Health Ministry reports 46,880 new infections, 104 fatalities

The Health Ministry announced the detection of 46,880 new COVID-19 infections across 62 cities and provinces on February 21, marking a fall of 331 cases from the previous day.

Hanoi continues to lead the way in terms of the number of infections with 5,477 cases, followed by the northern provinces Bac Ninh with 2,582 and Phu Tho with 1,908.

The Ministry of Health also confirmed 104 COVID-19 deaths on the same day, duly raising the national death toll to 39,605.

The same day also saw 13,235 patients recover from the virus to take the number of recoveries to over 2.294 million.

Close to 191.7 million doses of vaccine have been vaccinated as of February 21, of which more than 75.4 million people have been fully inoculated.

The Hanoi Department of Health has moved to adjust hospital admissions amid the rising number of infections. Hospitals treating moderate to critically-ill patients must now prepare beds for intensive care.

Meanwhile, the Ho Chi Minh City health department has called for better capabilities in order to detect and treat positive cases in preparation for a possible surge.

Cases in the southern metropolis have risen slightly following the end of the Lunar New Year holiday and following students returning to school.

The southern city had recorded nearly 3,500 cases over the past week, nearly three times compared to the week previously, although severe cases and deaths remain low.