The deceased patient is a 35-year-old woman from the northern province of Lang Son. She has had late-stage colon cancer which metastasized to her lungs, and was treated with chemotheraphy five times in Hanoi's K Hospital.

She tested positive for the coronavirus on May 17 and was transferred to the Duc Giang Hospital for treatment. At the time she had high fever and showed signs of progressive respiratory failure.

On May 22, she was transferred to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases with pneumonia caused by Covid-19 with progressive respiratory failure, along with fungal infections.

She was put on ventilators and used numerous drugs, but did not respond well to treatments. She passed away Friday night, her causes of death being pneumonia caused by Covid-19, septic shock and progressive respiratory failure.

Since April 27 when the new wave started in Vietnam 5,341 local infections have been recorded in 39 of the nation's 63 cities and provinces.

Bac Giang and Bac Ninh have the highest numbers of infections, at 2,929 and 1,025, followed by Hanoi with 432, including 143 in the capital's locked down hospitals, and HCMC with 339.