The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health reported on January 24 that the city's infectious disease surveillance system has detected the emergence of sub-variant JN.1 of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in hospitalised patients in December last year in the locality.
HCMCity (VNA) – The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health reported onJanuary 24 that the city's infectious disease surveillance system has detectedthe emergence of sub-variant JN.1 of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in hospitalised patients inDecember last year in the locality.
JN.1 is a sub-variant from the BA.2.86 variantof Omicron classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a "variantof Interest” (VOI), which is the cause of the increasing number of cases anddeaths in some countries.
According to data from the Ho Chi Minh City Centre for Disease Control (HCDC) from December 18, 2023, to January 22, 2024, local hospitals treated94 COVID-19 cases from the city and several adjacent localities. Among thein-patients, 17 severe cases require supplemental oxygen. All the severe cases involve individuals in the high-risk group with serious underlying diseases, and have not been vaccinated with enough COVID-19 vaccine doses followinginstructions from the Ministry of Health.
Notably, the number of hospitalised cases at the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital of Tropical Diseases due to the pandemic has increasedin the last six weeks.
Themunicipal Department of Health said the JN.1 sub-variant appeared in the cityafter the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) reported it as the fastest growing variant and dominate in theUS in December last year.
In December 2023, nearly 10,000 deaths fromCOVID-19 were reported worldwide while the number of hospitalised cases surged42% from the previous month. New variants of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus havecontinuously mutated, and sub-variant JN.1 is spreading rapidly around theglobe, according to WHO.
In Vietnam, the northern region is now in thetransitional period between winter and spring, when cold and dry weather isalternated with wet weather, triggering infectious diseases, especiallyrespiratory ones.
It warned that the coming Lunar New Year(Tet) holidays and spring festive season, when trading and travel demandsurges, along with abnormal weather changes are favourable conditions fordiseases to spread, particularly among children with weak immunity and theelderly with comorbidities, who are more vulnerable to infectiousdiseases.
The municipal Department of Health advised residents to takemeasures to protect themselves, their families and the community, includingwearing a mask in medical facilities and crowded places or when havingrespiratory symptoms, regularly washing hands with soap or hand sanitiser, and rinsingmouth and throat with mouthwash.
People, especially those in at-risk groups, are recommended to get booster shots against COVID-19./.
Vietnam’s economy has steadily regained its growth momentum following the COVID-19 pandemic. Its growth rate, though short of expectations, remains at the top among developing and emerging countries, with GDP in 2023 estimated at some 435 billion USD.
Thailand is witnessing a rising number of COVID-19 cases after the New Year holiday, with those hospitalised up 7% on last week, according to an epidemiologist at Chulalongkorn University.
The Hanoi People’s Court on January 12 sentenced former Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long to 18 years in prison for taking bribes in the COVID-19 test kit case involving in the Viet A Technology JSC.
The Ministry of Health’s Department of Preventive Medicine on January 16 asked localities nationwide to keep a close watch on the disease situation in the face of complex developments of infectious diseases, especially respiratory ones, around the world.
Vietnam now boasts a nationwide healthcare network with 1,665 hospitals, 384 of which are non-public, supported by local commune- and ward-level stations. At the end of 2024, hospital bed capacity reached 34 per 10,000 people, slightly above the global average.
The 56-year-old patient from Quang Tri province was discharged in stable condition as he no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute, said that under the MoU, the two sides committed to promoting diverse and practical collaborative activities, including joint conferences and workshops, exchanges of scholars, researchers and students, sharing academic materials, and the development of specific programmes and projects in scientific research, training, and epidemic prevention.
TytoCare, a leading Israeli telemedicine company based in Netanya, is willing to work with Vietnamese regulators, insurers, and healthcare providers to develop a sustainable digital health ecosystem.
The partnership is under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding on the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control, signed in Hanoi on July 22.
An estimated 7 million Vietnamese are currently living with diabetes, but about 50% remain undiagnosed, a dangerous gap that is fuelling serious, preventable complications and increasing the burden on the healthcare system.
In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019.
Health authorities in HCM City have issued an urgent alert after six people died from dengue fever, amid a spike in infections driven by the onset of the rainy season.
During the peak months of July and August 2025, the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) needs at least 90,000 units of blood to supply 180 hospitals in the northern region. However, despite continuous efforts, the reserve blood is still short of 30,000 units.
The Hanoi ceremony highlighted efforts to ensure all citizens, especially women and youth, can access accurate information and healthcare services to make informed reproductive choices.
After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
Currently, cardiovascular specialists from the 108 Military Central Hospital are working alongside a team of Prof.Dr. Jan D. Schmitto, Deputy Director of MHH’s Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery on clinical trials for MCS devices, implanted in heart failure patients either as a bridge to transplantation or as permanent treatment.
The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
Not only does Vietnam attract international tourists with its landscapes, culture, and cuisine, but it is also gradually becoming a reliable destination for medical treatment, offering high-quality services at reasonable costs.
Over the past six months, 150 communal health stations in provinces including Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, Ben Tre and Ca Mau have been equipped with information technology systems. In addition, 117 key provincial healthcare workers have received training, with thousands more expected to follow.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ministry of Health swiftly launched a telemedicine programme, connecting more than 1,000 medical establishments nationwide. The model, which remains in operation, has benefited tens of thousands of patients, including foreign nationals.
After more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the patient's pneumonia improved, breathing stabilised, sedation was reduced, and the breathing tube was removed. He is now conscious, able to eat orally, and in recovery.
Illustrative image (Photo: nhandan.vn) 
