Three Vietnamese citizens has tested positive with the new deadly Wuhan coronavirus, raising the number of confirmed infection cases in Vietnam to five so far, the Ministry of Health said late Thursday.

The patient in Thanh Hoa in quarantine on January 24. Photo: VnExpress

Two of them are being treated at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases on the outskirts of Hanoi while the other at Thanh Hoa Provincial General Hospital, local media reported.

The three were sent by Japan’s Nihon Plast Company to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the new coronavirus outbreak, two months ago and returned to Vietnam on flight CZ8315 of Southern China on January 17.

On returning to Vietnam, the three traveled on different means of transport, including taxi and bus, to Vinh Phuc province, Hanoi and Thanh Hoa province to meet their relatives and friends, the ministry said.

Two Chinese nationals, father and son, on January 23 were the first confirmed cases of individuals infected with the nCoV in Vietnam. The son, 28, has recovered while the father is still under treatment in a Ho Chi Minh City hospital due to his chronic illnesses.

Over the past 10 days, Vietnam has recorded 98 suspected cases with signs of fever and cough, all from China’s virus-stricken areas or having contacted with the infected. Of them, 28 are in quarantine pending test results.

As of Thursday morning, 170 people had died of the disease and more than 7,700 others are confirmed to be infected with the virus in mainland China. More than 100 cases have been confirmed in 20 other countries and territories, with India and the Philippines reporting their first cases. The nCoV cases have already outnumbered those of SARS in 2003-2003.