after a man in the southern metropolis was confirmed to contract the novel coronavirus from an imported case.

According information released at the urgent meeting, the new patient numbered 1347, is directly tied with patient 1342 who is a flight attendant and had been confirmed to get the virus on November 29.

After testing negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus twice, patient 1342 was allowed to undergo self-isolation at a boarding house in HCM City’s Tan Binh district. His third test result came back positive for the virus on November 28.

The three people coming into close contact with him were immediately placed in isolation and tested. Among them, the male friend became patient 1347 after being confirmed positive.

According to initial investigation results, there are 38 people having close contact with patient 1347, and 154 others having direct contact with them.

At the meeting, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long also urged all medical establishments in HCM City to heighten their vigilance, intensify screening measures for people with suspected symptoms, and rigorously carry out anti-COVID-19 measures

To cope the situation, the Ministry of Health, and the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control issued an urgent message asking relevant ministries, centrally-run provincial and municipal People's Committees to strengthen the supervision and management of people entering the country amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic regionally and globally.

The new domestic transmission and three imported cases have raised the national infection tally to 1,347 so far.

There have been a total of 1,179 patients free from COVID-19 in the country to date, while the fatality count due to COVID-19 still stays at 35 and no patients are in critical condition at present.

Indeed, over 16,000 people are currently put in quarantine at hospitals, at home or at other quarantine sites throughout the country.

The newly detected domestic case has ended a nearly three-month period with no any single case of local transmission being found in the country.

235 people contacting with new COVID-19 cases in HCM City quarantined

Ho Chi Minh City authorities have quarantined 235 people having contacts with the newly-discovered COVID-19 patients.

Meanwhile, locations that the two patients have visited have been put on lockdown as part of the efforts to prevent the spreading of the pandemic.

According to the Ministry of Health, the new cases become patients 1342 and 1347. Patient 1347, diagnosed with COVID-19 on November 30, is directly linked with Patient 1342 who had been recorded on November 29.

While staying at a quarantine site of Vietnam Airlines in Tan Binh district of Ho Chi Minh City from November 14 to 18, Patient 1342, a flight attendant, had contact with a colleague who is Patient 1325 serving on another flight.

After testing negative for the coronavirus twice, Patient 1342 was allowed to undergo self-quarantine at his boarding house in Tan Binh district.

During this period, the patient had close contact with his mother and two friends. The male friend came to share the house with Patient 1342.

Patient 1342 had his sample collected for the third test on November 28, and the result was positive.

The three people having close contact with him were immediately quarantined and tested. Among them, the male friend is positive and became Patient 1347.

From November 18 to 25, this latest patient taught at an English-language centre in Tan Binh district and another branch of this centre in District 10, and visited some other places.

There are 38 people with close contact with Patient 1347, and 154 others having direct contact with them, according to initial investigation results.

Currently, the city’s healthcare sector is applying measures to prevent the spreading of the virus, including spraying chemicals in the private houses of the two patients and taking samples of people in surrounding areas for testing.

The Vietnam Airlines quarantine site where Patient 1342 stayed has been closed, along with all private houses and places that the two patients have visited.

Man contracts COVID-19 from patient under quarantine: ministry

The Ministry of Health (MoH) on November 30 afternoon confirmed a new COVID-19 case that got the coronavirus from another still under quarantine.

According information released at the MoH’s urgent meeting, the new patient, No 1347, is directly linked with Patient 1342 who had been recorded on November 29.

While staying at a quarantine site of Vietnam Airlines in Tan Binh district of Ho Chi Minh City from November 14 to 18, Patient 1342, a flight attendant, had contact with a colleague who is Patient 1325 serving on another flight.

After testing negative for the coronavirus twice, Patient 1342 was allowed to undergo self-quarantine at a boarding house in Tan Binh district.

During this period, the patient had close contact with his mother and two friends. The male friend came to share the house with Patient 1342.

Patient 1342 had his sample collected for the third test on November 28, and the result was positive.

The three people having close contact with him were immediately quarantined and tested. Among them, the male friend is positive and became Patient 1347.

From November 18 to 25, this latest patient taught at an English-language centre in Tan Binh district and another branch of this centre in District 10, and visited some other places.

There are 38 people with close contact with Patient 1347, and 154 others having direct contact with them, according to initial investigation results.

At the meeting, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long requested the HCM City Department of Health to promptly trace and test all people having contact with the abovementioned patients, and they must be put under concentrated quarantine.

He ordered the department to immediately request those who have visited the sites Patient 1347 had come to contact local health facilities, and to temporarily put the places in lockdown.

Long also urged all medical establishments in HCM City to raise their guard, increase screening measures for people with suspected symptoms, and seriously carry out anti-COVID-19 measures as regulated.

Besides, the MoH asked Vietnam Airlines to comply with quarantine regulations at its facilities, and the administrations of HCM City and Hanoi, where the carrier’s quarantine sites are located, to strictly manage quarantine activities.

It also told all-level authorities, especially grassroots ones, to seriously monitor people’s self-quarantine.

Travel history of Vietnam’s latest COVID-19 patient

Before testing positive, Vietnam’s latest male patient taught at two English centres in Ho Chi Minh City, went to a café and sang karaoke with friends. 

The Ministry of Health confirmed on Nov. 30 L.M.S, 32, contracted the SARS-CoV-2 virus after having close contact with a Vietnam Airlines attendant, a COVID-19 patient.

The man lives in Ward 3, District 6, and is a teacher at two English Language Centers in Tan Binh District and District 10.

He stayed with the Vietnam Airlines attendant in a boarding house during his friend’s quarantine period.

From Nov. 16 to 25, the man taught at the Key English Centre of District 10 and Tan Binh District, stayed at a boarding house with the Vietnam Airlines attendant, and then went to his own house in District 6.

On Nov. 22, he drank coffee with a friend at Van Hanh Mall’s Highlands Coffee bar from 8 to 9pm.

On Nov. 23, he sang karaoke with five of his friends on Thanh Thai Street between 10 and 11pm.

From Nov. 26 to 28, the man went to teach and came home, without contacting the Vietnam Airlines attendant again.

Knowing that he had close contact with a COVID-19 patient, he was transferred to a concentrated quarantine facility of District 6 where was tested for COVID-19.

With the positive test confirmed, he was transferred to Ho Chi Minh City’s Cu Chi field hospital for medical observation and treatment.

The HCM City authorities tracked down, quarantined and tested those who had contact with the latest patient. They also suspended all venues where the patient visited for disinfection.

This is the first community case Vietnam has detected after nearly three months./.VNA/VNN/VOV