COVID-19: Daily caseload falls to over 11,000, mortality rate remains high

Of the new infections, 6,759 cases were detected in the community through test screening or random testing, five tested positive upon returning to Vietnam from overseas, and the rest were documented in quarantine or lockdown areas.

Ho Chi Minh City, the largest coronavirus hotspot, led all cities and provinces in infection number, registering 5,368.

It was followed by Binh Duong with 3,440 new cases, Dong Nai 759, Long An 594, Tien Giang 194, and Kien Giang 106, all in the south.

Khanh Hoa and Quang Binh topped regional localities, logging 112 and 103 cases, respectively.

Elsewhere, Hanoi capital confirmed 51 cases, followed by Son La with 12 cases, Lang Son 4, and Bac Ninh 3.

Data from the Ministry of Health show that the past 24 hours saw daily caseload fall by 1,162 cases compared to the previous day, mainly in Binh Duong and Ho Chi Minh City, the two largest hotspots in Vietnam.

September 1 is the second consecutive day that has seen the daily count drop considerably in Vietnam. The figure rose to all-time closing high of 14,224 cases on August 30 and then tumbled to 12,607 cases the following day. Earlier the caseload hovered around 11,000-12,000 daily.

As of 06.00pm on September 1, Vietnam has recorded 473,530 coronavirus cases since the start of the outbreak in January 2020, ranking 56 out of 222 counties and territories worldwide.

It has registered 469,311 locally acquired infections following the resurgence of the virus four months ago. Of the total, 248,722 patients have been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from the disease.

The MoH has also confirmed 804 COVID-19 deaths during the past two days, including 364 cases on September 1. HCM City again took the lead with 658 cases, followed by Binh Duong 78, Long An 14, Dong Nai 12 and Dong Thap 10.

The September 1 figure has raised the total number of COVID-19 fatalities in Vietnam to 11,868, making up 2.5% of the total number of infections and 0.4% higher than the average death rate globally.