The south-central province of Khanh Hoa is at high risk of suffering from an outbreak of acute pneumonia caused by a new strain of the coronavirus due to the presence of several Chinese tourists and workers from Wuhan city and other epidemic areas in China.

Provincial leaders chair an urgent meeting on January 29.

Provincial leaders held an urgent meeting on January 29 aimed at devising plans to deal with the acute pneumonia epidemic caused by the coronavirus and reduce the risk of the virus spreading in the province.

At present, Khanh Hoa has been proactive in dealing with the threat by sending 36 suspected cases for testing, of which 10 of the cases have been put into isolation at the Khanh Hoa Provincial Hospital of Tropical Diseases. So far all of the tested cases have come back negative for the new strain of the coronavirus.

Despite these positive steps taken, Khanh Hoa province remains at high risk of suffering from an outbreak due to the number of tourists and labourers arriving in the locality from areas such as Wuhan and other localities in China that have been affected by the epidemic.

Due to the new strain of the coronavirus being highly contagious without specific medicine, many local travel firms that bring Chinese tourists to Vietnam have put a temporary stop on receiving travelers from the epidemic areas.

Nguyen Khac Dinh, Secretary of the Khanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee, noted his great appreciation for the effective co-ordination that has occurred among relevant agencies, especially those operating in the health and tourism sector, in order to prevent the potential spread of the epidemic.

Dinh added a request that the health sector goes about urgently purchasing medical equipment in a bid to avoid a scenario where there is a lack of medicine or masks, whilst also limiting the organisation of events, in addition to transferring any severe cases to central hospitals for timely treatment.