Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam at the meeting

Among the new cases, 72 were detected in Hai Duong, said Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, at an urgent meeting between the committee with permanent Government members this morning.

According to him, the infections in Hai Duong are related to the female worker who tested positive for the new and more contagious variant of SARS-CoV-2 after arriving in Osaka, Japan.

Therefore, he asked leaders of the two provinces, the Health Ministry and relevant forces to take stronger prevention and control measures, and ensure the absolute safety for those involved in the work.

The remaining 10 cases were recorded in Quang Ninh.

Earlier, two locally-infected cases of COVID-19 were confirmed late January 27 in Hai Duong and Quang Ninh province, and the Health Ministry has immediately taken drastic actions to quickly stop the spread of the virus.

Of those two cases, the female patient found in Hai Duong is related to the woman patient found positive for the coronavirus upon her arrival in Osaka, Japan.

The other is a 31-year-old man from Hong Ha ward, Ha Long city, northern Quang Ninh province, who is a staff member of Van Don airport.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam requested leaders of Hai Duong, Quang Ninh, the Ministry of Health and related forces to implement "stronger" disease prevention and control measures. 

He emphasized that as the first case in Hai Duong is infected with the new strain of SARS-CoV-2 (according to information from Japan), special care should be taken to ensure maximum safety for the anti-epidemic forces.

Mr. Luong Ngoc Khue talked with reporters on the sidelines of the 13th National Party Congress.

In Quang Ninh, related forces locked down ​​Van Don international airport, where the first Covid-19 case detected. The province has also deployed strong anti-epidemic measures throughout the provinces such as closing schools and restricting transportation activities. 

Speaking at the meeting, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that the Ministry had sent a special working group to Chi Linh district, Hai Duong, to help the local agencies in epidemic control. 

On the sidelines of the 13th National Party Congress this morning, Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment under the Ministry of Health Luong Ngoc Khue said that the Ministry of Health had asked for the Prime Minister’s approval on the blockade of Hai Duong. 

Mr. Khue said that the newly-detected case in Hai Duong is related to the new strain, so the risk of disease spreading is high. Regarding the infectious mechanism and the incubation period in the newly discovered cases, Mr. Khue said that the source of infection in Hai Duong has not been identified the source of transmission. 

Tran Thuong - Thu Hang - Pham Hai

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