PM Pham Minh Chinh requested the gradual normalisation of the COVID-19 pandemic at a teleconference between the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control with ministries, sectors, and 63 provinces and cities.

Ho Chi Minh City is randomly conducting genome sequencing of positive test samples for the emergence of the Omicron variant in the community, said an official of the municipal Department of Health.

HCM City’s health authorities on Friday announced five community Omicron cases found during random screening.

The first locally acquired Omicron case in Hanoi capital has recovered from the virus, the Hanoi Department of Health announced on January 26 evening.

Most COVID-19 infections related to the Omicron variant of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in Vietnam show no symptoms.

The highly contagious Omicron variant has spread to 11 cities and provinces nationwide, with Binh Duong reporting its first Omicron-infected case. In addition, HCMC has reported three more Omicron cases.

The Ba Muoi Thang Tu Hospital in HCMC today, January 19, reported three locally-infected Omicron cases, which are the first Omicron cases in the community in Vietnam.

The southern province of Long An has reported its first Omicron case while the central city Da Nang logged three more, bringing the national tally to 35.

As many as 15,779 people have tested positive for coronavirus in 60 cities and provinces across Vietnam during the past 24 hours, with Hanoi capital topping localities in infection number.

The Ministry of Health has warned that there is a high risk of spreading the Omicron variant among the community.

HCM City People’s Committee has just issued urgent guidelines for a five-step quarantine procedure for arriving passengers amid the emergence of the Omicron variant in Vietnam.

The Hanoi-based Military Central Hospital 108 said on January 2 that Vietnam's first confirmed Omicron case has been discharged from the hospital on the same day after testing negative for coronavirus a day earlier.

Five cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 have been detected in Ho Chi Minh City, according to the municipal Department of Health.

HCMC has five suspected cases of the new omicron variant of coronavirus on December 31. The city’s healthcare sector, districts and Thu Duc City have to strengthen the supervision to identify Omicron cases quickly.

Vietnamese epidemiologists have discovered an additional 14 Omicron cases following the first identified in Hanoi a couple of days ago.

The risk of community transmission of the new variant from the Vietnam's first Omicron case detected on Tuesday remains low, according to Phan Trong Lan, director of the General Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam said Hanoi and HCM City’s COVID-19 requirements for foreign arrivals are not conducive to the planned resumption of regular international flights next year.

Hanoi authorities have ordered all passengers on flights, which depart from countries where the Omicron variant is present to follow regulations on centralised quarantine regardless of passenger history, vaccinations or prior COVID-19 infections.

An entrant returning from the UK was confirmed by the Ministry of Health on December 28 to be the first Omicron case recorded in the nation.