COVID-19: The number of hospitalized patients increases inconsiderably. (Photo: VNA)

Among nearly 5,900 COVID-19 patients treated at Ha Noi hospitals, there are 958 mild or asymptomatic cases, more than 3,800 moderate cases (down 2.6 percent compared to the average seven days ago); 91 patients in serious or critical condition (down nearly 3 percent).

The number of cases requiring HFNC (High Flow Nasal Cannula) and non-invasive respiratory rate sharply decreased by 26 percent.

According to the MoH, Viet Nam recorded 147,358 COVID-19 infections on March 7, bringing the national tally since the pandemic to 4,582,058.

Ha Noi continued to top the daily numbers with a record of 32,317 transmissions and 15 deaths. It was followed by central Nghe An (10,153), northern Bac Ninh (7,873), northern Phu Tho provinces (4,326).

As of March 6, Ha Noi reported 682,683 patients being treated, including 675,810 cases monitored and quarantined at home (accounting for nearly 99 percent of the total). The total number of recovered patients in the capital city reached 715,495.

As many as 36,993 COVID patients made a full recovery nationwide on March 7, lifting the total number of recovered patients in the country to 2,718,440.

4,104 COVID patients are in severe or critical condition, with the majority requiring oxygen.

An additional 78 COVID-related deaths were confirmed on the day, raising the nation's death toll to 40,891.

At a meeting on COVID-19 prevention and control and economic recovery in Ho Chi Minh City on March 7, Head of the Office of the HCM City Department of Health Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai said people should not hoard the antiviral drug molnupiravir because the shelf life of COVID-19 anti-drugs is shorter than other drugs.

She said that the MoH had licensed three pharmaceutical companies to produce antiviral drugs with a monthly capacity of about 2 million pills, so there will be no shortage of medicines.

To date, the World Health Organisation (WHO) still considers the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic and predicts unforeseen variations. In many countries, the pandemic is still complicated, requiring the maintenance of high-level pandemic response activities.

Although the rate of severe cases and deaths in the country has decreased strongly compared to the previous period, the daily number of deaths is still around 100.

Therefore, the MoH said that Viet Nam should not consider the COVID-19 pandemic as an "endemic disease" at that time.