HCMC detects 5 Omicron cases, all negative now

The information was announced by the HCMC Center for Disease Control (HCDC) Saturday, one day after the Pasteur Institute in HCMC conducted the sequencing.

The five people - one Turkish and four Vietnamese citizens - tested positive for Covid after entering the country from December 21-25. The HCDC cooperated with the Pasteur Institute to do the viral gene sequencing. On Friday, the results showed all five infected with Omicron strain (B.L.1.529).

While waiting for the outcome of viral gene sequencing, the five were isolated, monitored and treated like normal Covid infections. All of them have tested negative now.

The 29 year-old Turkish national is a flight attendant. On December 21, she arrived at the Tan Son Nhat airport on Turkish Airline flight TK162 and isolated herself at a hotel. She had a positive test with PCR on the next day without symptoms. She continued her isolation at the hotel until her departure on December 31 with negative test results.

Among the four Vietnamese citizens, two people (one 22 year-old man and a 29 year-old woman) came from the U.S. on the same flight; one 49 year-old man returned from the U.S. and transited in Japan; and a 45 year-old woman came from South Sudan.

They tested positive on December 22, 23, and 26. They had negative tests subsequently and were monitored at a hotel with their relatives in separate quarantine rooms.

All 305 passengers traveling on the same flights as the Omicron cases were isolated and had negative test results. HCDC continues to monitor cases and will carry out PRC tests before they complete their isolation.

The municipal Department of Health has informed hotels serving passengers traveling on the same flights as the Omicron cases and monitored those who had sat near the patients.

Vietnam has recorded 20 Omicron cases so far, all of them from other countries.