Vietnam Covid-19 Updates (October 17): 3,221 Cases Added To National Count

The national tally now stands at 860,860, including 856,197 cases recorded since the outset of the fourth coronavirus wave in late April. The death toll now hits 21,131.

October 17, 2021 | 09:39

Vietnam Covid-19 Updates (October 17): 3,221 Cases Added To National Count

Photo: Bao Hoa Binh

3,221 new Covid-19 cases added to the national count

Vietnam on October 16 reported 3,221 new infections of Covid-19, including 10 imported cases, according to the Ministry of Health. The figure is 578 cases lower than the previous day. Ho Chi Minh City detected the highest number of infections with 790, followed by Dong Nai province with 397 and Binh Duong province with 385.

The Ministry of Health also reported that 3,528 patients nationwide are in serious conditions, with 471 requiring invasive ventilation and 19 on life support (ECMO). On the same day, the country saw 88 deaths from the disease.

Photo: Dan toc & Phat trien

Hanoi stops commuter, vehicle examination at pandemic checkpoints

Hanoi has stopped examining people and vehicles entering or exiting the city when they pass pandemic checkpoints, the municipal steering committee for Covid-19 prevention and control said on October 15. Traffic police now only stand guard at checkpoints to ensure traffic safety and deal with any problems arising.

Police and other forces like the military, traffic inspectorate, and health authorities have maintained the operation of 54 pandemic checkpoints across Hanoi, including 21 on national highways and 33 on smaller roads connecting the city with other provinces, the steering committee said.

Over the past two weeks, Hanoi has recorded just four Covid-19 cases in the population of 8,367,300. Up to 98 percent of the local residents aged 18 and above have been given at least one shot of vaccine. Given this, the pandemic risk in the city now is assessed as low, which means Hanoi is a “green zone” and in the “new normal” status, according to the Hanoi Centre for Disease Control.

Photo: Zing News

Ho Chi Minh City to reopen inter-provincial tourism from next month

Ho Chi Minh City, a major tourist hub, plans to resume tourism with other localities where Covid has been under control from Nov. 1 until the year-end. The initiative is part of a three-phased tourism recovery program approved by city authorities to adapt to the new-normal period as the southern metropolis seeks to recover its already-hurt tourism industry.

During the first phase from now until the end of this month, the city would only reopen intra-provincial tourism, allowing residents to travel within the city. In the second phase, accommodation facilities and tourist attractions in green zones will be allowed to welcome back tourists but at 70 percent of their maximum capacity.

In 2022, the city plans to resume all tourism activities and consider welcoming back fully vaccinated foreign travelers. In the first nine months of this year, the city welcomed only 7.7 million domestic tourists and earned tourism revenues of VND39.5 trillion (US$1.73 billion), down 31 percent year-on-year.

Photo: Zing News

Quang Binh, Vung Tau welcome first domestic tourists in new normalcy period

Quang Binh and Vung Tau, famous tourist hotspots, welcomed back the first groups of domestic tourists Friday after the country entered the new-normal stage. Six tourists from Ho Chi Minh City arrived in the central Quang Binh Province, home to Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and the world’s largest cave Son Doong, on a commercial flight Friday night. Upon arrival, tourists are exempt from quarantine and testing regulations.

After a long time of lockdown measures and tourism closure, the southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau, home to Vung Tau beach town, welcomed back 80 first domestic visitors from HCMC who registered tour packages to visit the Grand Ho Tram Strip tourism complex and Binh Chau Hot Spring Resort in Xuyen Moc District. All tourists have been fully immunized and furnished a negative Covid certificate before departure.

With the pandemic situation under control, some tourism hotspots in Vietnam have eased social distancing restrictions and resumed tourism activities since early October. Vietnam is planning to switch from seeking zero Covid cases to responding safely to the disease so socio-economic activities could resume after months of lockdown.

The national tally now stands at 860,860, including 856,197 cases recorded since the outset of the fourth coronavirus wave in late April. The death toll now hits 21,131.

By October 15, the country had injected nearly 60.52 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, with more than 17.62 million people now fully vaccinated.

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