The National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on Friday called for moving up alert levels and strictly implementing measures to co-exist safely with Covid-19. 

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam chairs a meeting of the National Steering Committee
on Covid-19 Prevention and Control in Ha Noi on August 14, 2020. Photo: VGP

The call was made in the context that all localities are likely to face risks of Covid-19 outbreaks.

All citizens need to seriously abide by preventive measures such as refraining from going outside if not necessary, wearing facemask at public places, keeping safe distance from each other.

As of 2:00 pm on Friday, Viet Nam had 911 Covid-19 cases, including 425 recoveries and 21 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

The patient tally rose quickly, with 444 new patients, since the country confirmed the first community-transmitted case of Covid-19 in the central city of Da Nang on July 25, said the ministry.

The ministry has coordinated with Da Nang and Quang Nam - the two localities currently hit hardest by the pandemic - in beefing up Covid-19 testing so that the situation will be controlled by the end of this month.

However, the situation in the northern province of Hai Duong is worrisome after confirmation of three new Covid-19 cases this morning, said Nguyen Thanh Long, Acting Minister of Health.

Relevant agencies of the ministry are conducting in-depth genetic analysis of Hai Duong’s samples to find out any possible links with the strain of Coronavirus in Da Nang, said Long.

The analysis outcomes will be released after several days, he added.

The Covid-19 outbreak in Hai Duong is an evidence of social subjectivity despite of the fact that numerous warnings have been issued since the Covid-19 outbreak in Da Nang./.