Vietnamese citizens conduct procedures when flying home - Illustrative image. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — More details have emerged of the latest COVID-19 case in HCM City, the first community infection in Việt Nam for three months.

The Ministry of Health have said the case was caused when a flight attendant from Vietnam Airlines who had tested positive for the virus “lowered his guard” and met with friends and family when he should have been self-isolating.

As a result one of his friends, a 32-year-old teacher from Ward 3 in District 6, contracted coronavirus.

The authorities say almost 200 people have either had close contact with the new patient, or secondary contact. He also visited a café and karaoke bar in the past few days.  

The Ministry said the flight attendant tested positive after staying at a quarantine site of the national flag carrier in Tân Bình district of Hồ Chí Minh City from November 14 to 18.

After testing negative twice, he was allowed to undergo self-quarantine at his boarding house in Tân Bình district.

During this period, the patient had close contact with his mother and two friends. The male friend was living in the same property.

The attendant then had a third test on November 28 which came back positive. His mother and friends were also tested which is when the new case was discovered.

Nguyễn Trí Dũng, Director of the city’s Centre for Disease Control, said the attendant lowered his guard against the pandemic and did not abide by quarantine regulations, both at the concentrated facility and at home, causing disease transmission.

He said measures have been put in place to tighten the implementation of quarantine regulations. — VNS