12 provinces have stayed free of Covid-19 for a period of 14 consecutive days amid the ongoing fourth outbreak, while 8 provinces have recorded no secondary infections.

2,008 new cases over the last 24 hours

Vietnam has recorded an additional 707 locally transmitted and six imported cases in 19 cities and provinces nationwide last night, July 11, thus raising its daily count on the day to 1,953. Most of the locally transmitted cases were documented in quarantine or lockdown areas in southern localities.

Ho Chi Minh City took the lead, registering 354 new cases over six hours, followed by Binh Duong 195, Dong Thap 50, and Long An 46. Elsewhere 32 cases were recorded in Phu Yen, six in Da Nang, four in Bac Giang, and one or two cases in several other central and northern provinces. Meanwhile, eight Vietnamese people returning from overseas, including Indonesia and Japan, have tested positive in Kien Giang, Khanh Hoa, Binh Dinh, and Ninh Binh during the past six hours.

An additional 659 domestic and 3 imported cases were recorded over the past 12 hours to 6 am on July 12 morning, with Ho Chi Minh reporting the highest number of infections at 544, VOV cited.

Ho Chi Minh City remains the nation’s largest epicenter of the virus, with more than 13,550 cases being found during the latest Covid-19 wave. 478 out of 659 newly detected cases were detected in isolation or areas currently under lockdown.

Vietnam records seven more Covid-19 deaths

Two deaths happened in Ho Chi Minh City. One was a 79-year-old man in District 5. He died July 4 of pneumonia caused by Covid-19, multiple-organ damage, and septic shock. The second was a 61-year-old woman in District 1 with no underlying conditions. She tested positive for the virus on June 18 and died July 5 because of severe pneumonia caused by Covid-19, complications of progressive respiratory failure, and suspected acute myocardial infarction.

Five others were reported in Dong Thap province. A 61-year-old woman died due to pneumonia caused by Covid-19 and complications of progressive respiratory failure. She also had type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney failure, and ischemic heart disease. A 65-year-old man in the province was also diagnosed with Covid on July 5 and died the next day of severe pneumonia caused by Covid-19 and, complications of progressive respiratory failure. He had a background of type 2 diabetes, stroke, and Cushing's syndrome.

A 52-year-old woman died the same day with severe pneumonia caused by Covid-19 and a history of type 2 diabetes and kidney failure. A 43-year-old woman in the province died due to severe pneumonia caused by Covid-19 and a history of type 2 diabetes, stroke, and Cushing's syndrome. Another patient in the province, a 59-year-old man died on July 7 with severe pneumonia caused by Covid-19 and a history of hepatitis B and hypertension.

Over 4 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine administered in Vietnam

As many as 4,040,783 doses of the Covid-19 vaccinehave been administered in Vietnam since the fits shot was given on March 3, the Ministry of Health said on July 11. Only 271,409 people have fully received two shots against the SARS-CoV-2 virus as recommended by epidemiologists.

The Ministry of Health on July 10 launched a nine-month-long Covid-19 vaccination campaign, the largest of its kind in history, aiming to inoculate three-fourths of the population and achieve herd immunity by early 2022.

Vietnam has so far received about 7.5 million doses of vaccines from AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer, and Vero Cell through purchase contracts, COVAX Facility, and bilateral donations between governments. The Ministry of Health has five times distributed the vaccines to provinces and cities, with priority given to high-risk localities.

Pilot vaccine passport program for Phu Quoc nears completion

The tourism ministry is working to complete later this month a pilot Covid-19 vaccine passport program to have foreign tourists back on Phu Quoc Island. While several localities have proposed the vaccine passport program for themselves, Phu Quoc has more advantages, deputy tourism minister Doan Van Viet told VnExpress.

Phu Quoc, Vietnam's largest island off the southern coast, is relatively isolated from the mainland with adequate infrastructures such as airport and accommodation facilities, so it is convenient to pilot the vaccine passport program there, he said. Viet also said that in addition to ensuring safety and preventing the spread of disease on the island and elsewhere, there are many issues that need to be resolved, including passports, immigration, accommodation as well as tourist routes.

The health ministry is preparing to vaccinate all residents on Phu Quoc Island so that it can reopen its doors to foreigners. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism are closely working with authorities in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang, home to Phu Quoc, on the pilot program’s content, which will allow tourists from Europe, America, and some Asian countries to visit the island.

Vietnam has to date reported a total of 30,478, including 1,927 imported infections and 28,551 local cases. As many as nearly 27,000 have been documented since April 27 when the fourth wave of the pandemic initially broke out in the country.

The Ministry of Health also announced the discharge of a further 71 Covid-19 patients, raising the total number of recoveries to 9,275. Moreover, 12 provinces have stayed free of Covid-19 for a period of 14 consecutive days amid the ongoing fourth outbreak, while 8 provinces have recorded no secondary infections.

Over 4 million people have been vaccinated against Covid-19 to date, of which more than 277,450 have received two shots. Nearly 12,734 people were inoculated against the virus on July 11 alone in five Vietnamese localities.

Valerie Mai