81-year-old patient dies of COVID-19 in Hanoi, 39 deaths so far

• Another COVID-19 patient with underlying health conditions dies in Vietnam
• Social distancing in effect as caseload keeps rising in Bac Giang hotspot

The patient was admitted to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases on May 3 with an initial diagnosis of sepsis from cirrhosis and gout.

He tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus on May 11, and had since received intensive care, including mechanical ventilation, dialysis, and antibiotics.  

However, the patient turned critical on May 19 and died in the evening.

Doctors said the patient has died of septic shock, purulent knee arthritis, cirrhosis, diabetes, hypertension, and COVID-19 infection.

This is the 39th COVID-19 fatality in Vietnam.

Earlier in the morning, the Ministry of Health announced the 38th COVID-19 fatality, a 64-year-old patient suffering from underlying health conditions.

The fourth COVID-19 wave has attacked Vietnam following the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in late April. Nearly 1,700 new cases have been confirmed in 30 cities and provinces across the country.

Worthy of note is that the number of severely ill patients relying on mechanical ventilation has increased fourfold, according to Dr Nguyen Dinh Phu, head of the Intensive Care Unit under the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases.