A local resident has been diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Hai Duong province, about 60km away from Hanoi capital, becoming the 14th locality in Vietnam that has reported the recurrence of the virus.

The Hai Duong provincial General Hospital has disinfected facilities after a patient visited
and tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. (Photo: baohaiduong.vn) 

The 45-year-old patient, who lives in Da Nang city, a coronavirus hotspot, flew to Hanoi on July 20 and then travelled to Hanoi, Hai Phong and several other places.

On August 5, the man moved from Hanoi to Hai Duong’s native town of Thanh Ha for a family gathering and showed virus symptoms such as a fever, a cough and shortness of breath.

He was immediately admitted to the Hai Duong General Hospital for medical examinations and test results the following day showed he had carried the virus.

The Hai Duong Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Committee held an urgent meeting on August 6 evening to prevent the spread of the virus in the locality.

Medical workers cordoned off and disinfected the affected area, and encouraged those who had come into contact with the patient to make medical declarations.

Hai Duong city, the capital of the province of the same name, decided to suspend non-essential services such as singing along (karaoke) and public internet gaming. The city asked local residents to wear face masks when going out, and fines will be given to violators as of August 10.

Hai Duong was the 14th locality in Vietnam that has reported the recurrence of the virus. 13 other localities where locally transmitted infections have been confirmed were Da Nang, Quang Nam, Dak Lak, Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Ngai, Hanoi, Thai Binh, Dong Nai, Ha Nam, Lang Son, Bac Giang, Thanh Hoa, and Quang Tri.