A person who came in contact with 13 imported cases of COVID-19 Omicron variant was the first recorded case of Omicron in the community in the capital city of Hanoi, according to information announced at the municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control’s meeting on January 26.
In the meeting, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Health Vu Cao Cuong said that there was a risk of community transmission of Omicron in Hanoi. The capital city has now seen 118,111 cases and is still on alert level 2 (medium-risk).
Related: Omicron variant has spread to at least 11 localities in Vietnam
“In the coming weeks we could see a slight drop in daily cases,” said Cuong.
“The drop will be caused by people traveling back home for Tet, and daily cases will return to 3,000 cases per day after the holiday if people do not adhere to prevention methods,” he added.
To curb the rise of the pandemic, Hanoi will raise awareness among citizens, as well as reduce large gatherings.
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Hanoi Opera House. Credit: Olivier OchanineVietnam recorded its first cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in the community, state media reported on Jan 19, as health authorities urged people to increase their vigilance due to the threat from the variant.
“The community needs to raise their vigilance against Omicron, not gathering at crowded places and getting fully vaccinated,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement last week.
Also read: Great news: Europe is moving towards a kind of pandemic endgame after Omicron
Overall, Vietnam has recorded more than two million COVID-19 infections and nearly 36,000 deaths.
More than 74% of the country’s population of 98 million have received at least two vaccine shots, according to the health ministry.
Vietnam has also launched a booster vaccination drive, with authorities pledging that all adults should get the additional vaccine shot by the end of March.
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Source: Vietnam Insider