HCMC – Vietnam’s Covid-19 tally increased by 168,719 cases this evening, March 12, including 168,704 domestic infections, down 386 cases against yesterday, according to the Ministry of Health. However, some localities updated some 285,000 cases detected earlier to the national Covid management system, taking today’s case count to some 454,000.
The locally-transmitted cases were found in all 63 provinces and cities nationwide.
With 30,693 fresh cases reported today and 195,000 cases updated to the national Covid monitoring system, Hanoi’s Covid caseload has reached 779,115, outpacing HCMC to lead the country in terms of the total Covid case number.
In addition, Nghe An had 11,666 new cases, Phu Tho recorded 7,216 cases and Bac Ninh confirmed 5,669 cases.
Son La, Hung Yen, Lang Son and Hai Duong were among the 11 localities reporting more than 3,000 cases each.
Besides Hanoi, the Departments of Health of Nam Dinh, Hung Yen and Phu Tho provinces registered to add 35,949, 33,760 and 20,784 cases, respectively, detected earlier to the national Covid case monitoring system.
The country’s Covid transmissions have amounted to more than 5.9 million since the beginning of the outbreak, ranking 20 among 225 countries and territories.
Today, the Ministry of Health confirmed 62 more Covid deaths, taking the nation’s death toll to 41,290.
Meanwhile, over 84,800 Covid patients were announced to have fully recovered from the disease today, taking the total recoveries to over three million.
In related news, as the number of children suspected of being infected with Covid-19 undergoing medical checkups at hospitals in HCMC has surged over the past few days, the municipal Department of Health has asked hospitals having the pediatric ward to prepare at least 30%-50% of their capacity for Covid-infected children.
Director of the HCMC Department of Health Tang Chi Thuong today wrote to hospitals, medical centers of Thu Duc City and districts and the municipal Center for Disease Control, asking them to get prepared for the admission and treatment of child Covid patients.
Children’s Hospital 1 and 2 and the HCMC Children’s Hospital must increase their beds at the Covid-19 departments to 300 at the minimum each.
District-level hospitals and general hospitals including the pediatric ward will treat child Covid patients in line with the guidelines of the Ministry of Health. They will receive patients with mild or moderate symptoms who are not eligible to be quarantined at home.
These hospitals will only transfer patients to higher-level hospitals when the patients get worse and must work in advance with the higher-level hospitals.
Doctor Nguyen Thanh Hai, head of the outpatient department of the Children’s Hospital 2, said over the past few days, 400-500 children had visited the hospital a day, with 80% of them being infected with Covid-19.
Similarly, the Children’s Hospital 1 has examined more than 400 children suspected of being infected with Covid-19 a day, much higher than the 20-30 children before the Tet holiday.
