The leader of a ward in north-central Thanh Hoa Province has been suspended and another facing suspension for their lack of responsibility in the fight against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic.

The People’s Committee in Sam Son City, Thanh Hoa on Thursday imposed a 15-day suspension upon Vien Dinh Nam, vice-chairman of the administration in Quang Hung Commune, for refusing to perform COVID-19 prevention duties.

Nam was asked to accompany the city’s health officials to visit local residents who had direct contact with a COVID-19 patient on Wednesday, but he refused to go, citing heavy rain.

The patient, 54-year-old D.T.H., previously went to central Da Nang City, Vietnam’s outbreak epicenter at present, on June 11 to work as a street vendor, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

On July 27, she took a coach from Da Nang to Quang Xuong District, Thanh Hoa Province, before riding a motorbike to her house in Quang Vinh Ward, Sam Son City.

H. then then filled out a health declaration form at the ward’s medical center and was asked to self-quarantine at home.

Due to lack of supervision from local authorities, H. did not stay indoors during her quarantine period and instead met a lot of people in her neighborhood as well as those in neighboring Quang Hung Commune from July 28 to August 4.

She tested positive for the novel coronavirus twice on August 4 and 6 and was confirmed as Vietnam’s patient No. 748 on August 7.

In relation to the case, chairman of the Thanh Hoa Province People’s Committee Nguyen Dinh Xung on Thursday also ordered the suspension of the chairman of Quang Vinh Ward, Sam Son City and the head of a local medical center.

They were suspended for failing to thoroughly supervise H., allowing her to violate the home quarantine order.

Authorities have tracked 16 people who had direct contact with H. and sent them to a local quarantine facility as well as screened them for COVID-19.

About 31 others who had indirect contact with H. have been asked to isolate themselves at home.

Vietnam’s COVID-19 tally has reached 750, with 392 have recovered and 10 fatalities as of Friday afternoon, according to Ministry of Health statistics.

A total of 298 domestic infections have been linked to Da Nang since July 25, when Vietnam recorded the first local transmission after having gone 99 days with no documented community spread.

The cases consist of 213 in Da Nang, 54 in Quang Nam, three in Quang Ngai Province, three in Dak Lak Province, two in Dong Nai Province, eight in Ho Chi Minh City, four in Lang Son Province, three in Bac Giang Province, three in Hanoi, one in Ha Nam Province, one in Thai Binh Province, one in Thanh Hoa Province, and two in Quang Tri Province.

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