Vietnam confirms 33 new Covid-19 community transmissions

Of the 31 cases in northern Hai Duong Province, 29 had been in quarantine after being identified as F1 cases, thus posing a low risk of spread. The remaining two are those living in locked-down areas.

In Hanoi, the two patients include a 58-year-old woman and her eight-year-old granddaughter in Me Linh District.

The duo have been quarantined since Jan. 30 after being determined as F1 cases. They are now being treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi.

Medics take swab samples from residents in central Quang Nam Province, August 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Dac Thanh.

With the latest additions, the number of cases in the latest outbreak that began on January 28 has risen to 637 in 13 cities and provinces.

Hai Duong accounts for 461, followed by Quang Ninh (59), HCMC (36), Hanoi (32), Gia Lai (27), Binh Duong (six), Bac Ninh (five), Dien Bien (three), Hoa Binh, Hung Yen and Bac Giang two each, and Hai Phong and Ha Giang one each.

In a Covid-19 meeting on Sunday, Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said the outbreak in Hai Duong is complicated and unpredictable, and may last longer. "But we are generally controlling it well."

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, who heads the coronavirus task force, said on Saturday afternoon that the Covid-19 situation in Vietnam is "basically under control" and good Tet celebrations have been ensured.

All the new cases had been found in quarantine or locked-down areas, and so the risk of spread is low, he added.

On Sunday afternoon, HCMC People’s Committee announced local students would study online until Feb. 28 once the Tet holiday ends on February 16, though the outbreak cluster at the city's Tan Son Nhat International Airport is "basically put under control." HCMC has 35 Covid-19 cases related to the airport and one contracted in Hai Duong.

The national Covid tally currently stands at 2,228 now with 35 deaths.