A medical worker collects samples of a local woman for Covid-19 testing. Vietnam reported 53 fresh locally-infected cases of Covid-19 this morning, June 2 – PHOTO: VNA

HCMC – Vietnam reported 53 fresh locally-infected cases of Covid-19 this morning, June 2, with 48 cases in Bac Giang Province, three in Bac Ninh Province, and two in Hanoi, said the Ministry of Health.

Up to now, the country has recorded 4,549 domestic infections in 37 provinces and cities in the latest coronavirus wave since April 27, bringing the nation’s domestic transmission tally to 6,118 cases.

The coronavirus has spread to 20 out of 22 districts in HCMC with 227 locally-transmitted cases reported in the latest wave. Of them, the total number of Covid-19 cases linked to the Revival Ekklesia Mission infection cluster in Go Vap District has reached 219.

New infections linked to this religious sect could rise by around 500 in the upcoming days, as there are many people who had close contact with members of the religious sect and are being quarantined, said Nguyen Tan Binh, director of the HCMC Department of Health, reported VnExpress.

Due to the fast spread of new coronavirus variants and the high frequency of commuting among residents, further outbreaks could hit the city as well as spread to neighboring localities, Binh added.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long at a meeting on June 1 with the HCMC anti-Covid-19 steering committee said that the city reported tens of infections linked to office buildings and companies located in industrial zones.

The minister added that the Covid-19 risk at industrial zones remains extremely high. HCMC is home to 1.6 million workers. If it failed to put the disease under control, it could result in a crisis, he stressed.