Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam has had a good control of theCOVID-19 outbreak, and many patients have tested negative for the novelcoronavirus SARS-CoV-2, according to the national steering committee for thepandemic prevention and control.

At its meeting on March 27, the committeereported that as of the day’s morning, Vietnam had recorded 153 cases positivefor SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19, 17 of whom had fully recovered. Later thesame day, three more cases in Da Nang city were also discharged from hospital.

Thirty-seven patients have tested negative oncewhile 13 others had their treatment finished, including eight negative twiceand five negative thrice, it said, noting that the three patients in seriousconditions are currently under intensive care at the Hanoi-based NationalHospital for Tropical Diseases.

Regarding the hotbed at Bach Mai Hospital inHanoi, three of its units related to COVID-19 cases, namely the institute forcardiovascular diseases, the neurology department and the centre for tropicaldiseases, have been kept in complete quarantine, Deputy Minister of HealthNguyen Thanh Long said.

Screening tests are being conducted for all thehospital staff, nearly 4,000 people, and about 1,000 patients treated for otherdiseases there. It has also suspended certain services, widened the gap betweenpatient beds at overloaded departments, and examined patients to ensure thatthey do not contract the virus before leaving hospital.

Authorities of Ho Chi Minh City have seen 153people with direct contact with SARS-CoV-2 cases at Buddha Bar in District 1 goingto concentrated quarantine facilities. Meanwhile, the hotbeds linked with Case100 in the city’s District 8 and Case 34 in Phan Thiet city of Binh Thuanprovince have also been quarantined.

Basically, the hotbeds have been placed undercontrol, the deputy minister noted.

At the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Vu DucDam, head of the national steering committee, said some opinions forecastVietnam would have had 1,000 people positive for SARS-CoV-2 by March 31.However, this figure is calculated basing on the speed of the virus spread inthe world as statistics show that the average time for the number of COVID-19cases to rise from 100 to 1,000 in the world is nine days.

By taking concerted and effective measures,Vietnam has had a good control of the pandemic, and it won’t have had 1,000infection cases by March 31, according to him.

If each people seriously complies withdirections by the Party, the Government and the steering committee, and followhealth agencies’ recommendations, the country will definitely come to successlike in the first phase of the COVID-19 fight, he said, adding that it isdetermined to limit the number of cases at less than 1,000./.