COVID-19: Vietnam records nearly 10,500 more cases over 24 hours

Of the new infections, 6,537 cases were detected in the community through test screening or random testing, seven tested positive upon returning to Vietnam from overseas, and the rest were documented in quarantine or lockdown areas.

Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong registered 5,735 and 2,998 new cases respectively, accounting for four fifths of the country’s total.

They were followed by Dong Nai with 567 new cases, Long An 281, Kien Giang 198, An Giang 126, and Tien Giang 81, all in the south.

Newly detected infection numbers also dropped slightly in both central and northern regions. Quang Binh topped the central region, reporting 43 cases, while Hanoi capital confirmed 15 more cases.

As of 06.00pm on September 16, Vietnam has recorded 656,129 coronavirus cases since the start of the outbreak in January 2020, and 651,726 locally acquired infections following the resurgence of the virus four and a half months ago.

Of the total, 420,777 patients have been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from the disease, including 10,901 recoveries announced on September 16. 

The MoH has also confirmed 234 COVID-19 deaths during the past 24 hours, with HCM City and Binh Duong reporting 160 and 46 fatalities respectively.

The September 14 figure has raised the COVID-19 death toll in Vietnam to 16,425, making up 2.5% of the total number of infections and 0.4% higher than the average death rate globally. 

More than 32 million vaccine doses have been administered nationwide, with nearly 6 million people getting full jabs.