All severe COVID-19 cases now clear of virus: Health Ministry official

Hanoi (VNA) - The three most severe cases of COVID-19 in Vietnam have all become clear of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, a health official said on May 21, and there have been no COVID-19-related deaths in the country.

Director of the Health Ministry’s Department for Management of Medical Examination and Treatment Luong Ngoc Khue said the most severe case, Patient 91 - a British pilot with a Vietnamese airline being treated at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in HCM City - has tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 six consecutive times.

The patient has been transferred to the city’s Cho Ray Hospital for the treatment of other ailments, Khue said.

He added that during just one week, 59 people registered lung donations to Patient 91, with the youngest volunteer being 21 years old and the oldest 76.

Appreciating their intentions, the official noted that the patient needs two whole lungs, not just one or part of a lung, so donations from brain-dead donors are the top priority.

Medical experts are also considering transferring the patient to the UK, since he is now free of COVID-19.

However, Khue said, the man remains in a coma and is on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) - a life support machine - so he must regain consciousness before a suitable plan of action is determined.

Patient 91 was treated for COVID-19 for two months and three days, including 46 days on ECMO, and his lungs were condensed by 90 percent.

A second CT scan shows that about 20-30 percent of his lungs have recovered and their function have also improved considerably. His pulse and blood pressure are also stable, according to Khue.

Another severe case is Patient 161, 88 years old, who has also now recovered from COVID-19 after receiving treatment at Hanoi’s National Hospital for Tropical Diseases. She has also been discharged from Bach Mai Hospital after being sent there for treatment of a stroke.

Meanwhile, Patient 19, who also suffered three cardiac arrests, is recovering and will leave hospital shortly, the official said.

On the afternoon of May 21, two patients at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases were declared to be clear of COVID-19 but will continue to be quarantined for another 14 days.

So far, 266 of the 324 COVID-19 patients in Vietnam have recovered from the disease./.