3,964 new cases added to daily COVID-19 tally, total hits 8,766

In terms of the total figure, Ho Chi Minh City, the nation’s largest COVID-19 hotspot, recorded 3,416 cases, followed by Binh Duong with 1,897, Dong Nai with 979, and Long An Vinh with 963.

The remaining infections were reported across other 29 localities, with either single or double-digit cases.

Despite being put under strict COVID-19 curbs, Hanoi continues to detect local cases within the community, with 40 in total being found, most of which are related to pre-existing infections clusters and are F1 contacts.

Of the newly-detected cases, 1,786 have been recorded among the community, with the remainder being found in quarantine zones or in areas under lockdown.

As of the afternoon of August 9, Vietnam has recorded a total of 236,901 infections, including 2,381 imported and 234,520 domestic cases.

The number of new infections recorded nationwide during the fourth wave of COVID-19 outbreaks in late April rose to 232,950, of which 82,380 patients have been declared free from the virus.

The same day the Health Ministry announced the discharge of 4,806 COVID-19 patients, therefore raising the total number of recoveries to 85,154.

A further 342 patients died from the disease across 9 provinces and cities, with the total number of fatalities rising to 4,487.

According to Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, the Government will prioritise access to the COVID-19 vaccine to some localities heavily impacted by the pandemic, especially Ho Chi Minh City, which aims to vaccinate 70% of residents 18 and above this month.

Meanwhile, Hanoi aims to collect approximately 1.3 million samples for RT-PCR testing from August 9 to August 17, according to a plan initiated by the municipal People’s Committee.

The targeted population will be classified into three groups based on risk levels, with red representing those with the highest level of risk of infection, followed by orange as those at-risk, and green being made up of low-risk people.

The capital city has documented a total of 2,180 domestic cases since the fourth COVID-19 wave hit the nation in late April.