The Ministry of Health (MoH) announced three imported cases of the coronavirus on January 4, raising the total number of infections in the country to 1,497.

More imported cases of the coronavirus are expected to be detected in
Vietnam in the coming weeks as more Vietnamese citizens stranded
overseas due to COVID-19 have registered to fly home. (illustrative image)

The three patients, including a three-year-old baby girl, are Vietnamese who returned to the homeland on two separate flights from Japan on December 20, 2021 and from Germany on December 30, 2021.

They were placed in quarantine as soon as they landed in Vietnam, said the Ministry of Health in its 18.00hrs update.

They tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and were transferred to health facilities in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province and Ho Chi Minh City for medical observation and treatment.

So far Vietnam has recorded 1,497 coronavirus infections, including 804 imported cases returning from COVID-hit countries worldwide.

The number of imported cases is expected to increase in the coming weeks as more and more Vietnamese people stranded overseas due to COVID-19 have registered to return home, especially during the upcoming lunar New Year holiday.  

Also according to the Ministry of Health, as many as 1,339 COVID-19 patients have been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from the disease. The number of fatalities caused by COVID-19 and related illnesses remains at 35.