Seven out of eight patients with pneumonia in Vinh Phuc province, which borders with Hanoi, have tested negative for Covid-19, VnExpress quoted Director of the Vinh Phuc Department of Health Nguyen Thanh Hai as saying on February 16.

A doctor wears protective suit when making contact with an individual suspected of nCoV infection. Photo: Nhu Quynh

The eight patients are being isolated for treatment. Previously, three had been discharged from the hospital, including the first patient who is a 23-year-old girl.

The girl’s father is the latest nCoV infection case, the 11th in Vinh Phuc province and the 16th in Vietnam. He is still hospitalized as of February 16.

The seven others have tested negative for nCoV, five of them have tested negative twice.

According to the director of the Vinh Phuc Department of Health, patients who have tested negative for nCoV need further tests to ensure that they have really recovered before being discharged from hospital.

"If nothing goes wrong, it is expected that two patients will be discharged from hospital on February 17," Hai said.

Vinh Phuc province is in the epidemic center that has the largest number of Covid-19 infections in Vietnam.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health last week sent a task force to the province to prevent the epidemic from spreading.

Vinh Phuc is isolating entire Son Loi commune, Binh Xuyen district which is the epidemic area for 20 days, starting February 13, with checkpoints controlled by the provincial police.

Vietnam has reported 16 cases of infection, of them seven have recovered and been discharged from hospital.

As of February 17, the number of Covid-19 infections reached 71,332 globally while the death toll has risen to 1,775, including five outside China.