COVID-19: Daily caseload rises to 3,646, over 1,700 patients recover

Vietnam has detected 3,635 locally acquired coronavirus cases and 11 imported cases in 50 cities and provinces across the country over the past 24 hours, an increase of 612 cases compared to the previous day, the Ministry of Health said in its coronavirus update on October 20.

As many as 1,810 cases were recorded in the community through random testing or test screening.

Ho Chi Minh City, the largest coronavirus hotspot in Vietnam, topped all affected cities and provinces in infection numbers, registering 1,347 new cases.

It was followed by Binh Duong with 492 new cases, Dong Nai 305, An Giang 194 and Soc Trang 100, all in the south

Notably, the virus is recurring in the north with outbreaks evolving in a complicated manner in Phu Tho, Ha Nam, and Bac Ninh provinces that recorded dozens of new cases each.

The virus is also spreading rapidly in the Central Highlands region as Gia Lai and Dak Lak provinces detected 93 and 77 new cases respectively.

As of 06pm on October 20 Vietnam has documented 873,901 COVID-19 cases since the start of the first outbreak in January 2020, ranking 40th out of 223 countries and territories worldwide.

Of the total, 796,583 patients have been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from the disease, including 1,737 recoveries announced on October 20.

The MoH has also confirmed 72 COVID-19 deaths during the past 24 hours, with HCM City and Binh Duong reporting 43 and 8 fatalities, respectively.

The October 20 figure has raised the COVID-19 death toll in Vietnam to 21,416, making up 2.5% of the total number of infections.

About 67 million vaccine doses have been administered nationwide, with 19 million people getting their second shot.