Vietnam confirmed 1,019 locally-transmitted coronavirus cases on Tuesday [July 6] with the two-thirds detected in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC).

With the new infections, the tally in HCMC rose to 7,385, Bac Giang 5,673, Bac Ninh 1,622, Binh Duong 858, and Hanoi 480.

It lifts the country’s total caseload to 22,064, including 13,987 active cases, and 94 deaths.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam at a meeting on July 6. Photo: VGP

Sparing no effort to combat pandemic in the south

As the southern localities see the rising cases, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said at a meeting Tuesday that it is necessary to have more decisive and stronger measures to soon end the pandemic which has left an impact on a large number of people in the most populous city.

On the same day, the government of Vietnam announced to do everything necessary to help the city combat the pandemic.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated that the Government will spend all forces to support affected southern economic hubs of Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Dong Nai, Long An, Tay Ninh, and Tien Giang.

Chinh said the restrictions could affect business activities and disrupt supply chains, but “when needed, especially now, people’s lives and health must be prioritized.”

"The Government will provide more frontline forces like health workers, military personnel, and police to the localities together with medical equipment to boost the testing, quarantine, and treatment of Covid-19 patients," he said.

Meanwhile, the ministries of Transport and Industry and Trade are required to facilitate the traveling and flows of goods, ensuring smooth supply chains.

Vietnam's Covid-19 cases. Source: MoH. Chart: Minh Vu

As of July 6, Covid-19 has attacked 38 companies in HCMC, causing more than 800 infections, Hua Quoc Hung, head of the Hochiminh City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority (HEPZA) said at a meeting on Tuesday.

On July 6, Ho Chi Minh City closed Binh Dien wholesales market, the largest of its kind in the city. Binh Dien is one of the three biggest wholesales markets together with Hoc Mon and Thu Duc specializing in food and foodstuff, seafood, veggies, and fruit for the city of more than 10 million people.

Covid-19 has also swept through 40 companies in Binh Duong Province, which is home to 29 industrial parks and 12 industrial clusters with around 1.2 million laborers.

Deputy Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Chu Xuan Dung at a meeting on July 6. Photo: Kinh Te Do Thi

Meanwhile, Hanoi reported the resurgence of Covid-19 after eight days. The newly-infected people are from Dong Anh, My Duc, and Hoang Mai Districts. As having 10 infections in the past two days, Hanoi has advised its residents not to go out if unnecessary and to make a medical declaration when returning from high-risk areas.

Deputy Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Chu Xuan Dung asked local authorities to prepare for the quarantine capacity of 40,000 people in order to “get ready for the unexpected cases when requested.”

Regarding the Covid-19 vaccine, the White House on July 6 sent Vietnam two million doses of Moderna Covid-19 Vaccine as part of 80 million doses that US President Joe Biden has pledged to allocate worldwide.

The vaccine shipment is believed to arrive in Vietnam this weekend, a White House official told AFP. “This is just the beginning of doses being shipped to Southeast Asia.”

Other Southeast Asian recipients include Malaysia with one million doses arrived yesterday, Indonesia to get four million “soon”, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, and Thailand are also on the list.

In another move, a number of Vietnamese people working in Japan and Japanese companies employing Vietnamese interns have donated JPY6 million (US$54,249) for the Vietnam Fund for Vaccination Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (VFVC).