COVID-19: 71 new cases detected in Vietnam, 23 in HCM City alone

HCM City, the country’s busiest and populous locality, has recorded more than 800 cases for more than a month and has decided to extend the social distancing order for another 14 days.

The HCM City Health Department said six chains of transmission with 190 cases have been uncovered in the community and their sources of infection remain unknown.

Nguyen Tan Binh, director of the HCM City Health Department, said the mutated strain B.1.617.2 known as the Delta variant first emerging from India has spread quickly in the city and more cases will be expected in the coming days. Notably, many cases are asymptomatic, he said.

Several large outbreaks have been recorded mainly in lodging houses, residential clusters in suburban districts and urbanized rural areas. In addition, industrial park employees, healthcare workers and office employees have also tested positive for the virus.

The city is speeding up contact tracing and extensive testing to early detect and quarantine infected cases.

Elsewhere fresh outbreaks have been brought under control when new cases were documented in quarantine and lockdown areas.

According to the MoH’s 06.00am COVID-19 update, 28 more cases were detected in Bac Giang, the country’s largest COVID-19 hotspot, and 19 more in Bac Ninh.

An imported case was also reported on June 15 morning a 36-year-old man tested positive after returning to Vietnam through the Moc Bai International Bordergate in Tay Ninh province bordering Cambodia.

Overall Vietnam has confirmed 7,668 cases since the virus emerged in late April 2021 and 10,881 cases ince January 2020.

Sixty-one people have died of COVID-19 and other underlying illnesses, including 26 during the current fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 4,200 COVID-19 patients have been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from the disease.