A resident is tested for COVID-19 in Quảng Tín Commune, Đắk R’lấp District, in the central highland Đắk Nông Province. VNA/VNS Photo

ĐẮK NÔNG – Sixteen new infection cases were reported in the central highland Đắk Nông Province on Monday, making the province a new COVID-19 hotspot.

Dr Đặng Thành, director of the provincial Centre for Disease Control, said that the new cases were from BuBia and Bù Dzách villages in Quảng Tín Ward, Đắk R’lấp District. They lived in the same house and had close contact to one another.

The patients underwent rapid tests for SARS-CoV-2 with positive result on Sunday. Real-time RT-PCR tests on Monday confirmed the result.

Vice Chairman of the district’s People's Committee Đỗ Thanh Cát said that the district decided to lock down the entire Quảng Tín Commune from 9pm on Sunday.

The commune also set up 33 checkpoints, including two in Hồ Chí Minh Road and 31 inter-commune checkpoints.

At two checkpoints that border neighbouring areas of the Đắk R’lấp District, authorities have tightened inspection on those who enter or get out of the area.

On Sunday, a sixth grader tested positive for COVID-19 at a local boarding school on the first day of the new school year.

He underwent two rapid tests at his school, with both results returning positive. His confirmatory test via the real-time RT-PCR method also came back positive.

The student has been brought to local COVID-19 treatment hospital while all teachers and students of the boarding school were required to remain on campus for COVID-19 tests.

Medical authorities have investigated his travel schedule and taken samples of people in Bubia Village, where the student resides, to promptly detect and separate infected people from the community.

As many as 100 people had close contact with the patient.

There have been 324 local infection cases in Đắk Nông since the fourth wave hit Việt Nam on April 27. Of those 166 have been given the-all-clear and 158 are still undergoing treatment.

No deaths have been reported in the province so far. VNS