Vietnam confirmed another 12,619 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the the country’s new outbreak total cases to 430,940.
According to Health Ministry, three localities with the highest numbers of infection were Binh Duong with 5,414 cases, Ho Chi Minh City with 4,957 cases and Long An with 533 cases, all three major southern industrial hubs.
The country recorded 344 Covid-19 deaths in the last two days, with 256 cases in Ho Chi Minh City, 31 in Binh Duong, 18 in Tien Giang, 13 in Long An, five in Dong Nai, four each in Kien Giang and Vinh Long, three each in Da Nang, Dong Thap and Tay Ninh, and one each in Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Thua Thien-Hue and Vinh Phuc.
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The total coronavirus death toll so far is 10,749 cases, accounting for around 2.5 percent of all infected cases. 8,813 Covid-19 patients recovered and discharged on Sunday, bringing the country total 219,802.
As of today, nearly 205,000 patients hospitalized, among them, more than 6,300 are severe cases who need ventilators and 24 have to rely on extracorporeal life support ECMO.
According to Health Ministry, nearly 2,800 of around 40,000 patients hospitalized are severe cases who need ventilators while 18 others need ECMO, the HCMC Center for Disease Control said Sunday.
Health Ministry also reported that, over 19.4 million people in the country have received at least one Covid-19 vaccine shot, among them, more than 2.4 million people have been fully vaccinated.
Today, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked authorities at the grassroots levels to set clear goals in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and develop thorough agendas to achieve them.
At an online meeting between the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 prevention and control with 20 provinces and cities under social distancing across the country, The Prime Minister and authorities discussed their experience controlling the pandemic and the lessons learned through the process, identify limitations, and propose improvements for the future.
Speaking at the meeting, Prime Minister said he highly valued the efforts made by different sectors to fight COVID-19, including State-owned agencies, businesses, and especially those on the front line.
“However, as the pandemic was still going strong and unpredictably, not only in Việt Nam but around the world, everyone needed to be prepared and adjust to the ever-changing conditions”, the Prime Minister said.
He asked local authorities, especially those in communes, wards and towns, to identify COVID-19 prevention goals and action plans suitable for their localities so that the expected outcomes outlined by the Government’s Decree No 86 would be achieved, and social distancing lifted.
“We have made sacrifices implementing social distancing, so we at least need to make sure that our goals to contain the pandemic are met,” he added.
Prime Minister asked localities to strictly comply with directives and decrees on COVID-19 prevention and control issued by the Party and the Government since the beginning of the pandemic.
Applying social distancing is to prevent the disease from spreading further, so it must be strictly applied under tight control. Meanwhile, quick testing and vaccination must also be carried out in accordance with safety regulations from the Ministry of Health, he said.
Residents should have access to medical treatment at the earliest time possible and from the grassroots levels, which would help reduce pressure for major hospitals and health facilities. Modern and traditional medical practices should work together to reduce severe patients and deaths.
The Government leader also asked local authorities to ensure social security for the people, and encourage them to comply with pandemic control regulations.
Localities with high population density should think of ways to temporarily move people to places with less population to ensure their safety, he said.
Prime Minister stressed that the country was going in the right direction with the right measures to fight the pandemic, but should limitations arise during the implementation process, they should be thoroughly reviewed and improved, according to Vietnam News.
