HCM City’s infection tally reaches 889, F1 home quarantine plan under security
VOV.VN - A further 1,112 fresh active COVID-19 cases, including 1,105 domestic and seven imported cases were confirmed by the Ministry of Health during a midday update on July 12, with Ho Chi Minh City remaining as the epicentre of the latest outbreak after reporting 889 new cases.
As such, the southern metropolis hotspot’s number has hit a new record high of 1,423 over the six hours to midday.
82 other cases were found in Dong Nai, 49 in Tien Giang, 38 in Dong Thap, 26 in Hanoi, nine in Phu Yen, seven each in Bac Giang and Hung Yen, three in Tay Ninh, two in Bac Lieu and one each in Binh Phuoc, Soc Trang and Vinh Phuc.
A total of 998 out of the 1,105 new local cases were detected in quarantine sites or in areas currently under lockdown.
The majority of cases in the southern metropolis involve individuals who are in isolation or locked down areas, or under epidemiological investigation.
The latest cases uncovered in Hanoi are associated with existing outbreaks and returnees from Ho Chi Minh City, the nation’s largest COVID-19 hotspot.
Furthermore, the cases detected in other provinces involve either F1 contacts of confirmed patients or were detected in areas which are sealed off at present.
Amid the nation reporting 1,934 imported cases and 29,656 locally-transmitted infections, the death toll also increased to 123 following the confirmation of four additional fatalities linked to COVID-19 and underlying health conditions.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, the current capacity of concentrated isolation areas has reached about 70%, so Ho Chi Minh City needs to consider the option of expanding F1 case isolation at home. Ho Chi Minh City should ask the Ministry of Health to provide flexible guidance in this regard, Dam said.
Dam noted that the number of new COVID-19 cases in the southern city is forecast to keep growing. However, following the implementation of the PM’s Directive 16/CT-TTg and adjustments relating to contact tracing, sample collection, and testing strategies, the Deputy PM believes the city is capable of bringing the pandemic under control.
According to Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son, given the prediction of an increase in COVID-19 infections, forecasts anticipated over 1,000 new cases each day, the Health Ministry’s special standing division in Ho Chi Minh City has prepared for the scenario of 1,600 new cases recorded on a daily basis.
With the number of new COVID-19 cases in the southern city potentially reaching 10,000 over the next five days, the city should strive to immediately isolate infection cases from the community, he emphasized.
