A woman wearing a facemask walks along a street in Hanoi on December 1, 2020, a day after Vietnam reported its first local transmission case of Covid-19 in nearly three months. (Photo: AFP)

HANOI, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam reported 12 new cases of COVID-19 infection on Sunday, bringing its total confirmed cases to 1,494 with 35 deaths from the disease so far, according to its Ministry of Health.

The new cases include three South African and nine Vietnamese citizens who recently entered the country from abroad and were quarantined upon arrival, said the ministry.

The ministry also announced that two more patients have been given the all-clear, raising the total cured case to 1,339 as of Sunday.

Meanwhile, over 18,700 people are being quarantined and monitored, the ministry said.