HANOI (VIETNAM) – Vietnam, which had won accolades for the most successful response to the pandemic, recorded its first fatality from coronavirus on Friday.
The country which has a population of 96 million had marked 100 days of zero infection before a cluster of new cases suddenly surfaced a week ago in the tourist hub of Danang.
The health ministry said on Friday that there were 45 new cases in the city, marking its biggest single-day spurt in the number of cases..
Authorities in Hanoi have shut down bars, banned large gatherings and started mass screenings, urging thousands of domestic travellers to report to health authorities in a bid to stem the spread of the virus.
A 70-year-old man got infected in Danang, died on Friday, the official Vietnam News Agency (VNA) said.
The 45 new cases are all linked to three hospitals and two clinics in Danang, according to the health ministry. It sent a task force of health workers to the resort city to handle the crisis.
They are also building a 1,000-bed field hospital in the city to ease the strain on the hospitals there as four of them have been locked down.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field