The Ministry of Health announced 8,324 new cases today, raising the national tally to 193,381. More than 191,000 of these are locally transmitted cases, including 189,473 confirmed since April 27, when the fourth outbreak began.
Today’s new COVID-19 infections were found in: HCMC (4,060), Bình Dương (1,169), Long An (859), Đồng Nai (554), Khánh Hòa (269), Tiền Giang (253), Đồng Tháp (141), Đà Nẵng (138), Hà Nội (116), Tây Ninh (102), Cần Thơ (94), Bình Thuận (66), Vĩnh Long (63), Trà Vinh (62), Bến Tre (52), An Giang (47), Phú Yên (43), Ninh Thuận (25), Gia Lai (24), Nghệ An (21), Bình Định (19), Kiên Giang (17), Đắk Lắk (17), Hà Tĩnh (13), Hậu Giang (12), Lào Cai (11), Quảng Nam (11), Thanh Hóa (9), Thái Bình (8), Ninh Bình (8 ), Hải Dương (5), Bình Phước (5), Quảng Ngãi (5), Đắk Nông (4), Lâm Đồng (4), Quảng Bình (3), Bạc Liêu (2), Quảng Trị (2), Lạng Sơn (2), Vĩnh Phúc (2), Thừa Thiên Huế (2), Hà Giang (1).
Out of all 62 cities and provinces, Quảng Ninh and Bắc Kạn are the only two having gone 14 days without new infections.
Vietnam’s death toll is currently at 3,016.
Hanoi continues social distancing until August 23, records more cases among children
The Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee has decided to extend the capital city’s ongoing social distancing order, starting 6 am on August 8 until August 23.
Hanoi previously began social distancing for 15 days from July 24 under the Prime Minister’s Directive 16. That means residents are only allowed to go out for activities deemed essential like grocery or medicine shopping, or to work at businesses and factories allowed open. Ready-made food delivery is suspended and shipping of other non-essential goods have since followed.
However, despite stringent measures in this fourth and latest wave, the city has been recording between 60 to 70 new cases on average every day. As of 6:30 pm Friday, Hanoi has logged a total of 1,800 cases since April.
The city’s Department of Health has also seen increasing infections among children: from July 5 to July 30, about 5% of Hanoi’s COVID-19 patients were children aged 0 to 5. This trend is observed globally, notably in Indonesia, where children under 18 account for about 1% of the total death toll — three times the global 0.3% recorded since the pandemic began, according to UNICEF.
Meanwhile, in an effort to ramp up the local vaccination rate, more than 200 cab drivers in Hanoi will be vaccinated in the first round of a campaign supported by the capital city’s Department of Transport. These cab drivers have recently been approved to assist in emergencies like trips to and from hospitals and airports.
Since vaccines arrived in February 2021, Hanoi has administered over 1.1 million vaccine doses, with 12.98% of the city’s population having received at least one shot.
HCMC sees slight but steady decrease in new cases, sets up green zones
Since the start of Vietnam’s fourth COVID-19 wave in April, Ho Chi Minh City has already logged almost 110 thousand cases, making it the country’s hardest-hit locality. But the southern metropolis is showing positive signs of recovery.
Today, August 6, HCMC recorded 4,060 new cases as of 6:50 pm. August 5 recorded 3,886 new cases. A week ago on July 24, the number of new infections stood at 5,396, according to statistics by the Vietnam Ministry of Health.
Part of the reason for the drop can be attributed to the city’s increasing efforts in vaccinating its eligible residents. About 1.8 million people or over 20% of HCMC’s population have received at least first dose, and the city says residents bearing foreign passports will not be left out of its vaccination campaign. In fact, Thao Dien Ward authorities have announced they will start vaccinating more than 800 of their foreign residents aged 50 to 65 from August 6 to August 9.
HCMC is also leading Vietnam’s implementation of “green zones”, which are residential areas considered safe with zero cases or infection risks among residents, such as District 3’s Ward 4 and Phu Nhuan District’s Ward 5. People from green zones are encouraged to stay in and are only allowed exit or re-entry with proof of residence, while any outsider will be turned away. Shippers, on the other hand, need to go through a strict process in order to deliver goods and services.