COVID-19: Vietnam records nearly 16,000 new infections, 108 Omicron cases

Vietnam has recorded 15,959 new coronavirus infections during the past 24 hours, while the number of Omicron cases has risen to 108 nationwide, the Ministry of Health reported on January 19.

Of the newly detected infections, 10,460 cases were diagnosed in the community, 23 tested positive upon returning from overseas, and the remainder were documented in the lockdown or quarantine areas.

Hanoi capital took the lead, registering 2,909 new cases, followed by Da Nang (892), Khanh Hoa (652), Thanh Hoa (628), Tra Vinh (603), Hung Yen (568), and Ben Tre (561).

Like previous days, Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong, the two coronavirus hotspots in the south, reported as low as 263 and 64 new cases respectively.

However, HCM City announced three locally acquired Omicron cases, posing a threat to the community. Local relevant agencies scrambled to conduct contact tracing to early detect and isolate suspect cases.

Official data from the MoH show an additional 142 patients died of COVID-19 and underlying illnesses nationwide, a fall of 42 cases compared to the previous day.

As of 06pm on January 19 Vietnam has detected 2,078,087 COVID-19 cases since the start of the outbreak, ranking 28th out of 224 countries and territories worldwide.

Of the infected patients, 1,789,788 have been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from the disease, and 36,114 patients have died of the virus.

Vietnam has so far detected 108 Omicron cases returning from overseas in 10 localities, including 68 cases in Ho Chi Minh City and 27 cases in Quang Nam.

More than 171 million vaccine doses have been administered nationwide, with nearly 73 million people getting their second shot and nearly 20 million people receiving their additional shot/booster jab.