COVID-19 infection count sharply rises to over 175,000

Health authorities confirmed a further 175,480 new COVID-19 cases on March 15 across 63 cities and provinces nationwide, an increase of 14,221 from the previous day, including 128,256 local infections.

Hanoi capital and the north central province of Nghe An led the daily tally with 26,708 cases, and 10,752 cases, respectively.

A total of 68 deaths were confirmed over the past 24 hours, thereby raising the death toll to 41,477.

The Health Ministry also announced a further 111,164 recoveries on the same day, bringing the total number of recovered cases to close to 3.4 million since the start of the pandemic.

The average number of new infections recorded over the past week stands at 166,671 daily cases nationwide.

As of March 13, the country had injected over 200.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has urged the Ministry of Health to swiftly adjust entry regulations to fall in line with the current situation.

He also requested that ministries, agencies, and localities co-ordinate with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to safely and effectively launch tourism activities, all of which should be convenient for tourists.

Under Resolution No. 25 dated March 7, the Government assigned the Ministry of Health to review pandemic risk levels and regulations towards COVID-19 cases and for those who came into close contact with them.

The Government also suggested the Ministry learn from international experience to take appropriate and effective measures to return to normal, with COVID-19 considered an endemic disease.