Two Covid-19 variants, NB.1.8.1 and XFG.1.1, are now the dominant strains circulating in Ho Chi Minh City, although authorities say there is no evidence they cause more severe disease than previous variants.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health said on August 5 its infectious disease surveillance system had detected no unusual changes in Covid-19 case numbers. The city has not recorded any severe cases, with most patients experiencing only mild symptoms. Some patients with underlying health conditions required hospital treatment, but all responded well and made a good recovery.
Ho Chi Minh City has not recorded an unusual rise in Covid-19 cases (Illustrative photo: Internet).
Genome sequencing of virus samples collected in July found that the NB.1.8.1 and XFG.1.1 variants accounted for the majority of infections. The findings were unchanged from the previous surveillance round conducted in the middle of last year.
According to the World Health Organization, both NB.1.8.1 and XFG are Omicron sublineages circulating globally. They are classified as variants under monitoring, but there is currently no evidence that they cause more severe illness than other circulating variants.
While the Covid-19 situation remains stable, dengue fever cases continue to rise in line with the rainy season. The Ho Chi Minh City Centre for Disease Control (HCDC) reported 995 dengue infections in the past week, up 20 per cent compared with the average of the previous four weeks.
Since the beginning of the year, Ho Chi Minh City has recorded 23,481 dengue cases, an increase of nearly 24 per cent compared with the same period last year. The three areas with the highest infection rates are An Nhon Tay, Chanh Phu Hoa and Ngai Giao.
The upward trend has also been observed across southern Vietnam. According to the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, the region recorded 53,428 dengue cases during the first 29 weeks of the year, up nearly 39 per cent from the same period in 2025. Dong Nai Province, Ho Chi Minh City and Tay Ninh Province have reported the sharpest increases in infections.