Those deemed Covid-19 suspects are people who’ve come into close contact with patients or have returned from outbreak areas, or those who’ve shown symptoms of cough, fever and shortness of breath.

Vietnam is still monitoring the health of more than 73,000 people who’d come into contact with infected patients or entered the country from outbreak hit areas, the highest level since Covid-19 crisis erupted late last year in China. Of these, more than 36,000 people are isolated at home since they have determinant factors but not associated symptoms and are yet to diagnosed as having the virus.

As of Saturday morning, the capital city of Hanoi has recorded 107 Covid-19 cases, 38 of whom are being treated at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases. More than 21,000 people are being monitored.

More than 480 F1 (people having close contact with the patients) and 2,893 F2 (people having close contact with F1) cases have been isolated for health monitoring; and 360 people entering Vietnam from March 7 are still to meet the 14-day quarantine requirement.

Hospitals in Hanoi are quarantining and treating a total of 274 cases, 176 of them suspects with symptoms and epidemiological factors. Hospitals have received 620 rapid test kits from the city's Center for Disease Control to actively screen these patients.

Hanoi has been on high alert since the detection of "Patient 237," a 64-year-old Swedish man with blood cancer who’s been in Vietnam since last December. He'd visited many places in northern Vietnam was only diagnosed with Covid-19 on Friday. As many as 89 medical workers from the four hospitals that he had visited are now in quarantine.

Saigon has recorded 50 positive cases so far and 19 of them have been cured. More than 7,000 people are in quarantine camps and more than 1,700 are quarantined at home. The city has strengthened the inspection and supervision of community quarantine facilities; as well as those quarantined at home. It has required medical facilities to send doctors to houses of patients quarantined at home and to exchange phone numbers with patients over 60 years old.

The central city of Da Nang has recorded six cases, of which four have been discharged. More than 600 people are being quarantined in a concentrated area and more than 1,400 people are quarantined in homes and other accommodation facilities.

The southern city of Can Tho has sent home 370 people after they completed their 14 day quarantine and have tested negative twice. It is expected that by Sunday, 272 more cases will be tested for the second time and would have completed their quarantine stint.

In Binh Thuan Province, seven of nine Covid-19 cases were discharged Friday and moved to other facilities for 14 days where their health will be monitored.

Other localities like Hai Phong City and the provinces of Quang Ninh, Bac Giang and Quang Nam have set up checkpoints, limiting entry and exit of people to reduce the risk of Covid-19 spreading among local communities.

In the past 24 hours, Vietnam has recorded six new cases, bringing the total number of Covid-19 patients to 239. Of these, 90 people have been discharged after successful treatment.

As of Saturday, 149 Covid-19 patients are being treated at 21 medical facilities, most of them in stable health. Five patients are reportedly in serious condition and receiving intensive treatment.

The Covid-19 pandemic has claimed more than 59,000 lives as it spread to 205 countries and territories.