Twenty-four people in Hanoi exposed to the Covid-19 female patient from northern province of Hai Duong were negative for SARS-CoV-2 on the first test, according to Deputy Director of the Hanoi Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Khong Minh Tuan.

Covid-19 suspected cases in Hanoi tested negative. Photo: Kinhtedothi.vn

Previously, the Hanoi Department of Health said that N.T.G., 32, a worker from Hai Duong province, was tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 virus after arriving at a Japanese airport.

The municipal Department of Health has urgently requested the Hanoi CDC and related units to verify and quarantine 24 cases linked to this patient, disinfect and placed the areas related to the case on lockdown.

Mr. Tuan said that the Hanoi CDC has conducted epidemiological investigation on all cases having close contact with this woman.

On January 28, Vietnam confirmed eighty-two local infection cases of Covid-19 in the northern provinces of Hai Duong and Quang Ninh, ending a streak of 55 consecutive days with no community transmissions.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc convened a meeting on the sidelines of the 13th Party National Congress with the national Covid-19 taskforce to discuss the new outbreak, in which he ordered provinces and state agencies to tighten safety measures and controls.

The latest patients include a ground staff at Van Don international airport who was responsible for taking incoming infected passengers to Covid-19 quarantine facilities.

The other case is a factory worker who came into contact with a Vietnamese national who later travelled to Japan and tested positive there for the new UK variant of the virus, which has been said to be much more easily transmissible.

At the time of writing, Vietnam has recorded 1,553 cases, including 85 active patients.