Medics are seen conducting mass testing of Covid-19 in
Hai Duong Province, February 1, 2021. Photo by the Ministry of Health. 

Hai Duong Province recorded one locally transmitted case of Covid-19 Tuesday morning, raising the national tally of the ongoing outbreak to 271. 

The new patient is a 44-year-old man living in Cam Giang District in Hai Duong Town of the eponymous province in northern Vietnam.

His sample was taken via a mass testing campaign that has been conducted all over the province after it has emerged as the biggest cluster of Covid-19 since last week.

Now tagged "patient 1851," this man developed Covid-19 symptoms of fever, cough and sore throat last Sunday and his tests arrived as posivitve the next day.

Ever since community tranmission returned on January 28, infections have spread to 10 cities and provinces, including Hanoi with 19 cases and HCMC one.

Hotspot Hai Duong where one of the first cases were detected has registered as many as 206, Quang Ninh 30, Gia Lai six, Bac Ninh three, Hoa Binh two, Binh Duong two, while Hai Phong and Bac Giang got one each.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, head of the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, said on January 28, when Vietnam got a record high single-day tally of 93 which also broke the nation's streak of nearly two months without a community transmission, that it is highly possible community transmissions had appeared in Hai Duong 10 days before.

Until now, officials have yet to identify the source of transmissions of the new wave.