The new victims were both male, one aged 29 in Ho Chi Minh City and the other, 45, in the northern central province of Thanh Hoa, according to the Health Ministry’s Department for Preventive Health and Environment.

The same day, 46 people nationwide were confirmed positive for the A/H1N1 virus, bringing the total of A/H1N1 patients to 9,608, of whom 8,481 have already been discharged from hospital.

The Health Ministry on October 5 issued a decision to recognise 14 laboratories nationwide as qualified to provide H/H1N1 virus testing.

The qualified labs include seven in the north, three in the central and Central Highland regions, and four in the south.