COVID-19: Daily count rises nearly 4,000, over 5,200 patients recover

Vietnam has confirmed 3,977 locally acquired coronavirus cases and seven imported cases in 50 cities and provinces across the country over the past 24 hours, an increase of 349 cases compared to the previous day, the Ministry of Health said in its coronavirus update on October 22.

A healthcare worker is labelling a COVID-19 test sample

As many as 1,782 cases were recorded in the community through random testing or test screening.

Ho Chi Minh City, the largest coronavirus hotspot in Vietnam, topped all affected cities and provinces in infection numbers, registering 1,205 new cases.

It was followed by Binh Duong with 471 new cases, Dong Nai 417, An Giang 220, Soc Trang 148, and Tay Ninh 147, all in the south

Notably, the virus is evolving in a complicated manner in the Central Highlands regions, with the number of new infections increasing sharply to 266 in Dak Lak over 24 hours. Elsewhere, Gia Lai, another locality in the Central Highlands, also recorded 69 new cases.

Phu Tho remains the largest coronavirus hotspot in the north as it detected 54 locally acquired infections over the past 24 hours. It was followed by Ha Nam with 21 new cases, Ha Giang 18, Nam Dinh 17, Hanoi 8, Thai Binh 7 and Bac Ninh 5.

As of 06pm on October 22 Vietnam has documented 881,522 COVID-19 cases since the start of the first outbreak in January 2020, ranking 40th out of 223 countries and territories worldwide.

Of the total, 803,326 patients have been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from the disease, including 5,202 recoveries announced on October 20.

The MoH also confirmed 56 COVID-19 deaths during the past 24 hours, with HCM City and Binh Duong reporting 33 and 7 fatalities, respectively.

The October 22 figure has raised the COVID-19 death toll in Vietnam to 21,543, making up 2.5% of the total number of infections.

About 70.5 million vaccine doses have been administered nationwide, with 20.1 million people getting their second shot.