Vietnam records 272 new COVID-19 cases, 238 recoveries

Among 266 locally-transmitted cases, 91 were confirmed in the morning, 100 at midday, and 75 in the afternoon.

All the cases in Bac Giang and Bac Ninh provinces are either linked with outbreaks in the community, industrial parks or came into contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients.

The cases in HCM City are associated with its now locked-down HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases, a major Christian mission coronavirus cluster, and had close contact cases with infected patients.

By June 14, Vietnam documented 10,810 COVID-19 cases, including 9,168 local infections and 1,642 imported ones. The number of cases since the fourth wave of the pandemic began on April 27 was 7,958.

Of the patients still under treatment at medical facilities, 576 have tested negative with COVID-19 at least once or several times.

The death toll rose to 61 after two more fatalities related to COVID-19 were confirmed the same day.

An additional 238 coronavirus patients were declared free from the virus, boosting the total recoveries to 4,236.

Amid the increasingly complicated developments relating to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ho Chi Minh City, the Ministry of Health has decided to establish a standing division for COVID-19 prevention and control in the southern metropolis, which is headed by its Deputy Minister Nguyen Truong Son.

The division is designed to support professional activities pertaining to the pandemic,  treatment, testing, quarantine; capacity, and communications work in the city and neighbouring localities.

The virus has so far attacked 40 of 63 cities and provinces nationwide, with Bac Giang topping the list with 4,166 infections, trailed by Bac Ninh with 1,360 and HCM City with 871.