Hanoi recorded the highest number of new infections with 3,029 cases, trailed by Da Nang with 765 and Binh Dinh 711.
Among the new infections, 14 were imported, whilst the rest were local transmissions. In addition, a total of 11,914 new transmissions were detected within the community.
The Health Ministry also confirmed 4,290 recoveries on the same day, thereby bringing the total number of recovered cases up to 1,666,220 so far.
The nation’s COVID-19 death toll now stands at 35,341, or 1.8 % of total infections.
The average number of new cases in the country over the past seven days has been at 15,980 a day, while the national death rate has been at 209 a day on average.
Over 165.5 million people nationwide have now been fully inoculated, while more than 78 million people have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccines.
Vietnam has so far recorded 50 positive COVID-19 cases relating to the Omicron variant, all of which were isolated immediately upon entry. They include one each in Hanoi, Hai Duong, Hai Phong, and Long An, two each in Thanh Hoa and Khanh Hoa, three in Da Nang, 12 in Ho Chi Minh City, and 27 in Quang Nam.
Amid the rise in infections leading to an increase in the rate of serious and critical patients, Tran Thi Nhi Ha, director of the Hanoi Department of Health, said that the capital has carried out three major solutions to slow the spread of the pandemic. This includes a particular focus on intensifying vaccination, providing adequate and timely drugs to patients, and strictly managing patients treated at home.
Elsewhere, Ho Chi Minh City is poised to finalise the vaccination of people in at-risk groups by January 20, while urging rapid testing for this group.
On January 12, the municipal Department of Health ordered district-level steering committees for COVID-19 prevention and control to continue quick testing at-risk groups from January 17 to January 22. This should be done by encouraging locals to conduct self-testing and report results to communal-level health stations.
They were also asked to swiftly access and care for those with a positive rapid test result and complete the vaccination of people in the at-risk group by January 20.