Over the past 24 hours, four new cases were confirmed, two community transmission cases in Hanoi and two returnees from Cambodia and Russia.

With two people released Thursday, the number of Covid-19 patients discharged rose to 128. Another 14 are expected to be discharged Friday from Hanoi and Bac Ninh in the north, and Da Nang and Binh Thuan in the central region.  

Among the remaining active infections, 18 have tested negative twice and 17 at least once.

As of Friday morning, Vietnam had quarantined 74,941 people coming from infected areas overseas. The nation had also entered the third stage of the epidemic with several community transmission cases and some sources of transmission yet to be detected. The situation requires strict social distancing, Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Truong Son said Tuesday.

Hanoi leads the nation in the number of Covid-19 cases in Vietnam with 118 cases, of whom 49 have been discharged; followed by HCMC with 54 cases and 37 discharges.

The Covid-19 pandemic has claimed 95,500 lives as it spread to 209 countries and territories.