Vietnam records 141 new Covid infections as HCMC religious mission cluster grows

67 patients were recorded in epicenter Bac Giang, 25 in the neighboring Bac Ninh Province while Hanoi and Lang Son recorded seven cases each. Ha Nam recorded three cases, Hai Duong two and Long An Province that borders HCMC one.

The new cases in Bac Giang are related to outbreaks in the provinces' industrial parks, which have been put under lockdown.

Of the new patients in HCMC, 28 are related to the cluster at the Revival Ekklesia Mission, a Christian congregation, considered as the biggest in the southern metropolis so far, and the remaining case was in close contact with a previously confirmed Covid-19 patient in a smaller cluster.

The new patient in Long An was in close contact of a previously confirmed Covid-19 patient linked to the cluster at the HCMC religious mission. That raised the number of cases linked to the mission to 89 since Wednesday.

HCMC authorities are calling for all members of the mission to report themselves to health centers as the cluster has been determined to be caused by the highly transmissible B.1.617.2 variant first found in India.

In Bac Ninh, the 23 patients are linked to previous outbreaks while the source of transmission of the remaining two cases remains unclear.

Seven new cases in Hanoi included six people in close contact with previously confirmed Covid-19 patients and the remaining is an expert working for Canon Vietnam factory at Que Vo Industrial Park in Bac Ninh Province.

The new cases in Ha Nam, Lang Son and Hai Duong are all related to previous outbreaks and had been already quaratined following contact tracing.

The latest additions raised Saturday's total domestic infections to 277.

Vietnam's latest Covid-19 wave has seen 3,785 infections over the past month with the outbreak hitting 34 cities and provinces.