The army would tighten co-operation with relevant authorities to learn information on flights arriving in Vietnam in an attempt to prevent the pandemic from spreading further, Deputy Minister of National Defence Senior Lieutenant General Tran Don said.

A tourist completes health check procedures at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport.
—Photo vietnamnet.vn

Speaking at the meeting of the ministry’s steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control on March 17, Don, who is also head of the committee, said many people – up to tens of thousands of people, mostly Vietnamese will be coming home in the near future.

The General Staff Department and the Military Medical Department must have a plan in place to coordinate with relevant units to be ready for prevention and control.

All of the headquarters, agencies and army must also be ready to handle any situation, he said.

Don said Vietnam had been trying to fulfil its treatment goals of having no fatalities and preventing the spread of the disease into the community.

He requested the Military Region, the Military Headquarters in localities and the Border Command to continue promoting the implementation of the ‘four-on-site’ motto in the fight against the pandemic, namely on-site quarantine, on-site treatment, on-site forces and on-site leadership.

In terms of quarantine, the General Staff Department must assign the Military Region to arrange quarantine areas and strictly cordon off suspected areas.

Don said in the second phase of the pandemic, the ministry would continuously make efforts preventing the spread of the disease into the army, giving early detection on suspected cases and zoning off affected areas.

The ministry would work with functional forces to implement the prevention of the disease, including receiving people from affected countries and territories for quarantine for 14 days.

By March 17 afternoon, as many as 158 countries have been reported to be infected by the SAR-CoV-2 virus. At least 7,130 people have died, about half of them outside mainland China.

One more patient to be discharged from hospital

In Vietnam, 68 cases of infections have been recorded so far. Of that, 16 have been cured and discharged from hospitals.

Among 45 patients under treatment at different hospitals and health clinics, 18 are foreigners and the rest are Vietnamese nationals. Most patients are in stable condition.

The 18th case of COVID-19 infection has recovered and will be discharged from hospital in the next couple of days.

Dr Chu Thi Giang from Ninh Binh General Hospital in northern Ninh Binh Province said the hospital had applied the Ministry of Health’s treatment regime and the patient’s health had much improved.

The patient has been tested negative to the virus twice.

The patient had returned from the Republic of Korea’s Daegu and been quarantined since March 4. Three days later, he was hospitalised for typical symptoms such as fever, cough and heavy breathing. He then tested positive.

The patient would be in-home quarantined for 14 days as required.

Three more foreign patients – two under treatment in Danang Hospital and one from the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases – have tested negative to the virus for the first time.

Two patients are undergoing mechanical ventilation due to their old age with background diseases: A 64-year-old Vietnamese woman and a 69-year-old British man are being treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Disease.

According to doctors, the woman suffered from vestibular disorders while the man suffered high blood pressure and diabetes. They are currently in intensive care.