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Vietnam recorded 461 new local Covid-19 cases Saturday night, raising the day’s tally to an all-time high of 1,844.
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The number of Covid-19 infections in HCMC will continue to increase in the coming days and it could record 10,000 infections in the next five days.
Vietnam’s daily Covid tally hits new high as health ministry warns more to come. Saturday also saw the highest number of localities recording cases, 31.
Ho Chi Minh City, the new epicenter of the ongoing fourth coronavirus wave, recorded 200 new cases Saturday night, raising its tally of the day to 1,300, the highest number in a day since the disease broke out, followed by 1,229 on Friday.
Of the city’s new cases, 147 are already in quarantine and isolated areas while the remaining 53 are being contact traced.
Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Truong Son told a meeting earlier Saturday the number of Covid-19 infections in the city will continue to increase in the coming days and it could record 10,000 infections in the next five days.
To keep up with the fast-rising number of infections, the city would increase its capacity by 6,000 beds for Covid-19 treatment and prepare more ambulances and medical vehicles to transport patients. Currently, the city has 20,000 beds to treat Covid patients.
Of 140 confirmed cases in southern industrial hub Binh Duong, 78 are already in isolated areas, 41 having come in close contact with confirmed patients, while 14 returned from coronavirus hotspot HCMC. The remaining seven cases are being contact traced.
Of 33 new cases in Long An Province, which borders HCMC, 18 were in close contact with confirmed patients while 13 are related to the cluster at HCMC’s Binh Dien wholesale market. The rest are being contact traced.
Nineteen new cases in the southern province of Dong Nai and 18 in south central Phu Yen Province had already been isolated following contact tracing.
The central province of Quang Ngai reported 14 cases and Khanh Hoa Province 13, with all being put in quarantine facilities.
Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap registered eight new cases, with seven having contact with Covid-19 patients and one returning from Long An Province.
Five new cases in Hanoi had already been quarantined.
Four new cases in the southern province of Binh Phuoc had returned from HCMC while Tay Ninh Province recorded three patients, with two linked to the outbreak in Binh Duong and one related to the cluster in HCMC’s Binh Dien wholesale market.
The new case in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, a HCMC neighbor, is being contact traced.
Binh Dinh, Vinh Phuc and Thai Binh provinces recorded one case each, with all being contained in quarantine zones.
Since April 27 when the new wave hit Vietnam, 24,326 infections have been recorded in 58 of the nation’s 63 cities and provinces, with HCMC accounting for the most at 11,615, according to VNExpress.