Nearly 42,000 new COVID-19 cases recorded in Vietnam over 24 hours

As many as 41,980 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in 61 cities and provinces across Vietnam during the past 24 hours, a fall of 459 cases compared to the previous day, the Ministry of Health said in its coronavirus update on February 19.

Of the total, nearly 30,000 cases were diagnosed in the community, 12 tested positive upon returning from overseas, and the remainder were detected in the lockdown or quarantine areas.

The northern region remains the hotbed of the current coronavirus outbreak in Vietnam, registering more than 30,000 new cases in a single day, or three fourths of the total.

Official data from the Ministry of Health show Hanoi capital topped localities in infection number, recording 4,869 new cases, the highest daily count since the onset of the outbreak.

Notably, Bac Ninh that was a coronavirus hotspot last summer saw 3,040 new infections confirmed, almost double the previous day’s figure.

Other northern localities that recorded between 1,000 and 2,000 cases each include Quang Ninh, Hoa Binh, Thai Nguyen, Nam Dinh, Phu Tho, Hai Phong, Lao Cai, Vinh Phuc, Hai Duong, Yen Bai, Bac Giang and Son La.

Elsewhere, infection increases were also seen other localities in the central and southern regions, including Ho Chi Minh City.

The same day, the Ministry of Health also announced an additional 6,840 recoveries and 65 more deaths.
As of 06pm on February 19, Vietnam has detected 2,740,293 COVID-19 cases since the start of the outbreak, ranking 32nd out of 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Of the infected patients, 2,268,020 have been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from the disease, and 39,423 patients have died of the virus.

The number of Omicron infections remains unchanged at 200 in 17 localities, including 97 cases confirmed in Ho Chi Minh City, 27 in Quang Nam, 20 in Quang Ninh, 14 in Hanoi, and 11 in Khanh Hoa.

Nearly 191 million vaccine doses have been administered nationwide, with over 75 million people getting their second shot and over 33 million people receiving their additional shot/booster jab.