A Vietnamese citizen has been confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Daegu City, one of the two outbreak epicenters in South Korea.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) recently sent the confirmation to the Vietnamese Embassy in Seoul regarding the case, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

In accordance with the International Health Regulations, KCDC already sent information about the patient to the Vietnamese health ministry.

The South Korean government previously said it would offer free treatment to Vietnamese nationals living in the country if they were infected with the COVID-19.

The Vietnamese Embassy has sent dispatches to the Korean foreign ministry and related agencies, asking them to ensure effective treatment for the Vietnamese patient.

The COVID-19 has killed 2,978 people and infected over 86,900 globally since it first hit the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, according to the South China Morning Post.

The number of confirmed cases in South Korea – the largest cluster of infections outside of China – has exceeded 3,500 as of Sunday morning. The country has reported 17 deaths caused by the COVID-19.

Vietnam has so far confirmed 16 cases of the viral infection, including 13 Vietnamese, one Vietnamese American, and two Chinese.

All of them have fully recovered and have been discharged from the hospital.

The country has reported no new cases since February 13.

The Vietnamese government on Saturday suspended visa-free travel for South Koreans and announced that all people arriving from the East Asian country would be quarantined for 14 days in a bid to prevent viral infection.

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