The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has proposed Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to stop operating and restrict licensing flights to Vietnam from countries and territories infected with a new variant of SARS-CoV-2. 

Vietnam health ministry proposes to suspend flights to prevent new variant of SARS-CoV-2. Photo: Thanh Binh

According to the Health Ministry’s report, Covid-19 pandemic keeps expanding in many countries. On December 18, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 in the UK could spread about 50% to 70% faster than previous forms of the virus. As of January 3, 34 countries recorded the new variants of SARS-CoV-2, according to the Ministry of Health.

So far, more than 40 countries have suspended travel to and from the UK, and countries that have recorded new variants of SARS-CoV-2.  

In Vietnam, a Vietnamese woman returning from the UK was found to be infected with the mutated SARS-CoV-2. She arrived together with 305 passengers on Vietnam Airlines flight VN50 that landed in the southern city of Can Tho on December 22, 2020.

She was confirmed on January 2 as the first case of the new mutant coronavirus in Vietnam. She is in stable health condition after being quarantined at a hospital in the southern province of Tra Vinh.

Currently, Vietnam has only allowed arrivals of foreign diplomats, businesses and highly-skilled workers.

So far, the country has reported 1,497 Covid-19 cases, including 1,339 recoveries and 35 deaths.