Inside the testing area at CDC Hanoi

Among the 30 locally-infected cases, 18 are in Hai Duong province, eight in Quang Ninh province, three in the Central Highland province of Gia Lai and one in Hanoi.

Most of the cases were linked to the recent outbreaks in Chi Linh city and Poyul company in Hai Duong and Van Don airport in Quang Ninh.

As such, the total number of community cases since January 27 reached 301.

A total of 1,461 patients have been given the all-clear, while the death toll remains at 35.

Among patients still under treatment, three have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, seven twice and two thrice.

Meanwhile, 27,714 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients and possible patients  or arrived from pandemic areas are being quarantined nationwide.

UK COVID-19 variant found in patients in Hai Duong, Quang Ninh

A new and more contagious variant of COVID-19 from the UK was found in patients in the northern provinces of Hai Duong and Quang Ninh, according to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.

Eleven out of the 16 samples tested by scientists from the institute has 17 signature mutations of the super-spreader B.1.1.7 strain that was first discovered in the UK in December 2020.

The new virus strain is said to spread more quickly than previous variants of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. It has caused a surge in the number of COVID-19 infections in the UK as well as other European countries. The variant has been present in 60 countries worldwide as of January 17.

The Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City said on February 1 that Patient 1,660 from the northern province of Hai Duong was infected with the B.1.1.7 strain. He is under treatment at the city’s Cu Chi COVID-19 treatment hospital.

Earlier, a female worker from Vietnam Poyun Electronics Co.,Ltd was found with the B.1.1.7 variant when arriving in Japan last month.

The highly contagious coronavirus variant that originate in South Africa was also found in an important case in December 2020, according to the the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases. VNA

One more Covid-19 case reported in Hai Duong

The Ministry of Health confirmed one new community case of COVID-19 in Hai Duong province on February 2 morning, bringing the overall number of infections in Vietnam to 1,851.