Two COVID-19 cases aboard plane carrying Vietnamese footballers

Vietnamese players line up for check-ins in the UAE before departure.

The two patients arrived at Da Nang International Airport on June 17 on board flight QH9305 from the United Arab Emirates. They were placed in quarantine upon their arrival.

They tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus on June 19 and were transferred to Da Nang Lung diseases Hospital for medical surveillance and treatment.  

Notably, all 42 members of the national football squad and 13 reporters also boarded the same flight from the UAE to Vietnam after completing the second qualifying round of the World Cup 2022 for the Asian region.

After stopping over in Da Nang to release passengers, the plane continued its itinerary to take the squad to Ho Chi Minh City as the last destination.

The squad were placed at a local hotel and they all first tested negative for the virus, according to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) on June 20.

They will undergo the second test on June 23.

All members of the coaching board and players had been vaccinated twice before they left for the UAE.