Nguyen mentioned the risk on October 24 at a video-teleconference to sum up 10-day implementation of the Government’s Resolution 128/NQ-CP on temporary guidelines on safe adaptation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the COVID-19 outbreaks in major COVID-19 hotspots like Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, and Long An have been put under control with social distancing measures having been relaxed, many left the southern localities, posing high risk of COVID-19 outbreak in their hometowns.

Despite introduction of a series of preventive measures, Phu Tho, Thanh Hoa, and Nam Dinh provices have reported many infection cases linked to people returning from the pandemic-hit areas, added the minister.

He urged localities to raise the level of vigilance against the pandemic and monitor those who return from Ho Chi Minh City, Long An, Binh Duong, and Dong Nai to timely detect infected cases.

The minister also asked localities to speed up vaccination rollout in order to increase vaccine coverage for people aged 50 and older to 80 percent by the end of November.

The national tally now stands at 892,579, of which 887,797 are locally transmitted cases recorded since late April, the Ministry of Health reported Monday.