Top doctors conduct remote consultation on British pilot’s health

The 43-year-old patient, numbered 91, who has been the most critically ill case in Viet Nam, has made miraculous recovery in recent days.

A representative from Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City said the patient is in stable health condition one day after he was disconnected from a life support machine called Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO).

Recent X-ray images of his lungs showed constant improvements compared to 20 days ago when he had just 10% of his lung capacity left. Now, 58% of his left lung function recovered.

In addition, CT scans of his chest and abdomen this morning did not show abnormalities.

In the coming days, doctors at the Cho Ray Hospital, where the patient is being treated, will continue using antibiotics to cure his infections caused by  Burkholderia Cepacia, Luong Ngoc Khue, Associate Professor, deputy head of the Sub-committee for COVID-19 prevention and treatment said.

The patient will also continue undergoing physical therapy to recover his muscle and respiratory functions, Khue added.

Despite the initially encouraging signals, the patient is still in severe health conditions and needs more extensive care.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son asked the Viet Duc and Cho Ray Hospitals to undertake necessary preparations for possible lung transplant for the British national when required.

The Vietnam Airlines pilot was the first case in the cluster of infections linked to the HCMC Buddha Bar, a major outbreak site in the southern metropolis. A few days after he was diagnosed, 18 others were also found infected.

After 65 days at the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases, he tested Covid-19 negative seven consecutive times and was transferred to the Cho Ray Hospital on May 22 for further treatment.

As of 6pm on June 4, the country's patient tally remained unchanged at 328, of whom 302 have been cleared of the virus, accounting for 92.1%.

The nation is also medically monitoring 8,143 people who have been in close contact with the COVID-19 patients or repatriated from foreign countries and territories. They include 83 people quarantined at hospitals, 6,964 at centralized facilities and 1,096 at places of residence./.

By Quang Minh