Vietnam today at a glance
The Ministry of Health announced 8,766 new COVID-19 cases today, raising the national tally to 236,901. More than 234,000 of these are locally transmitted cases, including 232,950 confirmed since April 27, when the fourth outbreak began.
Today’s new COVID-19 infections were found in: HCMC (3.416), Bình Dương (1.897), Đồng Nai (979), Long An (963), Tây Ninh (263), Đồng Tháp (191), Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu (181), Tiền Giang (177), Cần Thơ (103), Khánh Hòa (102), Bình Thuận (68), Phú Yên (66), Vĩnh Long (63), Đà Nẵng (56), Hà Nội (40), An Giang (39), Bình Phước (19), Ninh Thuận (19), Sơn La (19), Nghệ An (16), Quảng Ngãi (14), Thanh Hóa (13), Kiên Giang (12), Bình Định (10), Hà Tĩnh (9), Hải Dương (4), Quảng Nam (4), Nam Định (3), Bạc Liêu (2), Cà Mau (1), Lạng Sơn (1), Quảng Trị (1), Thừa Thiên Huế (1).
Out of all 62 cities and provinces, Quảng Ninh and Bắc Kạn are the only two having gone at least 14 days without new domestic infections.
Vietnam’s death toll is currently at 4,487.
Record doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered on August 10
The Ministry of Health reported giving over 1.4 million COVID-19 jabs on Tuesday, the highest number recorded in one day since the start of Vietnam’s vaccination campaign in March.
As of Wednesday, total doses given across the country has passed 11 million. That means just over 1% of the population have been fully vaccinated, five months after Vietnam administered its very first COVID-19 vaccine doses to residents.
HCMC continues to be in the lead, with more than half of the city’s adult population having received at least one shot. Bac Ninh and Bac Giang round up the top three, at about 35% and 26%, respectively.
The country is currently administering various vaccine types, including AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer and Sinopharm. More doses are expected to arrive by the end of the year, especially with some locally-made vaccines in the race.
Government orders all localities to control outbreak by mid-September
The Vietnamese government issued a resolution on Tuesday stating that all localities under social distancing must make sure it is strictly followed, in order to prevent more health, economic and social crises from arising.
HCMC is expected to contain its current outbreak by September 15, while other southern provinces have until September 1. To aid this cause, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has said vaccines will continue to be prioritized for Vietnam’s hardest-hit region.
Other cities like Hanoi and Danang will need to strive for an August 25 deadline.
The resolution also outlines that these localities are allowed to impose stricter measures if they see fit. However, they are first required to ensure sufficient supply of necessities during social distancing orders.