Another Covid-19 cluster emerges in HCMC

According to the city's Center for Disease Control (HCDC), a married couple living in Sen Xanh apartment building of Tan Phu District were confirmed positive twice, though the Health Ministry has yet to announce them as Covid-19 cases.

The wife, who is ten weeks pregnant, works at a Vietnam International Commercial Joint Stock Bank (VIB) branch in District 7 while the husband works at Saigon Commercial Joint Stock Bank (SHB) in Tan Binh District.

She developed a slight fever on May 23, the election day for legislators in Vietnam. She stayed home both that day and the next.

On May 25, her husband developed a fever and sore throat, with occasional coughs.

On Thursday, the pair had their health checked at Hoan My Hospital in Phu Nhuan District where they were isolated and tested for the new coronavirus. After their first tests returned positive, their samples were sent to the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases, where more tests confirmed their positive status.

The HCDC at noon Friday announced the couple’s three-year-old son and a woman who works with the wife at VIB had both contracted the virus.

The four have created a new Covid-19 cluster in HCMC as none had any relations to a HCMC religious mission that emerged as a coronavirus cluster Wednesday.

At least 37 Covid cases - 36 in HCMC and one in its neighbor Long An Province - have been associated with the mission cluster. They are either members of the mission or those who have had contact with infected members. Two of the infected are chefs at Sheraton Saigon Hotel.

Sources of transmission for both clusters have yet to be identified.

So far in the fourth Covid-19 wave that started in Vietnam a month ago, HCMC has recorded 44 cases confirmed by the health ministry.

Nationwide, 3,335 cases have been registered in 31 cities and provinces.