Passengers at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — Five people arriving in HCM City from abroad have tested positive for the Omicron variant of coronavirus, local health authorities have said.

They were all immediately quarantined upon entering Việt Nam between December 20-25 and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, according to the city’s Centre for Disease Control.

Their specimens were sent to the Pasteur Institute for genomic sequencing and the institute reported on December 31 that the specimens were positive for the Omicron variant.

They are now in stable health condition, and their tests results turned negative after 5-7 days.

All 305 passengers travelling on flights with these Omicron cases have been quarantined in line with Ministry of Health regulations, and have tested negative for the virus.

Immediately after receiving the results of genomic sequencing, the city's administration continued to trace the involved people and carry out the Omicron response measures in line with the prepared plan.

The municipal health sector will closely monitor arrivals from overseas, take their samples for testing and bring them to quarantine sites as regulated, and conduct genetic sequencing of imported cases of COVID-19.

From January 1, 2022, the city's health sector will coordinate with the immigration management agency at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport to conduct quick tests for all arrivals entering the country from abroad.

Medical workers were expected to take samples from more than 250 people for testing on January 1.

Nguyễn Hồng Tâm, deputy director of the centre, said the city had tightened inspections on arrivals, especially those coming from or transit through countries and territories where the Omicron variant had been detected.

All passengers will have to take a quick test before boarding and after arriving, and suspected cases will be quarantined immediately.

The five latest Omicron cases brought Việt Nam's total confirmed new variant infections to 20, after 14 in Đà Nẵng and one in Hà Nội, all imported from overseas and quarantined on arrival. — VNS