COVID-19: HCM City makes up half number of new cases over six hours

Twenty-nine out of new cases in HCM City were those in close contact with COVID-19 patients, and a case was closely linked to the outbreak at the Revival Ekklesia Mission Vietnam, a Christian congregation in the locality.

Relevant agencies are conducting epidemiological investigations into 10 other cases, the MoH said in its 12.00am COVID-19 update on June 23.

Notably, at least 10 cases were documented at medical facilities through patient screening. Saigon General Hospital alone suspended receiving admissions after recording five cases through patient screening on June 22.

Elsewhere, 23 new cases were documented in Binh Duong, eight in Bac Giang, four in Hung Yen, two each in Lao Cai and Long An, and one in Bac Kan.

Binh Duong has emerged as a coronavirus hotspot in Vietnam, recording more than 100 local infections as four chains of transmission were uncovered at crowded companies and business workshops.

The MoH on June 23 dispatched a working group to Binh Duong to help it slow the spread of the virus. The National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control also held an online meeting with local authorities on the same day to curb the fresh outbreak.  

Vietnam has confirmed 10,575 cases, including 34 deaths, in 42 cities and provinces across the country since the resurgence of the virus in late April 2021.

The healthcare sector is speeding up vaccination, considering it an effective way to halt the spread of the virus.

More than 2.5 million doses of the CVOID-19 vaccine have been administered nationwide since the vaccination campaign was launched in March.