Five more infections confirmed on Saturday evening, including three being linked to a major hospital in Hanoi, have raised Vietnam’s number of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases to 174.

The five new cases were announced by the Ministry of Health at 6:00 pm Saturday.

Patient No. 170 is a 27-year-old Vietnamese man whose registered address is in Dinh Hoa Commune, Kim Son District in the northern province of Ninh Binh.

A day laborer, the man was employed at the beginning of March to install plaster ceilings at a residential complex in Gia Lam District, Hanoi, where he lived with four other people.

He had daily contact with these four people and a supervisor at the construction site. During this time, he was in good health with no symptoms of illness.

He left Hanoi for his hometown on March 14 or 15 to visit his sickened father, hailing a Grab ride from Gia Lam District to Giap Bat Bus Station in Hoang Mai District.

He got on a passenger bus operated by Duc Long Buslines at 9:30 am and arrived at his home in Ninh Binh at around 12:00 pm on the same day. He stayed inside his home for the next 5-6 days.

On the morning of March 20, he and two uncles took with his sick father on a rented car from Ninh Binh Province General Hospital to Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi.

His father was admitted to the emergency department at Bach Mai Hospital at around 12:00 pm that day before being transferred to the infirmary's gastroenterology department around two hours later.

Between March 20 and 22, he had meals five times at the hospital’s cafeteria.

On the morning of March 22, he took a motorbike taxi from Bach Mai Hospital to Giap Bat Bus Station to travel back to his hometown on a Duc Long passenger bus. His wife picked him up at 12:00 pm that same day. 

He developed a fever of 38.5 degrees Celsius on the same evening but was only taken to Kim Son District General Hospital the next night.

At 10:30 am on March 25, he was sampled for coronavirus testing and had the initial result turning out positive for the virus.

Patient No. 171 is a 19-year-old overseas Vietnamese student whose registered address is in Ward 11, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City.

She traveled from the U.S. to Vietnam on March 13, with transit time in the Philippines. As she did not show symptoms of illness, she was asked to undergo quarantine at home upon her entry.

On March 24, she was sampled by the Medical Center of District 10 as per Vietnam's new policy on testing all arrivals since March 8.

The Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City concluded that her sample was positive for the coronavirus on Saturday. The patient has continued to be quarantined at her house.

Patient No. 172 is a Vietnamese woman who is a daughter-in-law of patient No. 133 from the northern province of Lai Chau.

Patient No. 172 has been taking care of patient No. 133 for 23 days at Bach Mai Hospital while the latter is being treated there.

Patient No. 173 is a Vietnamese woman who lives and works in Moscow, Russia.

She left the country for Vietnam on March 25 and was placed under quarantine at a FPT University campus in Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park, located in Thach That District, Hanoi.

The patient is hospitalized with a fever of about 38 degrees Celsius, accompanied by a severe coughing and body aches.

Patient No. 174 is a Vietnamese woman working at the cafeteria of Bach Mai Hospital, where she came into contact with many people.

She has had a fever of 38.6 degrees Celsius for two days along with coughing, and has been hospitalized.

Patients No. 170, No. 172 and No. 174 are the latest cases that can be traced to Bach Mai Hospital -- a special-grade public hospital and the largest general hospital in Vietnam -- as thousands of people are being tested for COVID-19 there.

The eight COVID-19 patients linked to Bach Mai Hospitals to date include two nurses, two workers in charge of supplying boiled water for the cafeteria, a cafeteria attendant, a patient, and two visitors of the sick.

Vietnam has announced 174 COVID-19 patients so far, with 21 having been discharged from the hospital by Saturday.

No fatality related to the disease has been reported in the country to date.

The Ministry of Health has warned people against going out and to comply with the government’s regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control.

When in public places, people must keep a two-meter distance from others. Residents are also advised to regularly wash their hands with soap or alcohol rub.

In addition, the Vietnamese government has required that people wear face masks at crowded public places like airports, bus stations, and supermarkets from March 14, with administrative penalties for those who fail to comply.

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