HCMC – The Ministry of Health today, October 20, reported 3,646 new Covid-19 cases, with 11 of them imported and 3,635 locally infected in 50 cities and provinces, up 608 cases over yesterday.
HCMC as usual recorded the biggest caseload, at 1,347, rising by 440 cases day-on-day.
In addition, 492 other cases were reported in Binh Duong, 305 in Dong Nai, 194 in An Giang and 100 in Soc Trang. Other provinces had less than 100 cases each.
In the current fourth wave of infections, Vietnam has recorded 869,193 cases, with 793,766 of them having recovered.
Today alone, 1,737 Covid patients were released from hospitals.
Meanwhile, 72 Covid deaths were confirmed, including 43 in HCMC, eight in Binh Duong, seven in An Giang, four in Tien Giang, three in Long An, two in each of Kien Giang and Daklak, and one in each of Dong Thap, Bac Lieu and Dong Nai.
In related news, the HCMC government has asked the municipal Department of Health to determine the city’s pandemic transmission risk level on October 21.
The department must also coordinate with the relevant departments and agencies to formulate a plan to deploy the Government’s Resolution 128 which provides provisional rules on safely and flexibly living with the pandemic and submit the plan to the municipal government on October 22.
Meanwhile, leaders of Thu Duc City and districts must rely on the Ministry of Health’s guidelines to assess their pandemic transmission risk and report the results to the municipal anti-Covid steering committee on October 21.
On the sidelines of the National Assembly’s second meeting on October 20, HCMC Chairman Phan Van Mai said the city had assigned departments and agencies to discuss and propose solutions to control residents’ travel in line with Resolution 128 that do not make life difficult for residents and enterprises.
This afternoon, a leader of the municipal traffic police division said 12 checkpoints at the gateways to the city had stopped requiring people entering the city to produce proof of a negative Covid test result.
The competent forces have checked residents’ health declarations and Covid vaccination or recovery certificates.
Earlier, many people entering HCMC had been asked to show the negative Covid test certificates at a checkpoint at the Long Phuoc tollgate in Thu Duc City.
The requirement was unreasonable as HCMC has a higher risk of pandemic transmission than other localities.
