1,898 fresh COVID-19 cases raise daily tally to 3,336

Ho Chi Minh City, the nation’s largest COVID-19 epicentre, recorded more than 2,420 new cases on July 16 alone, with more than 23,200 infections detected during the latest COVID-19 wave.

Among the new cases recorded on the afternoon of July 16, Ho Chi Minh City suffered the most with 1,349, followed by Tien Giang with 115, Binh Duong with 113, Dong Thap with 92, Da Nang with 39, Tay Ninh with 33, Phu Yen with 22, Hung Yen with 15, Vinh Long with 13, Can Tho with 11, Nghe An with 10, Binh Thuan with 9, Bac Ninh with 7, and Quang Ngai.  Besides,  Ninh Thuan, Binh Phuoc, and Hanoi reported three each, while Tra Vinh , Ca Mau, Bac Giang recorded two each, along with Thanh Hoa, Lam Dong, Lao Cai , Dak Lak, and  Vinh Phuc with one each.

The majority of new cases were detected either in quarantine sites or in areas currently under lockdown, while others are either F1 contacts of confirmed patients or individuals linked to previous outbreaks and have been under epidemiological investigation.

As of 6 p.m. on July 16, the nation counted 42,179 domestically-infected cases and 2,007 imported ones, including 40,609 documented since the resurgence of the virus which hit the country more than two and a half months ago.

The total number of recoveries rose to 10,020 after an additional 332 COVID-19 patients were released from hospital after making a full recovery from the virus.

A total of 18 COVID-19 fatalities were recorded in Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Thap, Long An, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Bac Ninh, Bac Giang between July 8 and July 14.

According to Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long, the fourth wave of COVID-19 infections is currently seeing the rapid spread of the Delta variant, with infections spreading two or three times as fast as compared to previous outbreaks.
The virus has swept through 58 provinces and cities so far, with Ho Chi Minh City reporting the highest number of infections at more than 23,000.

In terms of the nation’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout, Vietnam has successfully negotiated a deal to purchase approximately 170 million vaccine doses from different sources, Minister Long said.