Vietnam’s health ministry announced five new coronavirus patients on Tuesday, including four imported cases.

One of the five infections was an employee at a quarantine hotel in Yen Bai Province, located in northern Vietnam, the Ministry of Health said in a report.

The patient, 63, works for Nhu Nguyet 2 Hotel, which has been functioning as a quarantine facility for international arrivals.

He came into direct contact with four Indian nationals who were then confirmed as COVID-19 patients No. 2,786, 2,811, 2,812, and 2,831, according to the Yen Bai Department of Health.

The hotel employee’s second COVID-19 test came back positive on Monday.

The man had been quarantined since his contact with the Indians when they landed in Vietnam on April 18.

The other four cases confirmed on Tuesday included two Vietnamese repatriates from Japan, one from Germany with transit time in Singapore, and one from Russia.

Their diagnosis was established on Monday after they had been quarantined since their arrival by plane in Vietnam earlier this month.

Vietnam has registered 2,857 COVID-19 patients, including 1,571 locally-transmitted cases, since the pathogen first struck it on January 23, 2020, according to the health ministry’s data.

Recoveries have reached 2,516 while 35 patients have died, most having suffered critical pre-existing conditions.

The country has recorded zero community transmissions for over a month after having logged 911 local infections since January 27.

It had vaccinated 259,736 people with AstraZeneca jabs by 4:00 pm on Monday, the health ministry said.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said on Monday that he did not rule out the possibility of a fourth coronavirus wave hitting Vietnam, with the third starting in January this year and the remaining happening last year.

Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Quang Ninh Province, and other places have already announced the cancelation of fireworks displays originally meant to celebrate Reunification Day (April 30), at a time when Vietnam's neighbors Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand are battling the virus.

Hanoi has also shut down crowded festivals and unnecessary gatherings for fear of a virus re-emergence.

Border jumpers have been found sneaking into Vietnam from Cambodia to duck mandatory quarantine over the past few weeks.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Cambodia has surged past 10,000, with daily spikes recorded in the hundreds, while its fatalities have risen to 79, according to statistics.

Thailand’s tally has mounted to more than 57,000, with 148 deaths, whereas Laos has locked down its capital to prevent transmission even when its caseload is merely 436.

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