Nghe An takes Covid-19 test sample from passenger driver returning from Vinh Phuc with fever

On the afternoon of February 14, speaking with a reporter from Nghe An Newspaper, Mr. Duong Van Minh - Head of the Phu Tho Bus Station Management Board said that he had just sent a document reporting to the Department of Transport of this province about the suspected Covid-19 infection.

Official dispatch of Phu Tho bus station management board.

According to the dispatch of the Phu Tho Passenger Station Management Board, on the afternoon of February 12, the unit received a report from the owner of vehicle 29B - 203.91 of Vinh Chung VTHK Company Limited that the vehicle picked up a passenger from Binh Xuyen Industrial Park, Vinh Phuc to Thai Hoa, Nghe An on February 1. And on February 3, the above passenger traveled from Thai Hoa to Binh Xuyen Industrial Park. At noon on February 12, the vehicle owner received a notice from Vinh Phuc health authorities that this passenger was infected with Covid-19, requesting the vehicle owner to bring the vehicle to Nghe An for isolation and disinfection.

According to this document, from February 1 to February 12, the above car continued to operate continuously every day/trip from Viet Tri - Cua Lo (Nghe An) and at 9:00 a.m. on February 12, the car departed from Viet Tri Bus Station. According to the car owner's report, there were 2 drivers and 2 assistants on the car, of which 1 assistant had a fever and cough for about a week, 1 driver had a fever and cough for 2 days and is currently being isolated and checked for symptoms by Nghe An health authorities.

However, immediately after that, Vinh Chung Company also responded in writing to this dispatch of Phu Tho Bus Station Management Board.

Response document of Vinh Chung company.

According to the document of Vinh Chung Company, the information that "the company's driver and assistant were infected with Covid-19 and were quarantined is completely false, affecting the psychology of the people and the business activities of the enterprise". The entire content of Official Dispatch No. 11 of the Phu Tho Passenger Station Management Board was not provided by the company or the vehicle owner, but was verified by the Management Board itself and obtained information from outside.

The bus has now been ordered to stop operating and disinfected. Photo: Contributor

On February 1, the company's passenger bus with license plate 29B - 203.91 picked up Mr. Phan Van Thanh to return to Nghia Dan district. Mr. Thanh then had a fever and was quarantined at the Northwest Nghe An Regional General Hospital. Mr. Thanh had been in contact with the husband of a Covid-19 patient in Vinh Phuc... By the afternoon of February 13, the test results showed that Mr. Thanh was negative for Covid-19.

According to Vinh Chung Company, up to now, the driver and assistant are still working and operating normally, without any signs of cough, fever or infection. Therefore, Vinh Chung Company requests Phu Tho authorities to check and correct the information in Official Dispatch No. 11 of Phu Tho Bus Station Management Board.

"We received such information, so we have the responsibility to report to the competent authority, the Phu Tho Department of Transport. Then the Steering Committee will be responsible for checking and verifying whether the vehicle owner's report is correct or not. Currently, according to the information reported by the business, the other passenger tested negative for Covid-19 and a quick check of the drivers and bus assistants showed no problem," the Head of the Phu Tho Passenger Station Management Board told Nghe An Newspaper reporters about the reason for the appearance of Official Dispatch No. 11.

Discussing this matter, Associate Professor - Dr. Duong Dinh Chinh - Director of Nghe An Department of Health said that the Department of Health has also received instructions from the Ministry of Health on this incident. On the morning of February 14, the Department's leaders directed the Center for Disease Control of Nghe An province to go to Thai Hoa town to collect samples for testing of drivers and assistants of Vinh Chung company. These are the people who worked on the trip on February 1, including picking up Mr. Phan Van Thanh to Nghia Dan.