HCMC – The Ministry of Health this evening, August 17, reported 9,605 new Covid-19 cases, including 10 imported cases and 9,595 domestic infections in 40 localities, up 951 cases over yesterday, and 331 Covid-19 deaths.
Of the new cases, HCMC and Binh Duong accounted for more than two thirds with 3,559 and 3,332 cases, respectively, rising 218 and 810 cases over the figures yesterday. The new cases raised the two localities’ total Covid-19 cases in the current fourth coronavirus wave, which began on April 27, to 156,386 and 49,833, respectively.
In addition, 581 cases were recorded in Long An, 411 in Tien Giang, 298 in Dong Nai, 172 in Can Tho and 170 in Dong Thap. Meanwhile, Khanh Hoa detected 139 cases and Danang had 124 cases.
Moreover, 31 other localities recorded fewer than 100 infections each.
Notably, 4,465 Covid-19 cases were found being infectious while in the community.
The new cases sent the country’s Covid-19 caseload in the current Covid-19 wave to 289,276, including 108,534 recoveries, with 4,331 patients being discharged from hospital today.
Meanwhile, 600 critical Covid-19 patients are being treated at intensive care units and 20 others have to rely on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
As for the 331 Covid-19 deaths, HCMC continued to account for the most, at 285. Twelve other fatalities were reported in Binh Duong, nine in Long An, seven in Tien Giang, six in Dong Nai, four in Can Tho, three in Dong Thap and one each in Binh Dinh, Binh Thuan, Khanh Hoa and Vinh Long.
Thus, Vietnam has had 6,472 Covid-19 deaths, accounting for 2.2% of the country’s Covid-19 cases.
Although HCMC is practicing social distancing under the prime minister’s Directive 16, the number of Covid-19 cases detected in the community has risen and been higher than the number of cases in areas under lockdown in HCMC over the past few days, especially in Districts 8, 3, 1, Binh Tan and Tan Phu.
Municipal chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong asked Thu Duc City and districts to take advantage of the social distancing period to speed up the vaccination and spend more efforts fighting off the pandemic.
According to the HCMC Department of Health, Districts 5, 11, Phu Nhuan and Can Gio have completed administering the first vaccine dose to residents aged over 18.
On August 16, the city administered more than 194,400 people, mainly using China’s Vero Cell vaccine. Thus, in the fifth vaccination drive, the city has inoculated 3.7 million people, raising the number of vaccinated people in the city to some 4.7 million.
On the same day, Vietnam Vaccine JSC handed over some 1.1 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses to the HCMC Pasteur Institute as directed by the Ministry of Health.
