The COVID-19 outbreaks in the northern provinces of Ha Nam, Vinh Phuc, and Yen Bai have been put under control, health official said. 

The National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and
Control convenes a meeting on Friday to discuss the COVID-19
pandemic situation and responses, Ha Noi, May 14, 2021. Photo: VGP

Dang Quang Tan, Director-General of the Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health made the above statement at a meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on Friday.

Dang said authorities have also basically controlled the COVID-19 outbreak in the Ha Noi-based Cancer Hospital. 46 cases linked to the hospital have been confirmed and those who came in close contact with the positive cases are being quarantined.

In Da Nang, the source of a newly COVID-19 outbreak at An Don industrial park has not been identified, thus more positive cases could be detected in the central city and other localities in coming days.

In Hai Duong, all five community infection cases confirmed so far are linked to a resident who illegally returned to Viet Nam and then tested positive for the virus.

Regarding the outbreak at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, the majority of confirmed cases are residents in Bac Ninh and Bac Giang provinces.

For the outbreaks at industrial parks in Bac Ninh and Bac Giang, Dang said the risk of community transmission is high as many workers are residents of other localities.

In addition, Bac Giang’s isolation and testing capacity remains questionable.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam appreciated proactive efforts made by local authorities in containing the COVID-19 outbreaks.

He urged the Ministry of Health to provide assistance to Bac Ninh and Bac Giang so as to basically control the COVID-19 outbreaks there within the next three days.

Vu, who is also head of the National Steering Committee, warned that the pandemic may break out in any locality, thus local authorities must stand ready to stamp out any possible outbreaks.

He took the occasion to call on citizens to seriously implement the 5K (in Vietnamese) campaign: Khau trang (facemask) - (Khu khuan) disinfection - (Khoang cach) distance - (Khong tu tap) no gathering – (Khai bao y te) health declaration to help prevent the spread of the virus.

Only by doing that can we contain the outbreaks and avoid imposing social distancing, Deputy PM Vu stressed.