, in its fierce battle against the Covid-19 outbreak, local media reported.

The coastal city, which has recorded over 200 active infections, has struggled with a shortage of medical staff as many local doctors, nurses, and medical technicians are in full or partial isolation while three hospitals and medical facilities in the city have been placed on lockdown due to connections with coronavirus patients, according to the Ministry of Health.

A group of experts from Hanoi arrive in Danang to assist the city in the quarantining process. Photo: Duong Hai

On July 31, a group of experts from Hanoi arrived in Danang to assist the city in the quarantining process.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam requested all functional forces, especially health units, the army and the police to raise their awareness and stand ready to respond to evolution of the pandemic in the epicenter.

On August 3 afternoon, two experts from the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, including its Deputy Director Dr. Nguyen Trung Cap, and Deputy Head of the Department of Positive Recovery Dr. Dong Phu Khiem left for the central city.

Dr. Nguyen Trung Cap said that the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi had treated a number of seriously ill Covid-19 patients and its staff are now willing to share their experiences with Danang.

“We hope to pass those experience to our colleagues in Danang, giving them more confidence in their Covid-19 treatment,” Cap told suckhoedoisong.vn.

Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue, head of the Administration of Medical Examination and Treatment under the Ministry of Health, said that the two experts will assess the Covid-19 evolution in Danang city.

Then, they will make a plan to transfer human resources to support Danang’s hospitals. The Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi is now treating and isolating some 20 Covid-19 cases who have returned from Equatorial Guinea, Khue said, citing the Ministry of Health.

The ministry and top hospitals in the country, including Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi and Hue Central Hospital in central Thua Thien-Hue province, have worked closely together to support Danang in terms of disease prevention and control, testing and treatment.

Medical staff at a Covid-19 quarantine area at the Danang General Hospital. Photo: Nguyen Dong

Besides, on August 3 night, Dr. Nguyen Lan Hieu, director of the Hanoi University Medical Hospital, reviewed his hospital’s human resources specializing in infectious diseases and rehabilitation. Hieu himself led a team of doctors to travel to the central province of Thue Thien-Hue by car because flights to the city had been banned, carrying with them protective gear, medicines and medical equipment.

“I’m glad the number of volunteers exceeds the number of doctors. I am looking forward to bringing more doctors into the epidemic center to assist the severely ill patients,” Hieu told VnExpress.

Meanwhile, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Hanoi has sent VND1 billion (US$43,300) to Danang together with 100,000 medical masks and 224 bottles of hand sanitizer to the coastal city, Tuoi Tre online reported.

The committee also granted US$43,300 to Quang Nam province, which has 55 active cases and two fatalities.

At the time of writing, Vietnam has documented 750 Covid-19 cases, with 392 recoveries and ten deaths, since the pandemic first hit in January, the health ministry said. Most of the new cases are linked to hospitals in Danang where the first locally transmitted infection in more than three months was confirmed on July 25.

The ministry stressed that up to 800,000 visitors have left Danang for other parts of the country since July 1, and more than 41,000 people have visited three infected hospitals in the city.

New coronavirus cases have been detected in other cities, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, with links to Danang, the ministry noted.

The Hanoitimes – Danang decided to test its entire 1.1-million population for coronavirus as the risk of a wide spread increases.

Danang city, which is the biggest hot spot of the Covid-19 pandemic in Vietnam, has started pool testing for coronavirus in groups of three to five people in a family to speed up the tracing progress of Covid-19, VnExpress reported.

The media quoted Chairman of the Danang People’s Committee Huynh Duc Tho as saying on August 5 that professional agencies had discussed the pool testing method and concluded it is suitable in the current situation.

Health workers gather samples in residential areas on August 3. Photo: Nguyen Dong/VNE

According to Dr. Ton That Thanh, director of the Danang Center for Disease Control (CDC), pool testing consists of combining samples from three to five subjects into one sample and running the test on it. If the sample is positive, then the samples will be tested separately to determine which one is positive. This approach helps screen a large amount of people in a short period of time.

From July 25 to August 3, Danang collected 19,634 samples, of which 13,756 samples were negative for coronavirus and the results of the remainder are to be announced. The city is aiming to test 10,000 samples per day with the participation of the military and the police.

Danang’s anti-pandemic strategy during this period is testing, tracing, isolating and stamping out the pandemic. These tasks are being carried out drastically to curb the spread of the virus in the community.

Danang has decided to test its entire population of 1.1 million for coronavirus as the risk of a wider spread increases, the city’s authorities said on August 1.

