HCMC – The Ministry of Health today, September 16, reported 10,489 new Covid-19 cases, including seven imported cases and 10,482 domestic infections in 37 localities, down 101 cases against yesterday.
Up to 6,537 cases were found infected in the community.
Among the locally-infected cases, HCMC accounted for more than half, at 5,735, followed by Binh Duong with 2,998, Dong Nai with 567 and Long An with 281. In addition, Kien Giang had 198 cases and An Giang recorded 126 cases, while other cities and provinces reported fewer than 100 new cases each.
The new infections sent the country’s Covid-19 case count in the fourth wave of the pandemic, which began in late April, soaring to 651,727, including 320,823 cases in HCMC and 169,073 cases in Binh Duong.
Today, 10,901 patients were released from hospital, raising the country’s total recoveries to 423,551.
The Ministry of Health also confirmed 234 more deaths, including 160 in HCMC, 46 in Binh Duong, 10 in Long An, six in Tien Giang, three in Nghe An, two each in Tay Ninh and Ben Tre, and one each in Thanh Hoa, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Ca Mau and Hanoi.
Moreover, Tien Giang and Kien Giang added three and two more Covid fatalities, respectively. To date, Vietnam has had 16,425 Covid deaths.
HCMC’s number of Covid-19 deaths today was the lowest since August 22, when the city had yet to apply extra mobility restrictions, according to Pham Duc Hai, deputy head of the municipal anti-Covid steering committee.
At a press briefing today, Hai said more than 2,500 Covid patients in the city were discharged from hospital today. The city is treating over 41,000 Covid cases, including nearly 3,000 children aged below 16.
Answering a question about the city’s high number of new Covid-19 cases despite strict and long-lasting social distancing, deputy director of the municipal Department of Health Nguyen Hoai Nam said the city had been enhancing the testing work. Residents in extremely-high-risk areas have undergone seven to eight Covid-19 tests, while those in safe areas have undergone three to four tests.
During the mass testing drive, the city’s number of new Covid-19 has increased and hovered around 4,000-6,000 cases per day.
In related news, the Dong Nai Department of Health today allowed coronavirus-infected medical workers having no or mild symptoms to continue taking part in the treatment of other Covid-19 patients at the Dong Nai General Hospital.
The hospital operates the province’s field hospitals No. 2 and 8. In addition, it has established an intensive care unit for critical patients with 50 beds and used its 12th floor with a capacity of 100 beds for Covid treatment.
Nearly 200 employees of the hospital have been mobilized for the Covid treatment and 42 of them have been infected with Covid.
The Dong Nai Department of Health asked the Dong Nai General Hospital to treat and keep a close watch on the health of these medical workers, arrange appropriate tasks for them and stop asking them to work if their condition gets worse.
