Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have conducted COVID-19 tests on more than 2,240 people linked to four recent domestic infections.

As of Thursday morning, a total of 2,244 people in contact with patients 1,342, 1,347, 1,348, and 1,349 had been tested for the novel coronavirus, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen said at a meeting the same day. 

Among them, 1,632 have tested negative for the novel coronavirus once.

The remaining 612 people, including 11 F1 individuals – people who had direct contact with positive COVID-19 cases – are still waiting for results.

The most important task is to promptly and accurately track and quarantine all people who had contact with the patients in order to prevent the disease from spreading further into the community, the official remarked.

Patient 1,342, a 28-year-old flight attendant of national carrier Vietnam Airlines, returned from Japan on November 14, and came into contact with his colleague, patient 1,325, at the airline’s quarantine facility during his stay from November 14 to 18.

After his first two tests returned negative for COVID-19, he was allowed to go home to continue his self-quarantine period, during which he had contact with three people, including his mother, a male friend, and a female friend, at his rented house.

The male friend, a 32-year-old resident in District 6, was later confirmed as patient 1,347.

He had taught English at two branches of KEY English Center prior to his diagnosis.

Two people have caught the virus from him as of Thursday.

Patient 1,348 is a one-year-old infant, whose parents had asked patient 1,347 to look after him.

Patient 1,349 is a 28-year-old woman who previously attended English classes taught by patient 1,347.

Vietnam has recorded 1,358 coronavirus patients as of Thursday morning, with 1,201 recoveries and 35 virus-related deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

Before the detection of patient 1,347, the country had gone 88 days with zero domestic infections.

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