Up to 207 new cases linked to this beach city have been reported across the country, taking total infections to 672, with eight deaths.

Most of the new cases are linked to hospitals in Danang where the first locally transmitted infection in more than three months was confirmed on July 25.

The Health Ministry said that up to 800,000 visitors have left Danang for other parts of the country since July 1, and more than 41,000 people have visited three infected hospitals in the city.

Vietnam has detected new coronavirus cases in other cities, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, with links to Danang.

The Hanoitimes – The two hospitals specializing in lungs and kidney diseases in Hanoi are treating patients who will be vulnerable if acquiring Covid-19.

As the Covid-19 pandemic drags on, medical facilities need to ensure utmost safety, Zing.vn quoted Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue, head of the Administration of Medical Examination and Treatment under the Ministry of Health, as saying at a recent inspection to two high-risk hospitals in Hanoi.

According to Dr. Khue, two hospitals specializing in lung and kidney diseases in Hanoi are treating patients who will be vulnerable if acquiring contracting coronavirus. In fact, of the eleven Covid-19 deaths in Danang, Vietnam’s biggest epicenter now, most of them were with chronic kidney failure, pneumonia and other chronic illnesses.

Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue and the Ministry of Health’s inspection team check two high-risk hospitals in Hanoi.

The Hanoi Lung Hospital provides medical checkups to over 100 patients a day. It also treats patients with tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary, multi-resistant tuberculosis, among other illnesses. Thus, the hospital needs to closely supervise and manage its patients, said Dr. Khue.

The Hanoi Kidney Hospital currently treats 444 hemodialysis patients with underlying diseases (for example, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes) and 517 patients with chronic kidney. Meanwhile, most of the dialysis machines are old. Currently, 77 machines are fully operated from three to four shifts per day.

Checking the safety criteria would reveal gaps that need to be addressed in time, as well as preventing, isolating and transferring patients in a timely and effective manner.

The Ministry of Health’s inspection team also checked Dolife International Hospital. Dr. Khue suggested that the hospital should pay attention to the ventilation system for the patient’s chamber.

He added that medical facilities have to learn from the disease outbreaks at Hong Ngoc General Hospital, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi Kidney Hospital in order to not repeat the same mistakes made by these health centers.

Khue also suggested that Hanoi’s hospitals need to improve their Covid-19 testing capacity in order to be ready to cope with the pandemic.

Hanoi hospitals curb admissions

Hanoi hospitals are strengthening Covid-19 prevention measures, monitoring hospital admissions and recommending patients that they should be cared for by only on family member and should not receive visitors.

Quarantine area at the Center for Tropical Diseases under the Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital.

Hospitals across the country are now highly vunerable to Covid-19. Four hospitals in Danang city had to be closed, more than 10 medical staffers were infected, and 15 Covid-19 patients died. From Danang experience, hospitals in Hanoi need to tighten up control of visits and apply safety measures.

“With only one patient being infected with coronavirus, a the hospital would be at risk of being closed,” Dr. Khue stressed.

At the Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital, Dr. Nguyen Viet Hung, head of the Department of Infection Control, said that his hospital’s primary goal is to prevent cross-contagion among medical staff, patients, caregivers, and related people in the hospital.

Dr. Le Van Quang, director of the Hanoi K (Cancer) Hospital and head of the hospital’s Covid 19 prevention steering committee, asked the patients and their family members to report online before going to the hospital. The hospital has built a website at https://www.khaibaoyte-bvk.com and requested patients to make online medical declarations through it.

“Online medical declaration is not only compulsory for the patient, family members, and visitors to the hospital, but 100% of health workers must also take it seriously. Those failing to declare would not be allowed to enter the hospital,” Dr. Quang emphasized.

The Hanoitimes – The Hanoi mayor asked health and education authorities to closely supervise the health of candidates who returned from Danang, the country’s Covid-19 epicenter.

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung has demanded absolute safety for the national high school exams in the city amid a fresh Covid-19 outbreak in the country, Kinh Te & Do Thi reported.

Mr. Chung on August 9 morning inspected the examination organization and encouraged the candidates at Phan Dinh Phung high school where 680 students were taking the exams. Nearly 80,000 Hanoi students sit for the exams this year.

The Hanoi mayor asked authorities to closely supervise the health of candidates who returned from Danang, the country’s Covid-19 epicenter. “We need to take combined measures to prevent the pandemic,” Mr. Chung said.

At Phan Dinh Phung school venue, there were three test-takers returning from Danang. Although the three tested negative for coronavirus, a separate room was arranged only for them to ensure the safety for other candidates.

