HCMC – The Ministry of Health confirmed 3,373 new Covid-19 cases this evening, October 23, with 12 of them imported and 3,361 locally infected, sending the country’s total case count so far to 884,895.
The new infections were detected in 47 cities and provinces. HCMC reported the most infections, at 749, followed by Dong Nai with 605, Binh Duong with 517, An Giang with 224, Tien Giang with 156 and Bac Lieu with 130.
Other cities and provinces reported fewer than 100 cases each.
With the fresh cases recorded today, domestically transmitted cases amounted to 880,149 in the fourth wave of the pandemic, which began in late April 2021. Many southern cities and provinces have been locked down to stop the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant, which has become the dominant strain in Vietnam.
This afternoon, the Ministry of Health confirmed 77 more Covid deaths, taking the nation’s total to 21,620. The new deaths included 42 in HCMC, 12 in Binh Duong, five in Dong Nai and three in each of Long An and Soc Trang. Nine other provinces reported one or two deaths each.
To date, 804,664 Covid patients have fully recovered nationwide. Currently nearly 3,000 coronavirus patients are in critical condition.
Vietnam has administered 71.8 million doses of Covid vaccines nationwide so far. Some 20.7 million people aged 18 and older have got two shots.
The HCMC government has issued a set of Covid safety criteria for all educational institutions citywide as a basis for schools to decide whether they are eligible to reopen in-person classes.
This set of 10 criteria replaces the one which was issued in April 2020. Those schools that meet at least six criteria will be able to resume operations.
Staff of educational institutions are required to equip themselves with QR codes which contain information about their vaccination status or their recovery from the disease.
Students and teachers will have to stay at least one meter apart in classrooms, examination rooms or working rooms and at least two meters apart outside classrooms, examination rooms or working rooms.
Besides, they will have to wash hands frequently and wear face masks.
In Danang, vice chairwoman of the city Ngo Thi Kim Yen has asked the municipal health and education-training departments to draw up a plan to administer the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to students aged 15 to 17.
According to a plan of the Danang Department of Education and Training, students in the city will go back to in-person classes from November 1-8.
Yen said the city will soon receive 100,000 doses of Pfizer to vaccinate the students.
