HCMC – Vietnam recorded 3,221 new Covid cases this evening, October 16, including 10 imported cases and 3,211 domestic infections, said the Ministry of Health.
The number of locally-infected cases declined 578 against yesterday, with the source of transmission of more than 1,100 cases remaining unknown.
HCMC accounted for 790 cases, down 341 cases day-on-day. The neighboring province of Dong Nai also saw a decline of 189 cases compared to the day before, with 397 new cases, followed by Binh Duong with 385 cases.
Besides, Soc Trang, Tien Giang, Binh Thuan, Tay Ninh and An Giang each recorded between 101 and 142 fresh cases, while the rest was detected in 40 other provinces and cities nationwide.
The ministry reported 88 more Covid deaths the same day, with 58 cases in HCMC and 11 in Binh Duong, sending the country’s death toll linked to the coronavirus to more than 21,100 cases.
Also, over 1,500 coronavirus patients were declared free of Covid in the day, bringing the country’s total recoveries to 790,504 cases.
In related news, the country yesterday received over two million doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine donated by the Italian Government through the COVAX Facility. Along with over 800,000 doses shipped to Vietnam on September 14, the European nation has presented more than 2.8 million doses in total to support Vietnam in its vaccination rollouts.
The Health Ministry yesterday also held a ceremony to receive nearly two million doses of the vaccine donated by Poland and South Korea to help Vietnam battle the pandemic.
In the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu, the provincial chairman Pham Van Thieu has decided to establish three more Covid field hospitals to cope with a hike in cases, especially those returning home from virus-hit areas.
Yesterday, 39 of 40 new infections in the province are citizens returning home from the major coronavirus hotspots in the latest wave such as HCMC, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, and Long An. These people were quarantined upon their arrival in the province, thus posing no risks of community transmission.
According to the provincial anti-Covid authority, the province has 10 hospitals and medical centers tasked with treating Covid patients, including one private hospital.
Up to now, Bac Lieu has reported over 800 infections, including 433 recoveries and five fatalities.
