Vietnam yet to confirm COVID-19 patient infected while in Cambodia: Ambassador

Phnom Penh (VNA) - Vietnam has yet to confirm when, where and how Patient 315 contracted the COVID-19, Ambassador to Cambodia Vu Quang Minh has said.

Vietnam, therefore, has still yet to confirm that the patient was infected while he was in Cambodia, and it initially only searched for and quarantined 17 people who had close contact with the man after he returned home, the diplomat told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA).

On May 16, VNA’s Viet Nam News quoted the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control as saying that the 39-year-old man returned to Vietnam from Siem Reap through southern Tay Ninh province on May 2 without any legal document.

On May 5, he tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 but on May 15 tested positive.

Though Vietnam has not yet affirmed that the patient became infected during his stay in Cambodia, it still quarantines suspected cases and announces part of the places he had travelled to so that those in contact with him can be alerted and report to Vietnamese authorities.

The Ministry of Health has been closely coordinating and exchanging information regularly with its Cambodian counterpart in an effort to fight the pandemic, Minh said.

“We laud Cambodia for its efforts and achievement in successfully curing all the 122 of its COVID-19 patients and keeping the country clear of new cases for 36 days, as reported by the Cambodian Health Ministry,” he said.

The Vietnamese Embassy and representative press agencies of Vietnam will hold a working session with the Cambodian Ministry of Health and Ministry of Information regarding the pandemic, especially in the context of it being basically contained in both countries, the diplomat added./.