COVID-19: Daily count rises again to nearly 17,000 in all 63 localities

The daily number of new coronavirus infections suddenly rose by nearly 2,100 on January 2 to 16,948 in all 63 cities and provinces across the country, the Ministry of Health said in its coronavirus update.

Taking care of a severely ill COVID-19 patient in Hanoi.

Of the total, as many as 11,948 people tested positive in the community through random testing and test screening at healthcare facilities.

Hanoi capital in the north topped localities as its daily count surpassed the 2,000 case mark for the first time, hitting 2,092. Almost all inner districts raised their COVID-19 alert level and requested food eateries to offer takeaways and restrict New Year events of large gatherings.

Another northern locality – Hai Phong – also saw a sharp surge in daily infection numbers, registering 1,804 cases or 1,688 more cases compared to the previous day.

In the south, while several localities such as Tay Ninh, Binh Phuoc, Ca Mau, Bac Lieu and Tra Vinh reported hundreds of new cases each, Ho Chi Minh City, the epicenter of the recent COVID-19 outbreak, recorded the lowest figure, at 384 new cases.

As of 06pm on January 2 Vietnam has detected 1,763,040 COVID-19 cases since the start of the first outbreak in January 2020, ranking 31st out of 223 countries and territories worldwide.

On average, nearly 15,500 cases have been documented daily during the past seven days.

Vietnam has also confirmed 20 Omicron cases that were in quarantine upon arrival in the country.

Of the infected patients, 1,372,696 have recovered from the disease, and 32,831 patients have died of the disease.

Nearly 153 million vaccine doses have been administered nationwide, with 69 million people getting their second shot and 6 million people receiving their booster jab.