Student from Paris is Vietnam’s Covid-19 ‘Patient 92’

A 21-year-old Vietnamese student from France has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, bringing the country’s Covid-19 tally to 92.

The Health Ministry said Saturday that the man, a resident of Da Lat in the Central Highlands, flew on Qatar Airways flight QR40 from Paris to Doha on March 16, before landing March 17 at Saigon’s Tan Son Nhat Airport on flight QR970 (seat 18D).

Asymptomatic on arrival, he was quarantined in District 12. A day later, he developed fever, sore throat and a dry cough. He was transferred to the Cu Chi Field Hospital the same day. His swab samples tested positive the first time on March 19 and the second time on March 21. He’s being treated at the Cu Chi facility.

Vietnam has confirmed 92 Covid-19 cases so far, 17 of whom have been cured and discharged from hospitals. Most of the active cases, now hospitalized in 11 cities and provinces, are returnees from Europe and the U.S. and people who’d come into close contact with them.

Hanoi has the highest number of active patients at 27, followed by HCMC with 18. All the patients are in stable condition except for a 69-year-old British man and a 64-year-old Vietnamese woman who were reportedly in critical condition a few days ago. Both have been put on ventilators since March 15.

The Covid-19 pandemic has spread to 186 countries and territories, claiming over 11,400 lives.

By Chi Le  – VnExpress.net – March 21, 2020