11 COVID-19 outbreaks in Vinh City are losing track of their first-degree patients (F0).

As of the morning of October 27th, Vinh City has recorded a total of 84 COVID-19 patients since the third wave of the outbreak began on October 15th. According to Associate Professor Dr. Duong Dinh Chinh, Director of the Nghe An Department of Health, this wave is much more dangerous than previous ones. Currently, the disease has appeared in 10 wards and communes.

"After analyzing the contact tracing results, we identified at least 11 clusters of cases that are unrelated to each other. This is one of the most difficult challenges in the fight against the epidemic," said the head of Nghe An's health sector.

Of the outbreaks in this wave, the one on Bui Huy Bich Street has recorded the most cases so far (nearly 50). This street stretches from Ha Huy Tap Ward through Hung Loc Commune. According to Mr. Duong Dinh Chinh, this is the most dangerous outbreak, with a very rapid rate of spread. "We have sent samples to Hanoi for gene sequencing to determine if it belongs to the Delta variant or a new variant. Because the rate of spread is too fast, unlike the previous outbreak," the head of the Department of Health said.

This outbreak started on October 15th, when a couple living on Bui Huy Bich Street (in Yen Hoa block, Ha Huy Tap ward) visited the Nghe An Provincial Friendship General Hospital and tested positive for Covid-19 using a rapid test. Since then, almost every day, cases linked to this street have been detected.

Bui Huy Bich Street has been blocked off for several days now. Photo: Tien Hung

Also on October 15th, another community transmission case was recorded in Vinh City. The man, whose address is in Thanh Chuong town, was staying at his son's house in Quan Bau ward. He was found to be infected with Covid-19 when he visited Cua Dong General Hospital for examination. Contact tracing did not identify the source of infection. To date, all hundreds of samples related to this patient, including those of family members who had close contact, have tested negative.

On October 18th, another outbreak occurred in Block 3, Ben Thuy Ward. The patient is a 21-year-old male delivery driver with a very complicated travel history. On October 16th, the patient experienced symptoms of fever, sore throat, and fatigue, and self-medicated without improvement. On the morning of October 18th, the patient went to the Trung Do Ward health station for examination and underwent a rapid test which yielded a positive result. Immediately afterward, the patient was isolated at the health station and a sample was sent to the CDC for testing. On the afternoon of October 18th, the test results confirmed a positive result for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The patient had received one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. To date, no further cases have been recorded in this outbreak.

Also on October 18th, a fourth outbreak linked to the Nghe An Oncology Hospital emerged. To date, this outbreak has identified 3 F0 cases. The first case was a staff member of the Laboratory Department, detected through routine screening tests at the Oncology Hospital. Subsequently, one more case was identified as an F1 contact from the same Laboratory Department, and another case was a patient undergoing treatment at the Oncology Hospital's second facility.

An alley in Ha Huy Tap ward was sealed off on the morning of October 27th. Photo: Tien Hung.

On October 19th, the fifth outbreak occurred at a garment factory in Vinh Tan ward. This is the second largest outbreak, after the one on Bui Huy Bich street. To date, 17 F0 cases have been detected. The first case was a garment factory worker residing in Chau Nhan commune, Hung Nguyen district. This person was found to be infected with Covid-19 during a screening at the Provincial Friendship General Hospital. Of the 17 cases related to this outbreak, 10 are in the Viet Duc Knitting Workers' Collective Housing Area - Trung Do ward, 1 in the Phuong Hoang block - Trung Do ward, 2 in Ben Thuy ward, 2 in Vinh Tan ward, and 1 in Quan Bau.

On October 20th, the sixth outbreak was recorded on Van Duc Giai Street, Hung Binh Ward. Three patients, a mother and her two children, were involved. The 40-year-old mother, who sells organic food, was found to be infected with Covid-19 after experiencing fatigue and seeking treatment at Vinh City General Hospital. Subsequent testing of F1 contacts revealed that her two children were also infected. To date, no further cases related to this outbreak have been recorded.

The seventh outbreak was recorded on Nguyen Truong Khoat Street (near Bui Huy Bich Street), located in Ha Huy Tap Ward and Hung Loc Commune.)To date, this outbreak has detected 3 cases. The first case, who had a fever, tested positive for the virus at the Ha Huy Tap Ward Health Station using a rapid test. Subsequently, one more case was discovered, the patient's child, and another was a neighbor of the patient.

The eighth outbreak has been recorded at the Muong Thanh Cua Dong Apartment Complex. To date, only one case from this outbreak has been detected, a driver, after undergoing routine screening at the Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital.

On October 24th, the ninth outbreak was detected in Trung Do ward. The patient is a long-distance truck driver traveling to Ho Chi Minh City. To date, no secondary cases related to this outbreak have been recorded.

The 10th and 11th outbreaks were both recently discovered through community screening. To date, no secondary cases have been recorded. One case is at 18 Rada 45 Hung Loc residential area, and the other is near the lockdown area in Trung Do ward.

Additionally, on the morning of October 27th, the Nghe An Department of Health announced 10 more cases in Vinh City, including 4 community cases. Authorities are currently conducting thorough investigations to trace contacts and determine the source of infection for these cases.