COVID-19: 33 new local infections raise national count to 2,228
VOV.VN - The number of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases nationwide increased to 2,228 after a further 33 positive cases were confirmed on February 14 by the Ministry of Health.
Among the new cases, two are in Hanoi, and 31 in the hotspot of Hai Duong. All the fresh infections had been put into isolation after being identified as F1 cases or are living in locked down areas, thus posing no risk of spreading the virus to the wider community.
The national infection tally reached 2,228, with 1,330 locally-transmitted cases, including 637 which are linked to the latest outbreaks which first occurred on January 27.
According to the Committee’s Treatment Sub-Committee, the total number of recoveries stands at 1,534 whilst the death toll remains at 35.
Among the patients currently receiving treatment, 39 have since tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, whilst the remainder have produced negative results two or three times.
Furthermore, as many as 152,690 people who came into close contact with COVID-19 patients, or who entered the country from pandemic-hit regions, are now being quarantined in facilities across the country.
At present, Ho Chi Minh City, the nation’s largest city with a population of 13 million people, has recorded a total of 36 local cases with the majority of them being linked to an outbreak at Tan Son Nhat International Airport.
The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has issued an urgent dispatch on extending the current school break for all pupils and students in an effort to ensure competent COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control.
In line with this, the municipal People's Committee has directed all educational establishments and vocational training institutions throughout in the city to allow students to continue staying off school until February 28 and learn online. The students are now celebrating a 7-day long lunar New Year break due to end on February 16.
Hai Duong remains the most affected locality, recording 461 cases, with ten out of 12 district-level localities having found COVID-19 local infections.
On February 14, the provincial Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control conducted COVID-19 testing for nearly 1,500 workers in industrial parks in Cam Giang district before they resume production after the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.
The same day, the capital city health's authority reported on the death of a 54-year-old Japanese man who stayed at a hotel in Hanoi's Tay Ho District. The Japanese citizen tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2-virus after returning from Ho Chi Minh City.
Nearly 140 hotel staff members and guests have been placed into quarantine after the deceased man was confirmed positive for the virus. The man's travel history is under further investigation, while the cause of his death has yet to be confirmed.