COVID-19: Vietnam records 18 more community cases on Feb. 18 afternoon
VOV.VN - The Ministry of Health confirmed an additional 18 coronavirus infections on February 18, all in Hai Duong, the country’s biggest coronavirus hotspot at present.
Of the total, 15 cases were detected during their stay in the concentrated quarantine facilities. They had earlier come into close contact with COVID-19 patients.
Meanwhile, one of the remaining three cases was detected in a restricted residential area, one diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 virus through medical surveillance, and one screened at a local medical centre.
Hai Duong has so far recorded 575 out of the total 755 confirmed nationwide since the virus recurred three weeks ago. All of its 12 cities and districts have reported the emergence of the virus.
The local administration decided to impose social distancing on the whole province from midnight February 16.
However, during a working session with the local administration on February 18, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son proposed extending social distancing measures in Hai Duong due to the complicated development of the virus.
He also proposed that local authorities should soon work out plans to ensure safety of workers when factories resume production in Chi Linh city.
Chi Linh is the place where the virus recurred on January 27, and hundreds of cases confirmed so far are closely linked to the outbreak at Poyun Electronics Co. Ltd. in the city.
In other developments:
- The Political Bureau has approved the Government's plan to import COVID-19 vaccines.
- Hanoi capital has decided to test all people returning to the capital from coronavirus-ravaged localities.
- Ho Chi Minh City says it has basically localized and prevented the spread of the virus in the community.
- Vietnam has scrambled to import the first batch of 204,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine for domestic use in February 2021.
- A Korean expert who was found dead in Hai Duong on February 18 has tested negative for the virus.
