Largest hospital in Vietnam locked down after 12 Covid-19 patients found

Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi, the biggest hospital in Vietnam, was put under lockdown on Saturday morning [March 28] after 12 Covid-19 patients were found connected with this hospital.

Bach Mai Hospital stops receiveing new patients from March 28. Photo: VnExpress

The hospital has stopped receiving new patients, including emergency, and put under quarantine its entire staff and inpatients to encircle and curb the sources of coronavirus contagion.

The hospital has asked all people who came to the hospital over the past 14 days to isolate themselves and contact with local medical agencies for support and further instructions.

Bach Mai Hospital’s Deputy Director Duong Duc Hung said in an interview with local media that the hospital has taken coronavirus tests for 4,300 medical staff and patients and more samples will be taken from patients’ relatives.

So far, 12 Covid-19 patients are linked to Bach Mai Hospital. They include two nurses (patients No.86 and 87), one nurse’s daughter (patient No.107), five patients and relatives (No.133 and 172, No.161, 162, 163, 170), and two staff (No.168, 169 and 174).

Doctor Hung said their biggest worry at present is transmission among patients, patients and their relatives, and patients and medical staff. If transmission between patients happen, risk of death would be high as the patients there were normally in critical conditions.

Founded in 1911, Bach Mai is a leading comprehensive general hospital in Vietnam. It has 3,500 beds for inpatients with 2 institutes, 8 centers, 21 clinical departments, 6 paraclinical departments, 9 functional departments, 1 nursing school, and 3 others units.

With medical services and emergency care at the highest level of the Vietnamese medical care system, Bach Mai Hospital provides medical services for more than 900,000 out-patients and 100,000 in-patients per year, the hospital said on its website.

Bach Mai Hospital successfully treated patients with SARS in 2003, contributing to the control of SARS epidemic without death and making Vietnam one of the first countries in the world to prevent and successfully control the SARS epidemic.