Medical workers complete procedures to receive people having close contact with COVID-19 patients to a quarantine centre in Liên Chiểu District in the central city of Đà Nẵng. — VNA/VNS Photo Văn Dũng

Two new COVID-19 cases were confirmed on Sunday evening bringing the total number of community infections linked to Đà Nẵng to four in the past two days.

The number of people who have contracted the disease since the first case back in January now stands at 420.

Patient 419 is a 17-year-old man who lives in Quảng Phú Ward, Quảng Ngãi City in the central province of Quảng Ngãi.

He went to the Đà Nẵng Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Hospital on July 17 to take care of his older brother who is a patient there.

He returned to Quảng Ngãi Province of July 17 by coach and there were several people from the C Đà Nẵng Hospital returning to Quảng Ngãi Province on the same coach.

On July 20, he came back to the Đà Nẵng Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Hospital and had a slight temperature. He returned to Quảng Ngãi two days later by train and again developed a temperature, light coughing and also had difficulty breathing so he went to the Quảng Ngãi City General Hospital for examination.

He tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus on Sunday and is now being treated at the Bình Sơn Medical Centre in the Dung Quất Industrial Zone in Quảng Ngãi Province.

Patient 420 is a 71-year-old woman from Hòa Cường Nam Ward, Hải Châu District in the central city of Đà Nẵng.

She had high temperature and chest pains on July 12 and was hospitalised to the C Đà Nẵng Hospital on July 22. Her samples were taken three days later and sent to the Đà Nẵng Centre for Diseases Control. The test was positive and now she is being treated at the C Đà Nẵng Hospital.

Illegal entry

Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình has ordered ministries, agencies and localities to raise awareness and responsibility towards the community and the country and work resolutely to prevent illegal entry into Việt Nam in the coming days.

Given that the COVID-19 pandemic is still an issue in many countries around the world and recently there have been a number of Chinese people illegally entering Việt Nam, the deputy PM requested relevant forces work with the police to investigate cases of illegal entry over the past few weeks.

Gang leaders and those involved should be penalised in accordance with State regulations, he said. A report on the incident should be submitted to Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc before August 15, Bình said.

Preventive measures

Localities across the country have adopted measures on COVID-19 prevention.

Thousands of staff and patients at the two hospitals in Đà Nẵng related to the new cases have been quarantined.

Nguyễn Văn Hai, director of Quảng Nam Province Department of Health, said 106 suspected cases related to patients No 416 and No 418 in Đà Nẵng have been quarantined.

Hospitals are requested to strictly follow guidance of the Ministry of Health to prevent cross-contamination and medical declaration was compulsory for patients and their relatives.

The northern city of Hải Phòng has stepped up anti-pandemic measures, as well as strengthened management of people who reside or work in the locality.

Dissemination on preventive measures has been strengthened to raise awareness while offices, schools and enterprises are urged to continue temperature checks, using sanitiser and wearing masks.

The city’s Health Department has put a case related to COVID-19 patient No 416 into quarantine and take samples for testing.

 Similar measures have also been taken by other localities including Yên Bái, Hà Nội and HCM City.

To cope with the risk of possible COVID-19 cases in the city, the Department of Health asked district health centres to activate surveillance systems, quick response teams and quarantine centres.

The department also called on people returning from Đà Nẵng from July 18 to complete health declarations on the Ministry of Health’s nCoV app and monitor their health at home for 14 days. All people who have had contact with infected patients must be quarantined and samples should be taken.

In Hà Nội, the municipal authority asked districts and agencies to continue implementing anti-pandemic measures including tracing, testing, washing hands and wearing masks in public places.

Agencies were ordered to strictly follow preventive and control measures when receiving people returning from overseas and they must be isolated in accordance with State regulations.

Regarding information on a group of staff at Mù Cang Chải District’s Education and Training sub-department and their relatives (about 39 people in total) who are visiting Đà Nẵng, the district has asked them to self-isolate after returning to Yên Bái Province.

Lê Trọng Khang, chairman of Mù Cang Chải District’s People’s Committee said the district had made a plan to prevent transmission the community.