An area in HCMC is locked down due to Covid-19 spread. Vietnam reported 983 new Covid-19 cases, including 982 local infections and one imported case, this afternoon - PHOTO: MINISTRY OF HEALTH
HCMC - The Ministry of Health has confirmed 982 new locally transmitted Covid-19 cases, taking to 30,085 the country’s total domestic infections in the current fourth coronavirus wave beginning in late April as of this afternoon, July 13.
HCMC reported the highest number of new infections with 886 cases, followed by other southern provinces such as Long An with 29 cases, Ba Ria-Vung Tau with 27, Dong Thap with 12 and Ben Tre with 11.
The Health Ministry also confirmed four new cases in Phu Yen, two in each of Quang Ngai, Binh Thuan and Bac Ninh, and one in each of Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Bac Giang, Hanoi, Lao Cai, Binh Phuoc and Thanh Hoa.
Thanh Hoa also had one imported case, who is a woman returning to the country from Thailand on Pacific Airlines Flight BL 6802 on June 30.
The country has recorded 33,648 Covid-19 cases, both locally transmitted and imported, since the pandemic broke out early last year.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, head of the national steering committee for Covid-19 infection prevention and control, has asked cities and provinces in the Mekong Delta to tighten Covid-19 containment measures in the context of a recent upsurge in new infections in these localities.
Dam spoke highly of Mekong Delta provinces’ efforts in monitoring the borders and preventing imported infections. However, the pandemic is spreading complicatedly in the community.
The deputy prime minister asked the Mekong Delta provinces to enhance their testing capacity and improve the information system to facilitate the Covid-19 fight. Up to now, only two provinces in the region have set up the Covid-19 information system.
Dong Thap, one of the 13 Mekong Delta provinces, has decided to impose social distancing on the entire province from July 14 to curb the spread of the virus. The province has reported 630 Covid-19 cases in the latest outbreak and most of them are domestic infections.
