Indonesian entering Vietnam in March reported as new COVID-19 case
Wednesday, July 01, 2020, 21:23 GMT+7
An Indonesian man working in Binh Duong Province, located in southern Vietnam, tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, apparently the country’s first local transmission in more than two months, though the Ministry of Health has not officially logged this case.
The male patient was born in 1989 and stays in a hotel in Ben Cat Town, Binh Duong, the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control said in a quick report on Wednesday.
The Indonesian citizen entered Vietnam via Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on March 11. He then went to Binh Duong in his company’s car.
From that date till June 29, he just traveled between his hotel and company, dropping by a supermarket and a rice stall for food. He never came to Ho Chi Minh City during this period.
On Tuesday, he traveled with a compatriot in their company’s car to a clinic in Thao Dien Ward, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City for a COVID-19 test before his flight back to Indonesia.
The patient visited Ben Thanh Market in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City prior to his return trip to Binh Duong.
His test returned positive the same day so he was admitted to the Binh Duong General Hospital right away.
Health workers in Ho Chi Minh City have traced and quarantined four medical staff members of the clinic who were in close contact with the patient. Their samples were taken on Wednesday morning in a centralized quarantine center.
Authorities have been tracking six other medical staffers and 11 normal patients who visited the clinic at the same time as the Indonesian man for isolation.
The Indonesian patient appears to be Vietnam’s first locally-transmitted case in 2.5 months.
The Ministry of Health still put the number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Vietnam at 355 on Wednesday night, unchanged from Tuesday.
This means the ministry has yet to document the Indonesian case.
The health ministry has not recorded any local transmission for the last 76 days.
Vietnam has closed its borders to foreigners since March 22 to stem COVID-19 spread, while the country has grounded commercial flights to and from other nations.
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