The center is managed by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs but is situated in Phuoc Hoa Commune in the neighboring province’s Phu Giao District.

A team of medics would be sent there to treat all the infected people, the department’s director, Le Minh Tan, said at a city government meeting Wednesday.

The cluster first came to light on July 17 when two employees had a slight fever and headache, and a rapid test found them positive for the coronavirus.

Authorities then did random tests of 34 other staff, and 21 tested positive.

On Wednesday the remaining 689 staff and inmates were tested, and 56 of the former 450 of the latter were found to be infected.

The center houses drug addicts with serious convictions and inmates who violated discipline at other rehab facilities in HCMC.

The department manages 12 rehab facilities with more than 14,000 people in HCMC, Binh Duong and two other neighboring provinces, Binh Phuoc and Dong Nai.

In the current Covid wave that broke out in late April, HCMC has had 43,776 cases and become the nation’s epicenter, Binh Duong has reported 4,753 cases.