Kieu Ky village in Hanoi’s Gia Lam outlying district was locked down on May 2, affecting approximately 600 local residents, after a suspected case of the novel coronavirus was detected.

Barriers were erected at the entrance of the village (Photo: Vietnamnet)

The suspected case, a male construction worker travelling from Nghe An province to Hanoi’s Kieu Ky village on April 24, was said to have had a high temperature and breathing difficulties for several days. 

His first rapid test by the Gia Lam medical centre on May 2 showed the man had contracted the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease. He was then sent to Hanoi-based Central Hospital of Tropical Diseases for follow-up PCR tests to see if he had been exposed to the virus.  

Meanwhile, local authorities in collaboration with the police placed the village in isolation, affecting approximately 600 residents, including many workers. 

In the afternoon, a representative of the Hanoi Centre for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed that the man had tested negative for the deadly virus. 

However, the patient remains in hospital for further observation as he suffers from severe myocarditis and falls into a coma. 

Ly Duy Thanh, vice chairman of the Gia Lam district administration, said restrictions will be gradually lifted in the next three days, pending the results of second and third PCR tests.