HCMC – The Ministry of Health today, December 9, confirmed 15,311 new Covid-19 cases, the highest over the past 86 days, sending the country’s Covid-19 caseload in the ongoing fourth Covid-19 wave to over 1.36 million.
Eleven of the new infections were imported and 15,300 were locally infected, up 705 cases over day-on-day.
The domestic infections were detected in 61 cities and provinces, with HCMC taking the lead with 1,453 cases, followed by Tay Ninh with 895, Hanoi with 822, Soc Trang with 789, Dong Thap with 730 and Ca Mau with 720.
Can Tho, Binh Phuoc, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Vinh Long, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Dong Nai, Khanh Hoa, Binh Duong and Bac Lieu detected 427 to 670 cases each, while other cities and provinces had fewer than 400 new infections each.
Today, 14,586 Covid patients were announced to have recovered from Covid-19, raising the country’s total recoveries to over one million.
Meanwhile, 256 more Covid fatalities were confirmed, including 76 in HCMC, with 12 of them being transferred from other localities; 37 cases detected on December 8 and 9 in An Giang; 17 cases detected on December 8 and 9 in Dong Thap; 16 each in Tay Ninh and Binh Duong; 13 in Dong Nai; 11 each in Tien Giang and Kien Giang; and 10 in Can Tho.
Seventeen other cities and provinces reported fewer than 10 deaths each.
In related news, the HCMC government has proposed the Ministry of National Defense provide 537 more military medics to 179 pop-up healthcare stations in the city.
According to director of the HCMC Department of Health Tang Chi Thuong, from October 1, the number of new Covid cases, cases getting worse and deaths fell sharply over the previous period. However, these numbers have risen since October 20.
At present, the city is monitoring and treating over 85,000 Covid cases, including 66,500 cases at home; 5,300 cases at the facilities of communes, wards and towns; 11,700 cases at level-two hospitals and 1,800 cases at level-three hospitals.
Earlier, the HCMC government had proposed the Ministry of National Defense continue taking charge of 85 pop-up healthcare stations with 153 military medics until the end of this year as the number of Covid-19 cases treated at home is on the rise in some districts.
The municipal Department of Health today called on private pharmacies to get ready to join the fight against the pandemic by supplying medical equipment and medicines to Covid-19 cases treated at home as well as Covid-19 test kits, hand sanitizers, disinfectants, thermometers and face masks to local residents.
They can also provide advice and instructions about ways to take care of Covid-19 cases treated at home. Pharmacies should become bridges between Covid-19 patients and medical and pop-up healthcare stations as well as teams in charge of taking care of Covid-19 cases in the community.
The anti-Covid steering committees of districts, wards, communes and towns can ask pharmacies to coordinate with medical and pop-up healthcare stations to manage and deliver drugs to Covid-19 cases treated at home.
According to the HCMC Department of Health, the city is now home to more than 6,500 private pharmacies. They are mainly located in crowded residential areas, so their participation in the anti-Covid fight is reasonable and necessary.
