Vietnam on May 17 reported one more person died of Covid-19, totaling 37 since the virus was first confirmed to have spread to the country in January 2020.

Inside a testing ward of Hanoi's Center for Diseases Prevention and Control. Photo: Ngoc Tu/Kinh Te Do Thi

The 37th Covid-19 death is a 34-year-old man who died of severe pneumonia and traumatic brain injury caused by traffic accident, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH).

Hospitalized on April 24 for Covid-19 and traumatic brain injury, the patient also suffered underlying diseases namely bacterial meningitis and ventricular dilatation.

He was treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases (NHTD), the leading hospital in treating Covid-19 patients in Vietnam.

According to the ministry, Vietnam is treating 1,449 Covid-19 patients in 61 clinic institutes nationwide, including NHTD.

Of the total infected people, 16 patients are in critical condition, including a 25-year-old doctor. Seriously, two others are terminally ill, both are on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

To minimize death, MoH on May 16 asked Bac Giang and Bac Ninh provinces, two Covid-19 hotspots, to take good care of Covid-19 patients with underlying diseases and transfer them to the national hospitals before getting worse.