A medical worker holds a tube containing samples for Covid-19 testing. The number of new Covid-19 cases reported by the Ministry of Health this evening, June 30, reached as many as 240 – PHOTO: VNA

HCMC – The number of new Covid-19 cases reported by the Ministry of Health this evening, June 30, reached 240, taking Vietnam’s tally to 16,863 cases now.

Seven cases were quarantined upon their arrival in Vietnam from overseas, while 233 other cases caught the disease in the country through community transmission.

Specifically, HCMC reported the highest case number at 124. The neighboring provinces of Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau recorded 57, 12, and six cases, respectively. The central province of Quang Ngai had 10 cases.

The remaining cases were detected in Dong Thap, Nghe An, An Giang, Phu Yen, Bac Ninh, Danang, and Bac Giang.

Besides this, 74 coronavirus patients were declared free of the disease on the same day, raising the country’s recoveries to 6,840 cases to date.

The ministry this afternoon also announced that a 61-year-old resident of HCMC’s Binh Tan District became the country’s 81st Covid-19 death. He died of pneumonia caused by Covid-19, multi-organ failure, and pulmonary tuberculosis.

The deceased had a medical history of pulmonary tuberculosis and received medical treatment for this disease seven years ago.

Earlier, the man suffered from a cough for four days and then experienced shortness of breath before testing positive for the coronavirus. On June 20, he was admitted to the HCMC-based Trung Vuong Hospital where he was diagnosed with severe pneumonia due to Covid-19. He was pronounced dead on June 26.

This is the 46th death related to Covid-19 in the current coronavirus wave in Vietnam, which began on April 27.