Vietnam’s tally of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections has reached 153 after five new cases were added on Thursday, one of which was linked to Buddha Bar in Ho Chi Minh City.

Among the five new patients, three had had close contact with previous patients while the other two arrived in Vietnam from other countries, according to the Ministry of Health.

The country’s 149th patient, a 40-year-old Hanoi man, worked in Hessen, Germany. He returned to Vietnam with his 68-year-old mother via Van Don International Airport in northern Quang Ninh Province on March 23.

He stayed in the same room with his mother and two other people at a quarantine camp following his arrival.

His test result came back positive for COVID-19 on March 25, while the other 207 passengers on the same flight tested negative.

The patient, his mother, and the two roommates have been transferred to a hospital in Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province for care and monitoring.

Patient No. 150, a 55-year-old Vietnamese man, and his wife boarded a flight from the United States to Ho Chi Minh City on March 13 that also included transit time in Taiwan. They then went to their home in District 1.

He met four people at his house party on March 14 and went to an eatery selling ‘bun dau mam tom’ (vermicelli served with fried tofu and shrimp paste) on Han Thuyen Street in District 1 on March 15.

He attended a company meeting with 24 other people on March 16 and a party at Hoa Vien Tri Ky Restaurant in Phu Nhuan District the same day.

On March 18, he met his friends in Nha Be District before going to the Family Medical Practice clinic in District 1 for a health check and was later transferred to a COVID-19 hospital in Can Gio District.

He developed coughing and a fever on March 23 and was tested for COVID-19 on the same day. His result later came back positive.

Patient No. 151 is a 45-year-old Brazilian woman who lives in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City and works at Gia Dinh Shoes Company.

She and a co-worker, who had been confirmed as Vietnam’s patient No. 124, were often taken to work together by a chauffeur.

On March 23, she was brought to a quarantine area in Cu Chi District and underwent a COVID-19 test that came back positive.

The chauffeur is also quarantined at the facility.

The 152nd patient, a 27-year-old Vietnamese woman, lives in Tan Phu District, Ho Chi Minh City with her young brother who is a waiter at Buddha Bar&Grill in District 2.

The brother had previously been diagnosed with COVID-19 and is the country’s patient No. 127.

A 43-year-old British pilot, who recently tested positive for COVID-19, went to the bar on March 14.

From March 10 to 18, patient No. 152 had contact with four colleagues, some business partners, her parents, two of her friends, and a deliveryman.

On March 20, she stopped going to work, was placed under home quarantine, and had her health monitored by a ward-level medical center.

She was brought to a quarantine camp in Can Gio District on March 23 and was diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 25.

Her company has temporarily shut down.

Patient No. 153, a 60-year-old Da Nang woman, previously visited relatives in Australia and returned to Vietnam on March 21.

She was quarantined at the dormitory of the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City after her arrival.

She shared a room with patient No. 143 and two other people.

After patient No. 143 was confirmed on March 23, she and her two roommates were transferred to a makeshift hospital in Cu Chi District for isolation and tests.

The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected nearly 533,000 and killed more than 24,000 globally as of Friday, according to Ministry of Health statistics.

Vietnam has confirmed 153 COVID-19 cases, with 20 having already been discharged from the hospital, including three cases – a Vietnamese and two British nationals – released in Da Nang on Friday morning.

No deaths related to the disease have been recorded in the country.

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