Vietnam confirmed eighty-two community cases of Covid-19 after months, ending a streak of 55 consecutive days with no community transmissions. 

Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at a meeting on Covid-19 prevention on January 28. Photo: VGP

The 82 new infections are reported in the northern provinces of Hai Duong and Quang Ninh on February 28, according to the Ministry of Health.

On Thursday morning [January 28], Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc convened an urgent meeting on Covid-19 prevention on the sideline of the 13th National Party Congress.

Mr. Phuc said the fast-response teams have reacted upon the new infections in a determined and timely manner. “We need to isolate living areas of infectious people and trace on large scale while keeping calm to continue implementing strong administrative measures.

The prime minister ordered provinces and state agencies to tighten screening and controls.

Contact tracing efforts were launched in two northern provinces Hai Duong and Quang Ninh, where the first two new infections were detected and a village in Hai Duong was locked down, according to the government portal.

The quick response to the pandemic by top leaders show the preparedness of Vietnam in the fight against Covid-19 at a time when the country's biggest holiday is approaching.

The Lunar New Year or Tet holiday will last 10 days. Prior to the celebration, there are large movements of people to prepare for the traditional event.

Few hours after the new cases confirmed, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, head of the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, and Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long convened an online meeting with leaders of Hai Duong and Quang Ninh on Wednesday night. 

Mr. Vu Duc Dam requested Hai Duong and Quang Ninh to lockdown the infected areas within 10 days and put down the outbreak as soon as possible as the Lunar New Year is drawing near.

The country now has recorded 1,553 cases, including 85 active patients. A suspected patient in Hanoi tested negative for SARS-CoV-2.