Coronavirus infections linked to Bach Mai Hospital top 16, tally hits 179

With four new cases related to Bach Mai Hospital, total infections from the Vietnam’s one of largest hospital have risen to 16. 

Patients No. 175 to 178 are employees of Truong Sinh Company which provides food and logistic services to the hospital and another patient returning from foreign country.

The new patients include a 57-year-old man (Patient 175) and three women aged 38, 49, 44 (Patients 176, 177, 178) working at Truong Sinh Company providing services to Bach Mai Hospital. These people had close contact with several people.

Patient 179 is a 62-year-old resident in Ha Dong District in Hanoi, who returned to Vietnam on flight EK394 on March 18.

The disease development has put Vietnam’s major hospital under lockdown. Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam on Saturday ordered Bach Mai Hospital, Ha Noi authorities and Ministry of Health to concentrate resources on controlling the hospital’s COVID-19 cluster.

The hospital has emerged to be the biggest COVID-19 cluster in Viet Nam after detection of 16 infection cases linked to the hospital.

Dam, who is head of the Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control demanded a list of people who have visited the hospital since March 12 for prompt medical surveillance in order to prevent spread of the virus to communities.

On March 25, Bach Mai Hospital announced a plan to test nearly 5,000 medical staffs and around 1,000 patients after two female nurses and one patient of the hospital had contracted the virus.

As of Sunday morning, Vietnam confirmed 179 infection cases, of whom 21 have recovered and exited hospitals.

► Coronavirus infections linked to Bach Mai Hospital rises to 11, total hits 174

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