Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

February 3, 2020

Importation and Human-to-Human Transmission of a Novel Coronavirus in Vietnam

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  • This article provides additional information on a father-son pair from Vietnam, reported earlier
  • The father was a 65 year-old with a history of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and lung cancer. 
    • He became ill with fever on 17 January, 2020, and was admitted to hospital through the ED on 22 January. His condition was improving on and after 26 January.
    • He tested positive (RT-PCR) for 2019-nCoV from a throat swab.
    • Chest x-ray showed left lung upper lobe infiltrate, which progressed for a few days and started to resolve in hospital
    • He was treated empirically with antivirals and broad-spectrum antibiotics (unspecified); and on supplemental oxygen due to increasing hypoxia and dyspnea.
  • The son was an otherwise-healthy 27 year old with dry cough, fever, loose stools, and vomiting before admission, starting on 20 January (estimated incubation period, 3 days). 
    • He presented at the hospital on the same day as his father (22 Jan) and had normal chest x-ray and labs. He was listed as stable from 23 January on.
    • He also tested positive (RT-PCR) for 2019-nCoV from a throat swab.

Phan LT, et al. (2020). Importation and Human-to-Human Transmission of a Novel Coronavirus in Vietnam. NEJM. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc2001272