COVID-19: New infections, deaths both rise over 24 hours in Vietnam

Vietnam has confirmed 15,527 new coronavirus infections and 283 deaths during the past 24 hours, up 319 and 31 cases respectively compared to the previous day, the Ministry of Health (MoH) reported in its coronavirus update on December 15.

The sign reads someone in the family is in medical quarantine for COVID-19 infection.

The majority of the newly detected cases were in the south, with Ho Chi Minh City recording the highest number, at 1,270. Other southern localities saw hundreds of new cases diagnosed during the day were Ca Mau, Ben Tre, Tay Ninh, Dong Thap, Vinh Long, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Dong Nai and Tien Giang.

The capital city of Hanoi surpassed the 1,000 case mark again, registering 1,024 new infections, according to the MoH’s official data. However, the Hanoi Centre for Disease Control put the city’s daily caseload at 1,357, a record high figure, with 611 cases detected in the community.

Elsewhere, the outbreak remains complicated in other northern localities, with dozens to hundreds of new cases detected in Bac Ninh, Hai Phong, Hung Yen, Thai Binh, Ha Giang, Hoa Binh, Lang Son, and Quang Ninh.

As of 06pm on December 15 Vietnam has detected 1,449,175 COVID-19 cases since the start of the first outbreak in January 2020, ranking 32nd out of 223 countries and territories worldwide.

Of the infected patients, 1,063,428 have been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from the disease, including 2,992 recoveries announced on December 15.

As many as 28,616 patients have died of the virus, making up 2% of the total number of infections.

More than 135 million vaccine doses have been administered nationwide, with 59 million people getting their second shot.