HCMC – The Ministry of Health this evening, April 14, reported 23,012 new cases of Covid, falling 1,611 cases against the day earlier.
Hanoi as the biggest hotspot reported 1,677 new cases, followed by Phu Tho with 1,279 cases. Nghe An, Yen Bai, Vinh Phuc each saw over 900 cases.
Six other localities including Quang Ninh, HCMC, Daklak, Lao Cai, Tuyen Quang, and Bac Kan recorded around 715-890 cases each. The remaining 51 provinces and cities had fewer than 700 cases each.
Besides, more than 85,600 Covid patients were declared free of the disease while 23 others died in the day, sending the country’s total recoveries and death toll linked to the coronavirus to over 8.8 million and 42,901, respectively.
In related news, the Government has approved the Health Ministry’s proposal to receive the Covid vaccine for children aged 5-12 that other countries and international organizations are set to donate to Vietnam.
The ministry must follow the Covid developments, the vaccination progress, and vaccine supplies that it can access, so that it can work out and bear responsibility for the number and types of Covid vaccine it receives through donations and purchase. The ministry was asked to ensure the vaccination drive for this age group is implemented timely, safely, and effectively.
In another development, HCMC plans to start its Covid vaccination drive for children aged 5-12 on April 16, making it possibly the second locality in the country, after Quang Ninh, to vaccinate this age group.
All sixth graders across HCMC are expected to get vaccinated first.
For the remaining children, the city will pilot vaccinating those in the five districts of 1, 5, 10, Phu Nhuan, and Tan Phu before launching a mass vaccination drive next week after the city receives enough vaccine doses, a local health official told Tuoi Tre newspaper today.
HCMC is expected to receive some 87,500 vaccine doses from the Ministry of Health to serve the vaccination drive. The city is waiting for additional doses.