A house is under lockdown. The Ministry of Health this evening, July 18, confirmed 2,828 new Covid-19 cases, including 21 imported cases and 2,807 locally-transmitted ones - PHOTO: VNA
HCMC - The Ministry of Health tonight, July 18 confirmed 2,828 new Covid-19 cases, including 21 imported cases and 2,807 locally-transmitted ones, taking the day’s total number of infections to a staggering 5,926, the highest single-day figure since the beginning of the pandemic.
Among the latest domestic cases, HCMC reported the highest number of Covid-19 cases with 2,310, taking its daily total to 4,692, also an unthinkable single-day record.
Dong Nai Province came second with 72 cases, followed by Dong Thap with 65, Binh Duong with 64, Danang with 46, Long An with 39, Binh Thuan with 37, Hanoi with 33 and Khanh Hoa with 31. Meanwhile, 16 other provinces and cities also saw the number of infections rise by one to 14.
The 21 imported cases were reported in HCMC, Quang Nam, Haiphong, Thanh Hoa, Kien Giang and Khanh Hoa.
As many as 355 Covid-19 patients have been declared free of the disease today, raising the total number of recoveries to 10,667.
Since the current fourth wave of Covid-19 emerged on April 27, the country has reported 50,201 domestic cases, sending the Covid-19 tally to 53,830, while HCMC’s Covid-19 caseload has reached 31,391 in the ongoing Covid-19 wave.
Also, the Ministry of Health has revised up the country’s Covid-19 death toll by confirming an additional 29 fatalities in seven provinces and cities for the period between July 4 and 17. HCMC alone reported 20 Covid-19 deaths, followed by Long An with three, Binh Duong with two and Bac Giang, Danang, Dong Thap and Hanoi with one each.
As of July 18, Vietnam had reported 254 Covid-19 deaths, with 219 of them confirmed in the current fourth wave.
In related news, Dong Nai Chairman Cao Tien Dung on July 18 wrote to the Ministry of Health proposing it allocate more doses of Covid-19 vaccine to the province so that workers can be vaccinated against the disease.
The proposal was aimed at fulfilling the dual task of fighting the pandemic and ensuring socioeconomic growth, the local media reported.
The province has been practicing the social distancing order under the prime minister’s Directive 16 from July 9 and has locked down 60 areas with 82,000 households.
Despite its efforts in the fight against Covid-19, the pandemic is still developing complicatedly, spreading to markets, residential areas and companies in industrial parks.
From July 10 to 17, the province detected 379 Covid-19 infections, posing high risk of community transmission, especially in production facilities and industrial parks.
Although the ministry has allocated a total of 226,520 doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Dong Nai Province, the volume did not meet the province’s needs.
In another development, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has decided to suspend flights to Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ca Mau and Kien Giang from July 19 to August 1 to prevent the spread of Covid-19
Besides, the authority also revised the number of daily flights on the Hanoi-Phu Quoc and Hanoi-Can Tho air routes down to one each.
