Vietnam’s Ministry of Health logged two imported COVID-19 cases on Thursday, almost three weeks after they entered the country from the U.S.

Both are Vietnamese repatriates, the health ministry said.

They landed from the U.S., with transit time in South Korea, on board flight VN441 at Cam Ranh International Airport in south-central Khanh Hoa Province on January 1.

They were sent to quarantine in nearby Phu Yen Province upon landing as per regulations.

They tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday.

The two are isolated for treatment in Phu Yen.

Sixteen passengers on their flight had been confirmed as coronavirus patients prior to their diagnosis.

The health ministry announced five recovered patients on Thursday.

Vietnam has detected 1,546 coronavirus patients as of Thursday night, with 1,411 recoveries and 35 virus-related deaths.

The country has recorded zero local infections since December 2.

The government began barring entry to foreign nationals on March 22 but it allows foreign experts, skilled workers, investors, and diplomats to enter the country on a case-by-case basis, subject to mandatory quarantine.

At the time of writing, the Vietnamese government is quarantining over 18,600 people who either came into close contact with infected patients or entered the country from virus-hit regions.