HCMC – Vietnam’s Covid-19 count in the current fourth wave has reached 585,051 as the Ministry of Health reported 13,321 new Covid-19 cases this evening, September 10, up 907 cases over yesterday.
The new cases included 15 imported cases and 13,306 local infections.
HCMC as usual recorded the biggest caseload, at 7,539 new infections, up 1,990 cases against yesterday. The city’s Covid-19 tally in the ongoing fourth wave of the pandemic has hit 286,242.
Its neighboring provinces of Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Long An, Tay Ninh and Tien Giang had 3,563, 823, 321, 248 and 156 cases, respectively. Other cities and provinces reported less than 100 new infections each.
Meanwhile, the country had 254 new Covid-19 fatalities today, sending the total to 14,745 deaths.
Of the new deaths, 195 were in HCMC, 41 in Binh Duong, three each in Tien Giang, Danang and Dong Nai, two in Dong Thap, and one each in Binh Thuan, An Giang, Kien Giang, Can Tho, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Khanh Hoa and Nghe An.
In addition, Binh Duong, Binh Thuan and Nghe An updated 14, four and three Covid-19 deaths, respectively.
The number of single-day Covid-19 deaths in HCMC has fallen over the past few days. Today, the city recorded less than 200 Covid-19 fatalities for the first time over the past 18 days, said Pham Duc Hai, deputy head of the municipal steering committee for Covid-19 infection prevention and control.
At a press briefing today, Hai said the figure was much lower than the 340 cases on August 22, when the city had yet to apply extra mobility restrictions.
In the first eight days of September, HCMC recorded an average of 237 Covid-19 deaths per day, down 38 cases over the daily average deaths in the prior eight-day period. The city has had more than 11,400 Covid-19 fatalities.
Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Health Nguyen Hoai Nam said most of Covid-19 deaths in the city were aged over 50 and suffered from underlying illnesses. He said some 3,500-4,000 Covid-19 cases were hospitalized per day and most of them were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms.
Experts said treating asymptomatic and mild Covid-19 patients at home is a key solution to help reduce the Covid-19 death rate in HCMC.
The city has established more than 500 pop-up healthcare stations to promptly take care of Covid-19 patients staying at home.
The increasing number of vaccinated people has also helped reduce the death rate in the city, said Nguyen Hong Son, director of the Military Hospital 175. Vaccinated patients have milder symptoms than those who have yet to be given Covid-19 vaccines.
Moreover, patients have been provided with Covid-19 antivirals and antithrombotic drugs.
