HCMC – Vietnam reported 58 new Covid-19 infections this evening, May 21, including one imported case and 57 locally-infected cases, with over two-thirds in Bac Giang Province, said the Ministry of Health.
Among the new community-infected cases, the northern province of Bac Giang recorded the highest at 39, sending this province’s tally in the latest coronavirus wave since April 27 to 767.
Bac Ninh Province reported 13 cases, Danang City and the Tan Trieu Campus of K Hospital in Hanoi each had two cases, and Lang Son Province saw one case.
Up to now, 1,893 people in 30 provinces and cities nationwide have been infected with Covid-19 during the latest wave.
The ministry recently announced that an 89-year-old woman in Danang died last night, just nine days after she contracted the coronavirus. This is the sixth Covid-19 death in the latest wave and the 41st death since the pandemic hit Vietnam early last year.
According to the national steering committee for Covid-19 infection prevention and control, she died of severe pneumonia caused by Covid-19, progressive respiratory failure, septic shock, hypertension, and gastritis.
The deceased had a medical history of heart failure, hypertension, and chronic gastritis. On April 28, a Covid-19 patient visited her when she was receiving home-care treatment.
Between May 8 and 10, she developed symptoms of cough and fatigue. She tested positive for the virus on May 11 and was hospitalized. Her health condition worsened on May 17 and she died on May 20.
In related news, the HCMC government has issued an urgent dispatch ordering the further suspension of non-essential services and encouraging local people citywide to refrain from going out except buying food, medicines and other necessities starting tomorrow until further notice, aimed at curbing the spread of the disease.
Non-essential services such as massage parlors, spas, cinemas, sports facilities, beauty centers, entertainment zones, performances, wedding venues, bars, clubs, pubs, game shops, among others must shut down.
Religious events, festivals gathering more than 20 people, non-essential meetings and mass gatherings have to be suspended. Further, social distancing is required at pedestrian streets and parks citywide.
People were asked to strictly comply with Covid-19 preventive measures.
The HCMC Center for Disease Control this afternoon issued an urgent notice looking out for people who visited a book store and a coffee shop in HCMC’s District 1 as these locations were linked to Covid-19 cases.
Specifically, those who had been to a cashier counter on the ground floor of the Fahasa Nguyen Hue book store, located at 40 Nguyen Hue Street, Ben Nghe Ward, between 18:30 and 18:40 on May 14 should immediately contact the local health authorities.
People who went to Starbucks Coffee store New World, located on the corner of Pham Hong Thai and Nguyen Thi Nghia streets, from 21:00 to 21:45 on May 13 have also been asked to contact the health authorities.
