HCM City ramps up contact tracing as Omicron community cases found

Ho Chi Minh City has intensified contact tracing after it detected first three Omicron cases in the community.

HCM City has detected 33 Omicron cases, including three locally acquired infections. (Illustrative image)

The three local residents were said to receive a Vietnamese woman returning from the United States at Tan Son Nhat International Airport on January 10. They visited a friend in Tan Binh District and dropped round a restaurant in District No3 for food.

Several days later they all showed flu-like symptoms and tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The samples of the three local residents were sent to Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases for genome sequencing, and the results showed they had contracted the Omicron variant.

Addressing a meeting in HCM City on January 19, Nguyen Van Nen, Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, asked relevant agencies to conduct contact tracing to early detect and isolate suspect cases in the community.

“The cluster of infections was immediately detected, and relevant agencies are conducting field investigations to prevent the strain spreading to the wider community,” said Nen.

He also warned local people should remain highly vigilant against the emergence of the new strain in the community.

HCM City has so far recorded 33 Omicron cases, including 30 cases returning from overseas.