HCMC – The Ministry of Health this evening, September 17 confirmed 11,521 new Covid-19 cases, including 15 imported cases and 11,506 domestic infections in 34 provinces and cities, up 1,024 cases over yesterday, while reporting 212 fatalities.
Among the locally-infected cases, HCMC recorded 5,972, up 237 cases day-on-day, raising the city’s caseload in the ongoing fourth wave of the pandemic, which began in late April, to 326,795.
Binh Duong Province reported 4,013 infections, up 1,015 cases over yesterday, followed by Dong Nai with 345, Long An with 273, Kien Giang with 180, Tien Giang with 118, Tay Ninh with 114 and An Giang with 106. The remaining cases were detected in 26 other localities.
The latest Covid cases have raised the country’s tally to 667,650, with 663,232 domestic infections reported in the current coronavirus wave.
Some 10,000 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospitals today, raising the country’s total recoveries to 433,465.
Among the 212 deaths, 166 fatalities were reported in HCMC, 28 in Binh Duong, two each in Long An, Tien Giang, Tay Ninh and Danang, and one each in Ca Mau, Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan, Dong Thap, Can Tho, Binh Dinh and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
The country’s Covid-19 death toll has hit 16,637, accounting for 2.5% of the total infections in Vietnam.
On September 16, over 630,320 Covid vaccine doses were administered nationwide, taking the total doses given to people in the country to over 33 million.
In related news, Dong Nai Province is planning to live with Covid-19 as remaining closed will plunge residents into financial difficulty and the economy into stagnation, Nguyen Hong Linh, secretary of the Dong Nai Province Party Committee, told an anti-virus meeting today.
The province is set to relax mobility restrictions and reopen its economy on September 20, the local media reported.
Linh said that Dong Nai must live with the pandemic, but will adopt suitable and effective measures to control the spread of the coronavirus and prevent the healthcare systems from getting overwhelmed.
To live with Covid-19, the province will have to focus on treating Covid patients, reducing the Covid death rate, speeding up vaccinations, ensuring social welfare, and raising the capacity of the healthcare systems.
