National COVID-19 count passes 60,000 after 2,155 further fresh cases detected

Among the morning’s tally, Ho Chi Minh City, the current biggest epicenter of the virus recorded 1,519 cases, followed by the southern provinces of Binh Duong and Dong Nai with 156 and 133, respectively. The remaining cases were found across 21 other localities.

Of the new cases, 251 were recorded in the community and the rest were inside areas in quarantine or under lockdown.

As of 6 am on July 20, Vietnam had a total of 58,100 domestic and 2,080 imported cases. The number of local infections since the latest wave of COVID-19 hit the country on April 27 was 56,530, with 8,273 fully recovered from the virus.

One day earlier, the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control announced 80 further new COVID-19 fatalities in HCM City and five other provinces registered between July 9 and 19, boosting the overall number of fatalities in the nation to 334.

Elsewhere, the Hanoi Department of Health urges its preventive medicine units to accelerate screening COVID-19 testing targeting at-risk people as the capital city has seen a drastic upturn in domestic cases over the past few days.

Screening tests can be conducted using pooled sample RT-PCR strategy or antigen rapid testing method, the department said.

Hanoi documented a total of 475 locally-transmitted cases during the ongoing coronavirus wave, including 44 detected on July 19 alone.

Moreover, 11 out of 58 localities have gone 14 days without new community infections.

Over 4.3 million people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 so far, with 21,595 people inoculated against the disease one day earlier.