He noted that two F1 cases have been detected in Hanoi in connection with the latest cluster of cases in the northern province of Ha Nam, and urged relevant agencies to accelerate tracing work.
The official also stressed the need to tighten monitoring in the context of hundreds of thousands of people travelling during the April 30-May 1 holidays and returning to Hanoi thereafter.
Anyone who leaves Hanoi during the holiday is required to make health declaration when returning, he said.
Later in the evening, CDC Hanoi confirmed one new patient in connection with the case in Ha Nam.
Meanwhile, the Centre for Disease Control in the northern province of Hung Yen said two persons in the province had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in connection with the patient in Ha Nam. They have been hospitalized in the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases.
The Health Ministry has issued an urgent notice in the evening of April 29, requiring passengers on flight VJ133 departed from Hanoi for Ho Chi Minh City at 10:15 am on April 27 to contact the nearest medical establishment for consultation and help, and call hotlines of the Health Ministry, CDC Ho Chi Minh City and CDC Hanoi to provide the telephone numbers of those who have had made close contact with them.
On April 29, Vietnam recorded 45 COVID-19 cases, one of which was a man who developed symptoms and tested positive for the coronavirus after completing quarantine in Da Nang and returning to his home in Ha Nam. So far five other persons have been confirmed to have contracted the virus from him, including four in his family and another who later travelled to HCM City on flight VJ133. The two cases in Hung Yen have yet to be confirmed by the Health Ministry.
