COVID-19: Total numbers 983 after seven more confirmed

Of the locally-transmitted cases, three were in the central province of Quang Nam, two in the northern province of Hai Duong, and one in Hanoi.

The remaining imported case was a returnee from the Philippines, who has been quarantined upon entry.

Among Vietnam’s total 983 patients, 645 are community transmission cases. The number of infections with links to the outbreak in Da Nang city has surged to 505 since July 25.

One day earlier, an additional 11 COVID-19 patients linked to the Da Nang outbreak were confirmed free of the novel coronavirus, pushing up the overall number of recoveries to 467.

Among the patients in treatment at health facilities throughout the country, a total of 118 tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus at least once or several times.

Of the total infections detected in Vietnam so far, 338 are imported and quarantined immediately upon entry, and 24 died of the disease.

According to the Treatment Subcommittee, as many as 20 critically ill patients are said to be at a greater risk of dying from COVID-19, with most of them related to Da Nang, the nation’s current coronavirus epicenter.

24 coronavirus patients were diagnosed with severe clinical conditions, accounting for 5.1% of the total in the country, of which 5 people had to be connected to invasive ventilators, and two others relied on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machines, it said.

In the face of the growing number of community infections, the Hanoi People’s Committee has ordered all restaurant, cafe and pub staff have to don facial masks and customers must sit a meter apart from each other starting 12 a.m. on August 19.

Since a new outbreak in central Vietnam was reported after 99 days of recording no community transmission, the capital has registered 33 COVID-19 cases, including 10 local infections and the remaining 23 are repatriated citizens who were isolated right upon arrival.