Vietnam has noticed the emergence of a new covid variant. In its response, the Vietnamese government has ordered mass testing to contain the new Covid-19 variant. The country has begun mass testing in Ho Chi Minh city to tackle the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Aside from this, strict social distancing measures have come into force in the country. After the spread of the Covid-19 outside of China in 2020, Vietnam responded with immediate effect to prevent the spread of the virus in its regions.
The Vietnamese government immediately imposed a ban on all travelers from the country. And it only allowed the returnees to travel to their home destinations. As a result, Vietnam has only seen over 7,000 cases and a total of 47 deaths.
Spike in Covid-19 Cases in the Country
Now, Vietnam is seeing a hike in the Covid-19 cases over the past few weeks. In order to prevent the virus from spreading, government officials have directed mass testing to put a full stop to its spread.
The information provided by the officials states that the new Covid-19 variant is a mix of the Indian variant and the UK variant. Officials have issued strict warnings about the easy transmission of the new hybrid covid variant into the air.
The recent outbreak of Covid-19 cases in Ho Chi Minh city is clustered near a Christian mission. Until now, at least 125 positive cases have been detected. And they have added to the number of the city’s infections. The new cluster has links to a religious mission.
Plans to Conduct Mass Testing for High-Risk Groups
At present, people living nearby the cluster are undergoing testing and they are instructed to remain in lockdown. As of now, officials have ordered to test around 1,00,000 people every day. In this testing, the focus will be on high-risk and vulnerable groups.
Moreover, social distancing measures are in effect in the country for 15 days starting from May 31. In addition to closing shops and restaurants, the country has imposed a ban on all religious activities.
Besides, the strength of public gatherings has been reduced to five. Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of VietNam (CAAC) has temporarily suspended all international flights. No flight to Noi Bai International Airport in Ha Noi will operate during June 1-7.
The Vietnamese government is pondering to boost its vaccination drive to deal with the re-emergence of the virus. Until now, it has just vaccinated over 1% of the population with the first dose.
