Fourteen new community transmissions of Covid-19 were recorded in Vietnam on Sunday morning as its latest outbreak has spread to eight localities with 221 cases. 

One of the new cases is a 29-year-old woman from the northern province of Bac Ninh. She is the wife of "patient 1565" and mother of "patient 1562." These cases are related to Chi Linh Town in northern Hai Duong Province, Vietnam's biggest Covid-19 hotspot.

With four new cases confirmed, Hai Duong's total is 179.

Bac Ninh has recorded three infections since the country's new Covid-19 wave began last Thursday.

Northern Hoa Binh Province saw its first two cases in Tan Lac District and Hoa Binh Town, related to Chi Linh Town.

Two other cases are residents of Ayun Pa Town in Gia Lai, raising the total infections in the Central Highlands province to four.

Hanoi recorded five new cases in Nam Tu Liem District, who are all family members of "patient 1694", taking its tally to nine in the last four days. "Patient 1694" is a case related to Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh Province.

A medic collects swab samples from a woman at an industrial zone
in Thu Duc District, HCMC for Covid-19 testing, April 20, 2020.
Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

The latest outbreak with 221 community transmissions has come right before the Lunar New Year (Tet), Vietnam's biggest holiday which peaks on Feb. 12 this year.

The sources of transmissions of the outbreak have not been identified, with the first patients confirmed being a man working at Van Don Airport in Quang Ninh and a woman working at Vietnam Poyun Electronics Co. Ltd in Chi Linh Town of Hai Duong.

As the speed of transmission has been proved to be the fastest ever since the epidemic broke out in Vietnam, health experts are analyzing the virus strains on the first two patients based on the theory that it could be the U.K. variant, which is 70 percent more transmissible compared to previous strains.

Vietnam has registered 1,781 cases and 35 deaths so far.

The pandemic has infected more than 102.5 million people worldwide, killing more than 2.2 million.