HCMC – The Ministry of Health confirmed 10,650 new domestic Covid-19 cases this evening, August 20, the highest number recorded on a single day to date.
The new cases were reported in 43 cities and provinces. Binh Duong detected the biggest number of new infections with 4,223, followed by HCMC with 3,375, Dong Nai with 495 and Tien Giang with 367.
Danang, Dong Thap, Can Tho, Khanh Hoa, Tay Ninh and An Giang reported 111-167 new infections each. Other localities had less than 100 new cases each.
The ministry also confirmed seven imported Covid-19 cases, taking today’s Covid-19 tally to 10,657.
Vietnam has recorded 323,268 Covid-19 cases since the pandemic broke out early last year, including 319,210 domestic infections in the fourth wave since April 27.
Up to now, 132,815 Covid-19 patients in the country have fully recovered, including 12,756 people discharged from the hospital today. Meanwhile, 666 critical Covid-19 patients are being treated at intensive care units and 24 others have to rely on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
The Ministry of Health confirmed 390 more Covid-19 fatalities this afternoon, including 312 in HCMC, 41 in Binh Duong, eight in Long An, seven each in Dong Nai and Tien Giang, three each in Khanh Hoa and Soc Trang, two in Can Tho and one each in Hanoi, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ben Tre, Binh Thuan, Hai Duong, Nam Dinh and Tra Vinh.
This sent the country’s Covid-19 death toll to 7,540.
Amid the rising number of new Covid-19 infections, the Covid-19 epicenter of HCMC has planned to set up 400 mobile medical stations in populous communes and wards to help the residents, mainly Covid-19 patients, access health services easily and ease the strain on overloaded hospitals.
The first mobile medical station was put into service in Ward 11, District 3 today. According to Nguyen Thai, deputy director of the Medical Center of District 3, the mobile medical station No.1 has 10 oxygen cylinders, four oxygen concentrators, Covid-19 test kits, and other medical devices.
Medical workers at the station provide healthcare consultations for patients via telephone and will visit them at their homes if necessary.
Besides HCMC, mobile medical stations would also be set up in some other southern provinces that have been hit hard by the pandemic such as Long An, Dong Nai and Binh Duong.
Apart from examining residents’ health conditions and treating Covid-19 patients, the mobile healthcare stations will also conduct Covid-19 tests and vaccinate residents against Covid-19.
