On the afternoon of December 1, Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long led a meeting on the COVID-19 situation.
The minister announced two new COVID-19 cases linked to patient 1347. These include a 1-year-old boy and a student who was taught by patient 1347.
Specifically, the 1-year-old boy lives in District 6, Ho Chi Minh City. He had close contact with patient 1347 on November 22, 23, 25, and 27 (his parents had asked patient 1347 to look after him).
On November 30, after learning that patient 1347 tested positive, the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control traced and quarantined the boy and his mother at the city’s Children’s Hospital. The boy’s father and other family members were quarantined at home. The boy tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on the night of November 30.
The other case is a 28-year-old female student who was a learner of patient 1347. Contact tracing found nine people who had close contact with her, they have all been quarantined and are awaiting test results.
Minister Nguyen Thanh Long emphasized that patient 1342 was the first to contract COVID-19 from a quarantine facility and then infected patient 1347 at home. Since then, two more cases have been linked to patient 1347.
After nearly 90 days without new cases nationwide, Ho Chi Minh City recorded four new cases on November 30: one from quarantine (patient 1342) and three from community transmission, including patient 1347.
Additionally, Minister Long stressed that patients 1347 and 1342 did not follow home quarantine rules. Patient 1342 seriously violated COVID-19 prevention measures at the centralized quarantine facility and will face strict penalties according to regulations.
