Pham Duc Hai, Deputy head of the committee, said at a press conference on January 4 that fatalities dropped from 40 on December 28, 2021 to 33 on January 1, 2022 and 26 on January 3. Meanwhile, hospital admissions decreased from 700-800 to only around 300 daily.
As of 6pm on January 3, the city recorded 505,515 cases, including 504,900 detected within the community. According to the official, up to 16 out of 22 districts in HCM City has been labeled green, with low pandemic risks, while the remainders are marked as yellow zones, with medium risks. Doctor Nguyen Hong Tan, Deputy Director of the HCM City Centre for Disease Control, said the city has found six cases of the Omicron variant, all imported and quarantined right upon their arrival.
Before the detection of the Omicron cases, HCM City had launched a response plan under which people entering the southern economic hub via both sea and air routes must undergo close monitoring. Those found positive for Omicron would be sent to the COVID-19 treatment hospital No. 12 for further quarantine and treatment, he said.
