Hanoi has detected another person positive with the new coronavirus (SAR-CoV-2), taking the toll of infection cases in the city to six so far, Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung of the municipal People’s Committee said at a meeting on Friday morning.

Authorities block the neighborhood of the patient's house in Thanh Xuan District. Photo: VnExpress

The sixth case is N.T.D, a 30-year-old flight attendant of Vietnam Airlines, who tested positive with the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) on March 12, three days after she served flight VN0054 from London to Hanoi, the national flag carrier has confirmed in a press release.

After landing at Noi Bai International Airport on March 9, the attendant took a leave and got symptoms of pneumonia like fever and cough on late March 10. Therefore, the number of people who made contact with her is small.

When receiving news on the sixth case, Hanoi's authorities summoned a meeting during which Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung asked the municipal authorities to take drastic measures to curb the spread of the epidemic.

Local authorities blocked an area surrounding the patient’s house in Khuong Trung street, Thanh Xuan district, disinfected the places she stayed, and quarantined those who were in contact with her.

With this case, the caseload in Vietnam has risen to 45. The Ministry of Health has not confirmed this case at the time of writing.

Since March 6, 18 cases have been confirmed positive with the virus in relation with Vietnam Airlines flight VN0054 that departed London on March 1 and landed in Hanoi on March 2.