More than 7,300 people tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in Vietnam on Friday [July 23], driving up its total infections to 81,678.

About 19% of the total patients have recovered while the death toll stayed at 370.

A makeshift hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Khac Linh/Tien Phong

Of the daily cases, more than 82% were detected in quarantine facilities and the remaining in the community. The majority of the cases were found in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC).

The newest infections have lifted the figure in Ho Chi Minh City – the epicenter – to 50,474. Binh Duong today surpassed Bac Giang in its Covid-19 cases with 5,976. Bac Giang ranked third with 5,735, Long An 1,964, Dong Thap 1,794, Dong Nai 1,742, and Bac Ninh 1,713.

Today, HCMC decided to extend the partial lockdown to one more week until August 1 after the current restrictions have not given good results as expected. The local authorities said the extension would enable them to stop the outbreak and focus on treating Covid-19 patients, especially severe ones.

To intensify support to the fight against Covid-19 in HCMC, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong has asked Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to send additional 7,000 health workers to serve the testing and treatment there.

So far, the Ministry of Health has sent more than 4,000 health workers to assist the city.

Hanoi in the fight against community transmission

Hanoi today reported 70 cases, totaling 879 since the outbreak flared up in late April.

“The city may have cases lurked in the community. This is inevitable as Hanoi is like a ‘pandemic hub’ due to flows of people from epicenters namely Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, and HCMC,” according to Prof. Tran Dac Phu, senior advisor to the Vietnam Public Health Emergency Operations Center (PHEOC).

He said the pandemic in Hanoi is under control and the city is doing a good job in testing and combating community outbreaks.

However, it’s necessary to have cooperation from residents and drugstores to timely detect suspected or index cases with typical symptoms, Phu said.

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh. Photo: Ngoc Thanh

For that reason, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh called on the locals to make medical declarations to help local authorities identify asymptomatic or suspected cases.

The move, via www.tokhaiyte.vn, is one of the best ways to protect people themselves, their families, and the community, the chairman said on Friday.

“I hope that each citizen is really a soldier in the fight against Covid-19 with high responsibility anytime, anywhere, creating the strength to soon push the pandemic back,” the chairman said in a statement.

Hanoi had contained the pandemic days before the resurgence of SARS-CoV-2 in the city on July 5. Since then, it has ported dozens of cases per day.

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