National tally surpasses 40,000 following detection of 1,438 coronavirus cases
Of the total figure, Ho Chi Minh City led with 1,071, Dong Nai (72), Dong Thap (66), Khanh Hoa (57), Binh Duong (53), Vinh Long (36), Phu Yen (22), Ben Tre (15), Binh Phuoc (10), Kien Giang (8 ), Can Tho (8 ), Hau Giang (7), Nghe An (6), Hanoi (3), alongside one each in Dak Nong, Lang Son, An Giang, and Lam Dong.
1,274 out of 1,438 fresh cases were detected in isolation area or in areas currently under lockdown.
Of the new cases in HCM City hotspot, 940 are already in quarantine and isolated areas, and 131 are being contact traced.
The southern metropolis remains the nation’s largest COVID-19 hotspot, with more than 22,000 cases being detected during the latest COVID-19 wave.
The new infections in other localities were mostly found in isolation or locked down areas or involve individuals who came into contact with infected patients, are associated with previous outbreaks or returned from HCM City, the biggest epicenter of the virus.
Vietnam has to date reported a total of 40,296 locally-infected, 1,992 imported cases. As many as 38,726 have been documented since April 27 when the fourth wave of the pandemic initially broke out in the nation.
One day earlier, the country posted a total of 3,416 new cases of COVID-19, with Ho Chi Minh City taking the top spot at more than 2,000.
The Ministry of Health also announced 69 COVID-19 related fatalities from July 7-15 in HCM City that were added to the city’s tally in the ministry’s database.
HCM City has seen COVID-19 spike in recent times, with authorities warning of a higher tally for the city in the coming days as they have kept detected infections with unknown sources of transmission in the community every day.
Moreover, 12 provinces have stayed free of COVID-19 for a period of 14 consecutive days amid the ongoing fourth outbreak, while 5 provinces have recorded no secondary infections.
As of July 15, a further 21,815 people were vaccinated against COVID-19, taking the number of vaccinated people to more than 4,185,600 nationwide.