Đà Nẵng International Airport. — Photo courtesy of the airport

HÀ NỘI — A further 14 people have tested positive for the Omicron variant of coronavirus in Việt Nam.

All were immediately quarantined in Hội An after arriving at Đà Nẵng International Airport.

They arrived last week on repatriation flights from the US and South Korea, according to Quảng Nam Province’s health department.

On Friday, Nguyễn Văn Văn, head of the department, said four days ago it sent 15 specimens of COVID-19 positive arrivals to Nha Trang Pasteur Institute for genomic sequencing, and late Thursday, the institute reported 14 out of 15 specimens were positive for the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529).

All are asymptomatic COVID-19 cases, 12 are staying in hotels and two are under observation at Phạm Ngọc Thạch Hospital (Tam Kỳ City, Quảng Nam).

Eight out of the infected were on flight VN99 from the US landing at Đà Nẵng airport on December 24, three on flight VN417 from South Korea the same day, two on VN417 from South Korea on December 23, and one on flight QH9451 from South Korea on December 21.

According to Quảng Nam’s contract tracers, VN99 flight had 177 passengers, with 172 currently being quarantined at Mulberry Hội An, two in An Phú Company and two in Ciputra apartment building in Hà Nội’s Tây Hồ District, one in An Bình Company (HCM City), along with 16 crewmembers isolating in HCM City.

Flight VN417 had 103 passengers currently under quarantine at Historic Hội An Hotel and 13 crewmembers in Hà Nội, while the flight on December 23 had 201 passengers under quarantine at Mường Thanh Hội An Hotel along with 16 crewmembers quarantined in Hà Nội.

Flight QH9451 carried 216 passengers – one in Mulberry Collection Silk Mariana and 214 in Tui Blue hotels in Hội An, one in HCM City – along with 13 crewmembers quarantined in Hà Nội.

The passengers on this flight have completed their quarantine and have gone to their intended destinations, while passengers on the three other flights completed quarantine late Thursday or early Friday.

Earlier this week, Việt Nam recorded its first Omicron case in a man arriving from the UK, also quarantined on arrival.

The man is reportedly an asymptomatic COVID-19 case, in stable health condition, and has little risk of severe disease. — VNS