Vietnam struggles to avoid first COVID-19 death

Vietnam is determined to save the life of its most critically ill coronavirus (COVID-19) patient, a British pilot who works for Vietnam Airlines.

The Southeast Asian country has kept its tally of coronavirus cases to just 288 and has reported no deaths.

“Patient 91”, the 43-year-old pilot caught the coronavirus at a bar in the southern business hub of Ho Chi Minh City in mid-March.

He is presently on life support and his condition has deteriorated significantly. His case has garnered national interest in Vietnam, where the government has won broad support for its campaign to contain the coronavirus.

On Tuesday, the health ministry held a meeting with experts and decided that the only way to save the man’s life was a lung transplant.

On Thursday, state media said 10 people, including a 70-year-old military veteran, had volunteered as lung donors but had been turned down by state doctors.

The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported that more than 5 billion dong ($200,000) has been spent trying to save him.