This Omicron sublineage accounts for 83% of recent infections, with mild but fast-spreading symptoms.

Recently, HCM City has experienced a noticeable increase in COVID-19 cases, with 26 reported in just one week, compared to an average of only 1-2 cases weekly earlier this year.

To prevent the spread of the Omicron XEC variant, city health officials have reintroduced strict mask rules for hospitals.

The Ministry of Health aims to stay ahead through proactive vaccination of vulnerable groups as the virus continues evolving.

The majority of patients had the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination several years ago, the vaccine is no longer effective and there is no reason to be concerned about side effects.

Vietnam has for long not used the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 across the country, said a representative of the Drug Registration Division of the Drug Administration of Vietnam under the Ministry of Health.

Tens of millions of AstraZeneca COVID vaccines have been administered in Vietnam and only a few cases of blood clot related reactions recorded post-vaccination, an immunisation official has stated amid concerns over side effects.

An official of the Ministry of Health has played down public worries about AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine side-effects after the pharmaceutical giant admitted that the vaccine may cause extremely rare side-effects.

The HCM City Health Department has warned of the potential risk of a COVID-19 resurgence in the city amid a wave of cases emerging in many Western-Pacific countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Guam, and Brunei.

The Ministry of Health has issued a dispatch to ministries, government agencies, and people's committees of centrally run localities regarding the prevention and control of COVID-19 as a Group B disease.

The Cabinet leader recalled “the most challenging periods with worries and concerns in an unprecedented pandemic situation”.

Regular risk assessments should still be conducted, and corresponding response measures should be implemented to prevent and control outbreaks at different risk levels.

Vietnam has officially downgraded the classification of Covid-19 to a Class B infectious disease from October 20 following a decision signed by Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has proposed to amend the regulations related to COVID-19 as the number of new cases has consistently remained low in recent weeks.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has issued a directive on proactive implementation of COVID-19 prevention and control measures, infectious diseases, as well as measures to prevent the resurgence of the pandemic.

The US Agency for International Development, in partnership with UNICEF, has delivered 590 vaccine refrigerators to Vietnam as part of the support to further improve cold chain systems for routine immunization and COVID-19 vaccination campaigns.

COVID-19 patients will not be given free treatment when the disease is downgraded from its current placement in Class A infectious diseases to Class B, said Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong.

On Saturday, the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control approved the downgrade in the classification of COVID-19.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who is also Head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, chaired the committee's 20th meeting via teleconference with all 63 provinces and centrally-run cities of the country.