August 16: Vietnam reports one more Covid-19 casualty, death toll hits 24

Vietnam reported one more death from Covid-19 on Sunday, lifting the death toll to 24, all with pre-existing medical conditions.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son reads X-ray film of Covid-19 patients. Photo: Tuan Dung

The latest victim is an 82-year-old woman from Danang, the epicenter in Vietnam since the return of SARS-CoV-2 late in July.

Pneumonia caused by Covid-19 and septic shock are attributed to the death of the woman that suffered meningitis for years.

The first deaths of Covid-19 in Vietnam was recorded after the resurgence of the virus in the community.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son said among Covid-19 patients with pre-existing diseases, those with acute renal failure and hemodialysis treatment are at high risk of fatality.

So far, 14 out of 24 Covid-19 deaths in Vietnam are patients with kidney failure.
Chronic diseases have caused complications that affect the function of liver and the respiratory system, weakening the immune system, Mr. Son said, adding that many Covid-19 patients died of complications.

He noted that since the beginning of the pandemic in Vietnam, the health ministry has adjusted medications for Covid-19 patients six times based on scientific knowledge and experiences. Each Covid-19 patient gets treatment that is provided by both on-site resuscitation specialists and the country’s leading health professionals through online consultations.

Explaining why Vietnamese doctors could cure Patient No.91, a British pilot who experienced more than three months in critical conditions, Mr. Son said Vietnamese casualties are mostly elder adults with certain underlying medical conditions while the British patient was quite young, aged 43, and had good health.

Echoing Mr. Son, doctor Tran Thanh Linh who directly treated Patient No.91 said the man suffered only repeated sepsis and had good resistance to the disease.