Taking care of a severely ill COVID-19 patient in the intensive care unit. (Illustrative image)

The patient, 64, was admitted to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases on May 4. She was diagnosed with sepsis, liver cancer, chronic hepatitis B and hemophagocytic syndrome.

She tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus on May 7 and had since relied on mechanical ventilation alongside broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, anti-inflammatory medication and blood transfusion.

However, the patient did not respond well to the given treatment regimen and passed away on Thursday.

This is 38th COVID-19 fatality in Vietnam.

The fourth COVID-19 wave has attacked Vietnam following the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in late April. Nearly 1,700 new cases have been confirmed in 28 cities and provinces across the country.

Worthy of note is that the number of severely ill patients relying on mechanical ventilation has increased fourfold, according to Dr Nguyen Dinh Phu, head of the Intensive Care Unit under the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases.