In its dispatch to the Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control in the Central Province of Quang Nam, the Da Nang City Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, the Vietnam Airlines Corporation and Bamboo Airways, the Ministry announced that fourteen people arriving in Vietnam from South Korea and the U.S. have been confirmed to be infected with the Omicron coronavirus strain.
Of them, eight were on flight VN99 from the U.S. and three on flight VN417 from South Korea that both landed on December 24. Two others were on flight VN417 from South Korea on December 23 and one on flight QH9451 from South Korea on December 21.
On December 30, the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang confirmed that these above-mentioned passengers were positive for the new variant Omicron (B.1.1.529) after it has conducted gene sequencing.
The Ministry of Health proposed the Steering Committees for Covid-19 prevention and control in Quang Nam, Da Nang, Vietnam Airlines Corporation and Bamboo Airways to trace those who have close and related contact with infected passengers and keep those contacts in isolation to prevent the disease from spreading to the community.
Healthcare workers will take samples of people on the shuttle bus; hotel service staff, flight attendants, ground service staff, and close contacts for testing. Test results will be available soon for the prevention and control of Covid-19.
The Ministry asked responsible agencies and local administration to strengthen supervision and management of cases from abroad as well as keep an eye on the community to early detect suspected cases.
The local health sector must quickly zone the areas where the patient lived, worked, and immediately conduct disinfection of the environment, means of transport, and other relevant areas in accordance with the provisions of the guidance on supervision and prevention of the Covid-19 epidemic.
Medical clinics and treatment facilities ought to separate patients and measure their temperature. Patients must be asked to make medical declarations and comply with regulations on the prevention of Covid-19.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Health reported 16,515 Covid-19 cases throughout the country on Friday, while logging 18,642 recoveries and 226 mortalities.
