Covid-19 cases in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City increase

A Covid-19 treatment case in April 2023

On May 19, the Hanoi Center for Disease Control (CDC) said that the capital recorded 23 cases in the past week, one and a half times higher than the number of cases since the beginning of the year. Cumulatively from the beginning of 2025, the city has detected 37 cases, down from the same period in 2024 (637). Although the number of infected people has increased, the health sector has not recorded any outbreaks and has not issued any recommendations regarding this situation.

Four days ago, a representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health also said that since the beginning of the year, the city has recorded 51 cases. Last week alone, Ho Chi Minh City detected 6 cases, an increase of 10 cases compared to the average of the previous four weeks. Compared to the same period last year, the total number of infections this year decreased by 83% and there were no cases requiring respiratory support.

Nationwide, the Ministry of Health said the number of Covid-19 cases in Vietnam has increased slightly in the past three weeks, with an average of about 20 cases per week, with no severe cases.

Since the beginning of the year, Vietnam has recorded 148 cases scattered across 27 provinces and cities, with no deaths. Localities with many cases include Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Hanoi, Nghe An, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh, Bac Giang, Binh Duong...

Not only Vietnam, in May, many Asian countries and territories such as Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Thailand recorded a significant increase in the number of Covid-19 cases. Experts believe that the reason for the sharp increase in Covid-19 cases in many Asian countries is the decline in community immunity, crowded contact during the holidays and the appearance of easily transmitted sub-variants.

Notably, Thailand recorded a total of 71,067 infections and 19 deaths from January 1 to May 14. Of these, two major outbreaks were identified after the Songkran holiday. Experts believe that the Omicron XEC variant is the main cause of the new wave of infections. XEC is a new recombinant strain of the Omicron lineage, first discovered in Germany in June 2024. It is the result of crossbreeding between two subvariants KS.1.1 (FLiRT) and KP.3.3 (FLuQE), carrying many mutations that help the virus spread faster.

Although there have been no concentrated outbreaks, the Ministry of Health has warned that the number of infections may continue to increase in the coming time due to the large number of people traveling during the April 30 and May 1 holidays. To proactively prevent the spread of the virus, authorities recommend that people continue to wear masks in public places, on means of transport, and at medical facilities; limit unnecessary gatherings; regularly wash hands with soap or disinfectant; focus on increasing physical activity and training, and maintaining adequate nutrition.

People with symptoms of fever, cough, and difficulty breathing should go to the nearest medical facility for timely examination and monitoring. Those returning from epidemic areas should also proactively monitor their health to protect themselves, their families, and the community.

Since the pandemic broke out in 2020, Vietnam has recorded more than 11.6 million cases, ranking 13th out of 231 countries and territories. More than 43,000 people have died from the disease, accounting for 0.4% of total infections. In October 2023, the Government classified Covid-19 as a group B infectious disease instead of group A as before, meaning it was reduced in severity and considered a common disease like the flu.

HA (according to VnE)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/ca-covid-19-tai-ha-noi-tp-ho-chi-minh-tang-411932.html