HCMC – The Ministry of Health reported 4,254 fresh Covid-19 cases this evening, August 2, taking Vietnam’s single-day spike to 7,455, down 1,165 cases against yesterday.
Seven of the fresh infections are imported cases, while the rest were locally acquired.
Among the 4,247 domestic cases in 31 provinces and cities, HCMC accounted for the most, at 2,267, sending its daily spike to 4,264 and raising the city’s caseload during the current fourth coronavirus wave, which began in late April, to 98,559.
Binh Duong Province came second with 453, seeing its count in the ongoing fourth wave reach 17,807, followed by Long An with 445, Khanh Hoa with 286, Dong Nai with 191, Ba Ria-Vung Tau with 132, Hanoi with 113 and Can Tho with 102.
Dong Thap, Tra Vinh, Phu Yen, Ninh Thuan, Quang Nam, Daklak, Nghe An and Hau Giang detected 11 to 66 cases each, while 15 other localities had fewer than 10 infections each.
To date, Vietnam has tallied 161,761 Covid-19 cases, with 157,919 domestic infections having been detected in the latest coronavirus wave.
Over 6.4 million Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Vietnam, with over 5.7 million people receiving a first shot and some 660,000 people receiving both doses.
In addition, the treatment subcommittee under the national steering committee for Covid-19 infection prevention and control has added 389 fatalities to the country’s Covid-19 death toll. HCMC reported 354 deaths, Binh Duong 25, Dong Nai six and Long An four.
In related news, the Ministry of Health today decided to allocate 63 vehicles used for mobile vaccination to provinces and cities. Local automobile manufacturer Truong Hai Auto Corporation will be in charge of handing over these vehicles to 63 provinces and cities.
The provincial and municipal health departments were told to send staff to eight handover sites in Thai Nguyen, Phu Tho, Hanoi, Haiphong, Nghe An, Danang, HCMC and Can Tho to receive the vehicles.
On the same day, Vietnam took delivery of over 1.18 million Covid-19 vaccine doses from the Covax Facility, taking the total number of doses provided for Vietnam through the World Health Organization’s Covax program to 8.68 million.
In the afternoon, the HCMC government wrote to Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long proposing the ministry constantly allocate Covid-19 vaccines to the city to expediate its vaccination process.
Over 1.7 million doses have been administered in HCMC, and the city is planning to give over four million doses this month to quickly increase Covid-19 immunization coverage.
The proposal is aimed at helping the city fulfill its target of vaccinating 70% of its residents aged 18 and above against Covid-19 at the end of August.
In another development, 23 Vinmart supermarkets and Vinmart+ stores, mainly in Hanoi City, have suspended their operations as they were found related to Covid-19 cases detected at Thanh Nga Supply Food Company.
A representative of VinCommerce today confirmed to the local media that Thanh Nga Company was supplying food to some of VinCommerce’s supermarkets and stores in Hanoi City.
After being notified that several employees at Thanh Nga Company tested positive for Covid-19, the firm stopped receiving goods from the supplier and asked employees at its supermarkets and stores to make health declarations.
At 1.00 p.m. today, eight VinMart supermarkets in Hanoi City and 15 VinMart+ stores, including eight in Hanoi City and seven in Hung Yen Province, were found linked to the food supplier and had to suspend for Covid-19 screening.
