COVID-19: HCM City second worst-hit locality in Vietnam as cases surge

Ho Chi Minh City, the busiest and most populous locality in Vietnam, has overtaken Bac Ninh province in the north to become the second worst affected locality during the latest COVID-109 outbreak.
  • COVID-19: 159 new cases recorded in Vietnam
  • 176 more new COVID-19 cases added to national tally
Providing medical check-up before getting a COVID-19 vaccine shot in HCM City.

Providing medical check-up before getting a COVID-19 vaccine shot in HCM City.

The city has recorded an additional 33 locally transmitted cases during the past 12 hours, according to the Ministry of Health in its 06.00am COVID-19 update on June 21, raising its caseload to more than 1,600 cases since the resurgence of the virus in late April.

With infections rising by more than 100 on a daily basis, the municipal administration has imposed and extended social distancing for another two weeks until the end of June in an effort to slow the spread of the virus in the community.

Many streets have been left deserted while shops have been closed temporarily under the social distancing order, VOV has learned.

Convenient stores, supermarkets, wet markets and drug stores have been allowed to operate, but required to meet COVID-19 guidelines.

The city has mobilized nearly 1,500 healthcare workers, including medical university students, to test 260,000 people a day, and is set to raise the number of samples to be taken to half a million a day.

Local authorities have launched a vaccination campaign considered the largest of its kind in the city, aiming to inoculate approximately 200,000 people a day. The city has been green-lighted to negotiate and purchase COVID-19 vaccines for local use.

Meanwhile, the outbreak seems to be waning in Bac Giang and Bac Ninh provinces, the two COVID-19 hotspots in northern Vietnam.

The MoH data shows Bac Giang and Bac Ninh recorded five and four more local infections on June 21 morning. Elsewhere, two more cases were documented in Tien Giang, one in Nghe An and another one in Ha Tinh.

Vietnam has logged nearly 10,000 locally acquired coronavirus cases since the virus recurred in late April. Bac Giang is the worst-hit locality, recording more than 5,100 cases alone.

VOV

Other News

Communication drive promoted for 500-day campaign to locate, identify fallen soldiers' remains

Communication drive promoted for 500-day campaign to locate, identify fallen soldiers' remains

Under the plan, all central and local media outlets are required to launch columns on the campaign, maintain regular coverage, and produce at least five to seven in-depth reports each month in key search areas. Media agencies will also be encouraged to gather and verify valuable information and develop high-quality products in both Vietnamese and foreign languages, including feature articles, documentaries, reports and short videos.

First Vietnamese pagoda in Tokyo inaugurated

First Vietnamese pagoda in Tokyo inaugurated

Ambassador Pham Quang Hieu expressed confidence that the establishment will serve as a strong spiritual anchor for Vietnamese people living in Japan while contributing to friendship and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

National drive kicks off to protect, support children online

National drive kicks off to protect, support children online

Cyberspace now runs through children’s learning, entertainment, and daily lives, but warned it is laced with dangerous content, online insults, threats, and seemingly harmless clicks that can trigger fraud, data breaches, and risks children who are not yet equipped to handle.

Vietnam, RoK scholars discuss diplomatic perspectives amid modern East Asia

Vietnam, RoK scholars discuss diplomatic perspectives amid modern East Asia

A scholar has stressed the need for Vietnam to make use of cooperation opportunities arising from the RoK’s foreign policy, particularly in semiconductor technology, artificial intelligence (AI), supply chains, digital transformation, and green energy, as well as chances in multilateral diplomacy.

'Barefoot inventor' and global ambitions

'Barefoot inventor' and global ambitions

Pham Van Hat is best known as the creator of the made-in-Vietnam “Seed Sowing Robot,” now exported to 15 countries, alongside dozens of practical inventions that have eased labour for thousands of farmers.

Safeguarding fairness for creators, future of Vietnam's culture

Safeguarding fairness for creators, future of Vietnam's culture

Films, music, television programmes, e-books, video games, journalistic works, images and creative data can now be copied, edited and redistributed within minutes. While copyright violations were once linked mainly to pirated discs or counterfeit books, infringements have shifted online with faster speed, wider scale and greater anonymity.

Flower tribute ceremony honours President Ho Chi Minh in Russia

Flower tribute ceremony honours President Ho Chi Minh in Russia

Consul General Nguyen Viet Kien stressed President Ho Chi Minh’s reputation and career transcended Vietnam’s borders to inspire liberation movements worldwide, and that his ideas on the right to self-determination, peace, and friendship among nations remain deeply relevant today.

Education ministry targets five digital technology incubators at universities

Education ministry targets five digital technology incubators at universities

A key target under the new plan is the establishment of five digital technology incubators, or Deeptech Hubs, at universities and research institutes with strong potential. The education ministry also plans to launch a training programme for 1,000 outstanding technology entrepreneurs and develop criteria for selecting and supporting startup ecosystems within educational institutions.

Vietnam steps up implementation of ethnic affairs strategy through 2030

Vietnam steps up implementation of ethnic affairs strategy through 2030

To accelerate the implementation of the the Ethnic Affairs Strategy by 2030, with a vision toward 2045, the Prime Minister requested ministries, agencies and local authorities to continue thoroughly carrying out the Party and State’s policies on ethnic affairs, enhancing the effectiveness of State management and strengthening oversight of policy implementation.

Security preparations reviewed for APEC 2027 in Phu Quoc

Security preparations reviewed for APEC 2027 in Phu Quoc

The team examined the APEC 2027 Convention Centre, where main conference activities are scheduled; Sun Serenia Hospital, designated to provide healthcare and emergency medical services for delegates; provincial road DT.975, which connects Phu Quoc International Airport to the convention centre; and the area surrounding Phu Quoc International Airport.