Vietnam reports 3rd COVID death linked to hospital outbreak

A third coronavirus death and 12 more cases were reported Saturday in connection to a Vietnamese hospital linked to over 100 cases of the virus this past week, over half of whom were patients.

A 68-year-old woman treated for blood cancer was Vietnam’s third coronavirus death, all of which have been linked to the hospital in Da Nang, the country’s most popular beach destination, The Associated Press reported.

Now, authorities are looking to test those who visited the central Vietnamese city for summer vacation, of which there are thousands.

The country’s first death, a 70-year-old man treated for a kidney illness, was announced Friday, BBC News reported. Vietnam’s second COVID-19 fatality was a 61-year-old man who died that evening as a result of septic shock and chronic kidney failure.

More than half the cases linked to the hospital are patients, 15 of whom are in critical condition, according to officials. The rest of the afflicted patients have underlying illnesses.

Prior to this outbreak, which began last week at the hospital and followed 99 days without local coronavirus transmission, the country had been seen as a champion in the battle against the pandemic.

This new outbreak has touched six parts of Vietnam, including its two largest cities Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, eliciting new virus restrictions — including stopping people from leaving or entering Da Nang.

So far, five people in Ho Chi Minh City who traveled to Da Nang have tested positive, as have two in Hanoi.

At the time of publication, Vietnam had 586 confirmed cases, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University & Medicine’s Coronavirus Resource Center.

With News Wire Services