A technician prepares to diagnose a probable COVID-19 infection case's sample at the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam recorded two new imported COVID-19 cases Sunday, bringing the country’s total caseload to 1,109, as today marks the 39th day without locally acquired infections.

Patient 1,108 was a 48-year-old Indian male expert entering Việt Nam for work in the southern province of Đồng Nai.

On October 6, he arrived at HCM City’s Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport and was quarantined in Đồng Nai Province.

His second test on Saturday was positive for the coronavirus, Đồng Nai Centre for Disease Control reported, adding that the patient is being treated at Đồng Nai Lung Hospital.

Patient 1,109 was a 33-year-old female student, with registered residence in District 2, HCM City, who returned from the UK.

She arrived at Vân Đồn International Airport in Quảng Ninh Province in northeastern Việt Nam on October 3, and was quarantined in Hải Dương Province.

She was only positive for the virus on her second test conducted on Saturday, Hải Dương CDC said.

The patient is being treated at Hải Dương Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

The latest two brought the number of new cases over the weekend in the country to four, in addition to one returning Vietnamese from Russia and one German expert recorded on Saturday.

Currently, 15,887 people are being held in quarantine facilities across the country for either having come into close contact with probable or confirmed COVID-19 patients, or having returned from virus-affected regions.

Việt Nam has seen 1,024 recoveries out of the 1,107 COVID-19 patients, and there are no more seriously ill cases in treatment, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Hà Nội has gone 54 days without community cases, while HCM City is on a 71-day streak.

The country’s death count stayed at 35, with most of the victims being elderly people with serious chronic health issues. — VNS