Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s current Covid-19 epicenter, currently operates 35 Covid-19 hospitals that offer more than 59,000 beds, including 13 field hospitals.

As of Thursday, the city has recorded 43,776 cases so far in the new wave that broke out in Vietnam in late April. Since the beginning of the year, 4,800 patients have been discharged from hospital.

"Based on the current treatment situation, the number of people discharged from hospital in the near future will increase and could total more than 1,000 people per day," Nguyen Huu Hung, deputy director of the city’s Health Department, told a meeting Wednesday.

Starting last week, the city had decided to cut the hospitalization period for uncritical Covid-19 cases.

After staying at a hospital for a week, patients would be tested, and if the result is negative or shows a low viral concentration, be sent home two days later. Once at home, all patients would be monitored and must follow health authority guidance and be tested twice more.