COVID-19: Nearly 5,000 new cases recorded, mostly in southern Vietnam

As many as 4,937 cases were locally acquired and four cases were diagnosed upon their returning from overseas, the MoH said in its 06.00am coronavirus update.

Of the total, 1,274 cases were uncovered in residential areas or through random testing, while the rest were documented in quarantine or lockdown areas.

Most of the locally acquired infections were detected in southern provinces, with Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s largest coronavirus hotspot, registering 1,896 cases.

Binh Duong, an industrial complex hub and a gateway to HCM City, recorded 1,477 cases, the highest figure the locality has reported in the 12-hour time frame.

Other southern localities registering high numbers of new infections include Long An 724, Dong Thap 390, Soc Trang 94, Vinh Long 57, and Dong Thap 48.

Dozens of new cases were also detected in other localities such as Da Nang, Ninh Thuan, Phu Yen, Binh Dinh, Lao Cai, Lang Son, Thanh Hoa, and Son La.

Hanoi capital, which has recently decided to extend its social distancing measures for another two weeks till August 23, also recorded 63 new cases.

Earlier, on August 7 evening the MoH announced 7,334 new cases and 4,305 recoveries logged in the previous 24 hours.

As of 06.00am on August 8 Vietnam has recorded 201,743 new cases following the resurgence of the virus in late April, and 205,656 cases since the start of the first outbreak in the country in January 2020.

More than 66,000 patients have recovered from the disease and have been discharged from hospital.

Nearly 9 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines have been administered nationwide, with 888,459 people receiving the second shot.

The MoH also announced an additional 234 COVID-19 deaths recorded in 13 cities and provinces on August 6-7, of which HCM City reported 185 cases alone.