A woman holds her newborn as she is declared Covid-19 free at Hoa Vang
District Field Hospital in Da Nang, August 22 2020. Photo courtesy of the hospital. 

Vietnam declared 16 patients free of the coronavirus Saturday evening, including a 35-year-old woman who gave birth while being treated for Covid-19. 

The other patients were seven men and eight women, aged between 21 and 86, raising the recovery total to 563.

They had tested negative for the coronavirus thrice before discharge from Hoa Vang District Field Hospital in Da Nang. All will continue to be monitored during 14-day home quarantine as per the Health Ministry regulations.

Doctors from Da Nang Maternity and Pediatrics Hospital and medical staffs at the field hospital on August 15 successfully performed a cesarean section on the 35-year-old mother, who tested positive for the novel coronavirus on August 1 when she was 35 weeks pregnant.

Doctor Nguyen Dai Vinh from the Hoa Vang hospital said it was one of the most memorable events of the entire Covid-19 period.

Vietnam has recorded two pregnant Covid-19 patients and the other, a 30-year-old woman also from Da Nang, was discharged on August 13 after recovery.

On Saturday morning, a 56-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman in Da Nang were also declared Covid-19 free.

Since July 25 when community transmission returned to Vietnam, Da Nang has recorded 374 cases, making it the biggest Covid-19 hotspot in the country.

With the latest five infections recorded Saturday evening, Vietnam's Covid-19 tally now stands at 1,014 with 25 reported deaths.