亞洲疫情：Vietnam, Japan, China, Australia and South Korea all recorded spikes on Wednesday. an outbreak in the state of Victoria, Australia

Vietnam let down its guard, and cases surged

It’s a familiar story in Asia: Vietnam seemed like a miracle, where months went by without a single coronavirus death or even local transmission.

The economy reopened, travel restarted and residents began leaving their masks at home. But over the weekend, the country announced that the virus was lurking after all — and spreading. Experts do not know the source.

It followed a pattern in places that seemed to have done everything right: Japan, China, Australia and South Korea all recorded spikes on Wednesday. And the mystery is worrying medical experts and residents alike.

Details: Shortly after a 57-year-old man from Danang tested positive, clusters emerged in five hospitals. By Wednesday, the virus had spread north to Hanoi, south to Ho Chi Minh City, to two provinces in the country’s center and even the remote Central Highlands.

Quotable: “In my opinion, this outbreak is more dangerous than the previous one because it is happening at the same time in many places,” said the dean of public health at Quang Trung University. *** Australia’s government said it would send a specialist medical team usually deployed to disaster zones to help manage an outbreak in the state of Victoria. ***  Hong Kong recorded 118 new cases on Wednesday, bringing the total tally past 3,000. Carrie Lam, the city’s leader, warned that a sharp rise in infections could lead to a “collapse” of the hospital system.