The two fatalities raised Vietnam's Covid-19 death count to 20. Both deceased patients had several underlying conditions like heart failure, hypertension and diabetes.

"Patient 623" was an 83-year-old woman from the central province of Quang Nam. She’d already suffered from heart failure and aplastic anemia. She was treated at the Quang Nam General Hospital from July 27 to August 2, before testing positive for the novel coronavirus on August 2 and being transferred to the Hue General Central Hospital in Thua Thien-Hue Province the same day. She was later diagnosed with pneumonia and ischemic heart disease as well.

She was put on ventilators on August 8, before being pronounced dead Thursday. Causes of death included severe respiratory failure due to Covid-19, multiple organ failure and septic shock.

The other fatality, "patient 479," was an 87-year-old man from the nearby Quang Ngai Province who had hypertension and diabetes, and had suffered myocardial infarction in the past. His left foot had been amputated due to embolism.

He was admitted to the Da Nang Hospital on July 17, where he was diagnosed with an infection on the site of his left foot amputation. He tested positive for the coronavirus on July 27.

He was transferred to the city's Hoa Vang District medical center on July 31 for further treatment. He was put on ventilators and underwent continuous artificial blood filtration from August 2 to August 4. The man was also pronounced dead Thursday. Causes of death included Covid-19, infection at amputation site, hypertension, diabetes and heart failure.

Of the new cases, 14 were recorded in Da Nang, two in neighboring Quang Nam Province, one in Quang Tri Province and five imported cases in Khanh Hoa Province.

The Da Nang patients are nine women and five men aged 21-73. They have either been patients at the Da Nang Hospital and the Da Nang Oncology Hospital, family members of patients admitted to both hospitals or come into contact with previously confirmed infectees.

The Quang Nam patients are a 27-year-old woman and a 65-year-old man. The woman had been in contact with a previously confirmed patient and the man had been to the Da Nang Hospital to visit a patient there.

The Quang Tri patient is a 36-year-old woman who had been in contact with a previously confirmed case.

The five imported cases in Khanh Hoa are three women and two men aged 23-45 who flew in from Japan to Cam Ranh Airport on August 5 and were quarantined on arrival.

Vietnam has so far confirmed 905 Covid-19 cases in total and 421 recoveries.