On Wednesday morning, the Da Nang Department of Health announced that tests on 12 additional people who had direct contact with the city’s foreign coronavirus patients have come back negative.

A person in close contact with the city’s two confirmed cases is under observation at the Hai Chau District-based Medical Centre

Dr Ngo Thi Kim Yen, the Director of the Department, said that her department has traced about 100 people in Da Nang who have been in close contact with the two British infected patients during their stay in the city from 2 - 7 March.

“All these people will be placed in isolation at district-level medical centres on Wednesday. The municipal Centre of Disease Control has taken their throat swabs and blood serum samples to test for the virus at its lab. Their test results will be announced as soon as possible” Dr Yen remarked.

Director Yen is also urging people who had direct and indirect contact with the two infected patients, or visited places where the three confirmed cases had travelled from 2 - 7 March, to actively monitor their health at home. Anyone develops or starts to show symptoms of fever, cough or shortness of breath, he/she should go to the nearest medical facility to check for signs of the coronavirus.

By PHAN CHUNG - Translated by MAI DUNG