HCMC – The Ministry of Health confirmed 15,779 new Covid infections this evening, January 9, including 28 imported cases and 15,751 domestic transmissions in 60 cities and provinces. Besides, the southern province of Binh Phuoc updated 7,402 cases detected earlier to the national Covid case count monitoring system.
Hanoi reported the most infections today, at 2,811, followed by Haiphong with 836, Khanh Hoa with 790, Binh Phuoc with 679, Binh Dinh with 636 and Ca Mau with 615.
Vinh Long, Ha Giang, Tay Ninh, HCMC, Ben Tre, Danang and Hung Yen detected 410-532 new infections each, while other cities and provinces had fewer than 400 cases each.
The country’s domestic transmissions have amounted to over 1.893 million in the fourth Covid wave, which began in late April 2021, and over 1.899 million cases in total, ranking 28th among 223 countries and territories. Up to now, Vietnam has found 30 people with the Omicron variant, all arriving from abroad.
This afternoon, the Ministry of Health confirmed 202 more Covid deaths, mostly in southern cities and provinces such as HCMC, An Giang, Long An, Dong Thap, Vinh Long, Kien Giang, Soc Trang and Can Tho, taking the nation’s death toll to 34,319.
To date, more than 1.5 million Covid patients in the country have fully recovered, while there are currently 5,970 critically ill Covid patients.
The country has administered more than 160 million doses of Covid vaccines nationwide so far, with some 70.9 million people having got two shots.
To support poor people affected by the Covid pandemic, HCMC has opened six zero-dong marts in the districts of Phu Nhuan, Go Vap, Tan Binh, Hoc Mon and Cu Chi.
These minimarts offer free necessities such as food, fruit and cakes for underprivileged people in the city.
These are the first six zero-dong marts in a series of 32 marts to be launched across the city, in addition to six more in other provinces and cities.
The program is jointly operated by Phu Nhuan Jewelry JSC, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee in HCMC and the HCMC Women Entrepreneurs Association, targeting to benefit more than 25,000 households.
Meanwhile in Hanoi, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Hanoi Youth Union, in collaboration with the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs’ Association and the Hanoi Young Business Association, have launched a free oxygen program to support Covid patients that are undergoing treatment and quarantine at home.
The transport of oxygen cylinders and medical equipment to the patients will be undertaken by a rapid response team from the Hanoi Youth Union’s Pickup Vietnam Club.
