Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said a number of new domestic cases of COVID-19 have been detected and all of them are linked to patient 2899, a male migrant worker who returned from Japan to the northern province of Ha Nam. 

Patient 2899 tested positive on Thursday after completing his mandatory two-week quarantine in Da Nang city where he tested negative thrice.

The Health Ministry is tracing all people who had close contact with the new patients, Mr. Long said.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh underlined the ultimate goal of protecting people’s safety and health while ensuring socio-economic development and the success of National Assembly and People’s Council elections on May 23. 

“We must accelerate contract tracing and minimize the impact of the pandemic by all means. We have to uphold the spirit of fighting COVID-19 as if fighting an enemy, particularly in border provinces. We have to stay on guard, promptly detect and quarantine infected cases, and intensify treatment,” said PM Chinh.

The total count of COVID-19 infections in Vietnam has now risen to 2,914. More than 2,500 patients have recovered while the death toll remains at 35.

More than half a million people in the country have been vaccinated against COVID-19.