Passengers at Tan Son Nhat Airport, HCMC on January 5, 2021.
Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran. 

The Health Ministry on Saturday evening confirmed four more Covid-19 community transmissions, including a staff member at HCMC’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport. 

"Patient 1977" in northern Bac Ninh Province, who came in close contact with a confirmed coronavirus patient, was sent to a centralized quarantine facility and tested for Covid-19 on January 28. The first testing result came back negative but the second on Saturday confirmed the patient was positive for coronavirus.

"Patient 1979" recorded in Ho Chi Minh City is a 27-year-old man hailing from southern Binh Duong Province. He works at Tan Son Nhat Airport and is being treated at the Cu Chi field hospital.

Binh Duong also recorded a community transmission, "Patient 1980", a 21-year-old man in close contact with the infected airport staff member. He is receiving treatment at a medical center in the province’s Thuan An Town.

"Patient 1981" is a 22-year-old man in Dong Trieu Town of northern Quang Ninh Province, linked to the outbreak in Hai Duong Province, Vietnam’s biggest coronavirus hotspot. He is being treated at Vietnam-Sweden Hospital.

The health ministry also reported an imported case, tagged "Patient 1978", who was sent to a centralized quarantine facility in Long An Province after landing on a flight from Japan on January 2.

Just nine days since the fast-spreading U.K. variant surfaced in Vietnam, the country has recorded 398 community transmissions across 12 localities.

Vietnam's Covid-19 tally stands at 1,981 cases, including 35 deaths.