COVID-19: Over 15,000 new infections, 31,000 recoveries recorded over 24 hrs

Vietnam has recorded 15,236 new coronavirus infections in 59 cities and provinces across the country during the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health (MoH) reported in its coronavirus update on December 17.

Official data from the MoH also show as many as 31,057 patients were discharged from hospital and 247 patients died of COVID-19 and underlying illnesses during the day.

Of the newly detected infections, 9,836 were diagnosed in the community through test screening or random testing.

The majority of the newly detected cases were in the south, with Ben Tre recording the highest number, at 1,246, followed by Ca Mau 1,071, and Ho Chi Minh City 1,040.

Other southern localities seeing hundreds of new cases documented were Tay Ninh, Binh Phuoc, Dong Thap, Can Tho, Vinh Long, Khanh Hoa, Bac Lieu, Soc Trang, Tra Vinh, Dong Nai, Tien Giang and An Giang.

The capital city of Hanoi still topped northern localities, registering 535 new cases, followed by Bac Ninh with 255 cases. Dozens of new cases were also reported in Lang Son, Nam Dinh, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Thai Binh, Vinh Phuc, Thai Nguyen, Ha Giang and Son La.

As of 06pm on December 17 Vietnam has detected 1,508,473 COVID-19 cases since the start of the first outbreak in January 2020, ranking 32nd out of 223 countries and territories worldwide.

Of the infected patients, 1,095,518 have been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from the disease.

As many as 29,103 patients have died of the virus, making up 2% of the total number of infections.

Nearly 137 million vaccine doses have been administered nationwide, with more than 60 million people getting their second shot and 1.23 million people receiving their booster jab.