COVID-19: 277 new cases recorded, 270 cases in HCM City alone

Among 276 locally transmitted infections, 238 were documented in quarantine or lockdown areas, while the remaining 38 cases were of unknown sources of infection, the Ministry of Health said in its 06.00am COVID-19 update on July 7.

Ho Chi Minh City, the busiest and most populous city in Vietnam, remains the largest coronavirus hotspot in Vietnam, recording 270 new infections alone.

Nguyen Van Nen, Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee, admitted on July 5 that the number of new F0 cases in the community is “too large”, making it difficult for epidemic prevention and control.

He suggested that the city strengthen COVID-19 screening and testing, focusing on swift contact tracing and sampling. He requested to accelerate the application of information technology in monitoring home quarantine, tighten inspection at crowded wholesale markets, industrial parks and dormitories, and strictly deal with violations.

HCM City has so far recorded more than 7,500 cases since the resurgence of the virus in Vietnam in late April.

Elsewhere, two more cases were detected in Phu Yen, two in Dong Nai, and one each in ba Ria – Vung Tau and Ha Tinh.

Meanwhile, a Vietnamese citizen returning to Tay Ninh province bordering Cambodia through Moc Bai international border gate tested positive on July 5.

Vietnam has recorded nearly 19,000 positive cases following the resurgence of the virus on April 27. Overall it has logged a total of 22,241 cases since the virus attacked the country in January 2020.

As many as 8,077 patients have been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from the disease.

Ninety-seven patients have died of COVID-19 and other underlying illnesses.

Close to 4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Vietnam, with 235,570 people fully receiving two shots.