Regarding pandemic prevention measures, Mr. Chung requested that after each exam, the school must be disinfected at once. Besides, the school needs to make hand sanitizer and medical masks available for students as well as check their body temperature.

He also suggested that parents should not gather outside the school gates. Instead, they should leave after taking their children to the exam venue to ensure social distancing and avoid traffic congestion.

This year, for the first time, around 900,000 high school seniors in Vietnam take the two-day exam amid the Covid-19 resurgence.

The candidates have been divided into four groups, depending on their links with Covid-19: those under medical treatment for Covid-19, those under mass quarantine, those in close contact with suspected cases, and other students. The classification of candidates aims to ensure students’ rights as well as anti-Covid-19 measures in the current period.

The exam results would not only award a high-school certificate, but also decide admission to universities and colleges.

The followings are some photos taken at Phan Dinh Phung high school on August 9 morning:

Candidates arrive at the exam venue early in the morning to prepare for the first exam.

Candidates are quite comfortable before taking the exam at Phan Dinh Phung high school.

Candidates prepare for the Literature exam.

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung speaks at the meeting Phan Dinh Phung high school.

The Hanoi mayor supervises and encourages candidates before the exam.

Mr. Chung encourages candidates before the Literature exam.

The Hanoitimes – Doctors attributed the Covid-19 deaths in Vietnam to septic shocks, multi-organ failure, hypertension, diabetes and chronical obstructive pulmonary disease.

The Covid-19 death toll in Vietnam has reached 26 after two latest fatalities were confirmed on August 18, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH).

Vietnam reports two more Covid-19 deaths. Illustrative photo

Patient No.698, a 51-year-old woman from Thuan Phuoc ward of Hai Chau district, Danang – the Covid-19 epicenter, died of pneumonia caused by Covid-19, acute myocardial infarction complications by septic shock, multi-organ failure by metastatic ovarian cancer, and kidney stones, the MoH said.

The patient, having one kidney removed in the past after suffering a urinary tract infection, was undergoing treatment at the Danang Lung Hospital when she succumbed to the Covid-19 disease.

On June 11, she was admitted to Ho Chi Minh City Oncological Hospital for a cancer operation and discharged on July 7. She did not come into contact with anyone except her daughter and hospital staff during her hospitalization.

On July 8, she flew back to Danang and remained at home. Two days later she became severely ill and was admitted to Danang Hospital for emergency treatment. She stayed there until July 21 before being discharged.

On July 23, she went to the hospital again to treat kidney-related problems. She was isolated after many people tested positive for the novel coronavirus at the hospital. The patient was tested on August 4 and found to have contracted Covid-19.

Since July 25, when local transmissions reemerged in Vietnam, Danang has recorded 359 cases with 22 deaths so far.

The MoH reported the second Covid-19 death on August 18, who was a former Covid-19 patient (Patient No.418) and died due to serious chronic diseases.

Patient No. 418, who had tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 four times on August 4, 10, 11 and 12, died on August 12 due to complications of chronic renal failure at Hue Central Hospital, the MoH said.

The 61-year-old man, residing in Thanh Binh ward, Hai Chau district, Danang city, had hypertension, chronic renal failure, diabetes type 2 and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Doctors attributed the death to septic shocks, multi-organ failure, hypertension, diabetes type 2 and chronical obstructive pulmonary disease.

Another 53 Covid-19 patients in Vietnam discharged from hospital

Leader of Quang Nam Central General Hospital grants the certificate from Covid-19 for the patients. Photo: Dac Thanh

Fifty three Covid-19 patients in Vietnam were discharged from hospitals on August 18, according to the MoH.

Among the latest recovereds, five were discharged from Quang Nam Central General Hospital, including Patients No.433, 643, 834, 773 and 622, all residing in the locality.

The other six, Patients No.519, 549, 563, 564, 551 and 616, made a full recovery at Quang Nam Regional General Hospital.

Other 19 patients have been discharged from the second branch of Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, including Patient No.364, 527, 528, 529, 530, 531, 532, 533, 534, 535, 538, 539, 540, 541, 542, 543, 545, 546 and 670.

Besides, 23 patients have recovered and been released from Hoa Vang district Medical Center, including Patients No.457, 490, 505, 554, 584, 586, 606, 633, 657, 686, 690, 694, 724, 726, 732, 733, 734, 735, 757, 766, 770, 784 and 825.

After their discharge, these 53 patients will undergo home quarantine for another 14 days.

At the time of writing, the number of Covid-19 cases in Vietnam stood at 989, 525 have recovered and 438 are under treatment.