Hanoi warned of high COVID-19 risk following latest detection of fresh cases

Chu Xuan Dung, vice chairman of the municipal People's Committee and deputy head of the Hanoi Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, chaired an online meeting on July 6 alongside competent agencies to carry out drastic anti-pandemic measures. This comes following the latest discovery of more local infections after roughly ten days with no new community infections.

According to details given by the Hanoi Health Department, the capital has recorded new outbreaks in three districts, including Dong Anh, My Duc, and Hoang Mai.

Up to 1,804 individuals linked to the cases have since been sampled for COVID-19, with 1,789 people confirmed to have tested negative for the virus.

Tran Van Chung, deputy director of the Hanoi Health Department, said, "The pandemic situation in Hanoi is still put under control, but the risk of infection in the community is still high as more new outbreaks have been detected. The outbreak in Dong Anh is high risk due to the cases working in industrial zones and having contact with many people. The city has recorded positive cases which came into contact with infected people in other localities."

In addition, Dung went on to outline a series of key tasks for the municipal health sector in the immediate future, with a particular focus on zoning off areas impacted by cases, along with quickly tracing and isolating contacts involved in the latest outbreaks.

Furthermore, it remains imperative to continue sampling for screening tests in high-risk areas and facilities, while also conducting screening tests for people returning from severely-hit provinces and cities, such as Ho Chi Minh City.

Hanoi has recorded a total of 478 local COVID-19 cases during the country’s fourth wave of infections since late April, with 148 of them being detected inside two locked down hospitals in the capital.