Director of the Da Nang Centre for Disease Control (CDC) Ton That Thanh announced on Friday evening that a British patient in Da Nang who had been cleared of the coronavirus tested positive again in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) before flying back home, but he came back with negative tests in the UK.

Dr Thanh said, on 14 April, medical staff of the UK-based Royal Surrey County Hospital took throat swabs of the man to test for the virus after he had returned to the UK from Viet Nam. As a result, his test results came back negative one day later.

The British man, who became the first coronavirus patient in Da Nang and the 22^nd patient in Viet Nam on 8 March after sharing a plane with Viet Nam's 17^th coronavirus patient returning from Europe on 2 March.

From 8 until 27 March, the British man received treatment at the Da Nang General Hospital.

He left the hospital on 27 March following three consecutive negative results at least 24 hours apart. He has been discharged from hospital after a nearly 2-week battle with Covid-19.

The UK man left Da Nang for Ho Chi Minh city on 10 April after completing his 14-day self-isolation period at the Sam Grand Hotel after discharge following the Ministry of Health's guidelines.

On 11 April, medical staff at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport conducted a Covid-19 quick test on the British man before he flew back home. On 12 April, his test results came back positive again after he already returned to the UK.

The Da Nang health officials have traced 58 close contacts with the British man. Their throat swabs and blood samples have been taken by CDC's staff for virus tests. In the end, all of them have tested negative for the virus. However, all of the close contacts are undergoing a 2-week quarantine at district-level medical centres. After completing their 14-day isolation period, they will test for the virus again.

The city is waiting for instructions from the Ministry of Health and the National Steering Committee on Covid-19 Prevention and Control about a 2-week quarantine imposed on 58 close contacts with the British man after his test results came back negative in the UK.

Earlier on 13 April, the Da Nang Department of Health sent a report to the Vietnamese Ministry of Health about medical examination, isolation and treatment procedures performed on the British man in accordance with the guidance of the Vietnamese Ministry of Health. 

By PHAN CHUNG - Translated by MAI DUNG