COVID-19: Vietnam adds 2,155 cases to national count on July 20 morning
Vietnam logged in 2,155 new infections of COVID-19, including one imported case, from 6:30pm on July 19 to 6am on July 20, taking the national count to 60,180, according to the Ministry of Health.
Medical workers from the healthcare centre of Hanoi's Dong Da district collect samples for COVID-19 testing. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam logged in 2,155 new infectionsof COVID-19, including one imported case, from 6:30pm on July 19 to 6am on July20, taking the national count to 60,180, according to the Ministry of Health.
The local infections are 1,519 in Ho Chi Minh City; 156in Binh Duong; 133 in Tien Giang; 80 in Dong Nai; 43 in Vinh Long; 38 in KhanhHoa; 34 in Ben Tre; 32 in Da Nang; 26 in Ba Ria-Vung Tau; 22 in Can Tho; 12 inPhu Yen; 10 in Hau Giang; eight in Kien Giang; seven in Vinh Phuc; six each inHanoi, Binh Phuoc, An Giang, and Dong Thap; two in Dak Lak, Quang Ngai, BacLieu and Lam Dong; and one each in Quang Nam and Lang Son.
The number of cases reported since the fourth coronaviruswave hit the country late April reached 56,530, 8,273 of whom have been giventhe all-clear. The total recoveries stood at 11,047.
On July 19, 21,595 more people received COVID-19 vaccineshots, bringing the total doses administered in the country to over 4.3million. A total of 309,791 people have been fully vaccinated with two jabs./.
The Hanoi Department of Health urges its preventive medicine units to step up screening COVID-19 testing targeting people considered at-risk as the city has seen a spike in locally-infected cases over the last several days.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh demanded ministries, sectors, and localities reinforce all forces to ramp up the COVID-19 combat while addressing an unscheduled meeting with the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on July 19.
The Ministry of Health reported 2,180 new cases of COVID-19 on July 19 evening, raising the total number of infections in the day to 4,195, including 4,175 domestically transmitted and 20 imported that were quarantined upon arrival.
While Thailand is setting up checkpoints to restrict mobility in 13 provinces in a bid to prevent COVID-19 from spreading from the dark-red zone, the pandemic situation has also yet to ease in other Southeast Asian countries.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has asked the Ministry of Health (MoH) to draft a plan on the establishment of a national vaccine institute and a research centre for vaccine technology transfer on the basis of re-organising the ministry's existing research facilities.
Vietnam now boasts a nationwide healthcare network with 1,665 hospitals, 384 of which are non-public, supported by local commune- and ward-level stations. At the end of 2024, hospital bed capacity reached 34 per 10,000 people, slightly above the global average.
The 56-year-old patient from Quang Tri province was discharged in stable condition as he no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute, said that under the MoU, the two sides committed to promoting diverse and practical collaborative activities, including joint conferences and workshops, exchanges of scholars, researchers and students, sharing academic materials, and the development of specific programmes and projects in scientific research, training, and epidemic prevention.
TytoCare, a leading Israeli telemedicine company based in Netanya, is willing to work with Vietnamese regulators, insurers, and healthcare providers to develop a sustainable digital health ecosystem.
The partnership is under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding on the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control, signed in Hanoi on July 22.
An estimated 7 million Vietnamese are currently living with diabetes, but about 50% remain undiagnosed, a dangerous gap that is fuelling serious, preventable complications and increasing the burden on the healthcare system.
In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019.
Health authorities in HCM City have issued an urgent alert after six people died from dengue fever, amid a spike in infections driven by the onset of the rainy season.
During the peak months of July and August 2025, the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) needs at least 90,000 units of blood to supply 180 hospitals in the northern region. However, despite continuous efforts, the reserve blood is still short of 30,000 units.
The Hanoi ceremony highlighted efforts to ensure all citizens, especially women and youth, can access accurate information and healthcare services to make informed reproductive choices.
After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
Currently, cardiovascular specialists from the 108 Military Central Hospital are working alongside a team of Prof.Dr. Jan D. Schmitto, Deputy Director of MHH’s Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery on clinical trials for MCS devices, implanted in heart failure patients either as a bridge to transplantation or as permanent treatment.
The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
Not only does Vietnam attract international tourists with its landscapes, culture, and cuisine, but it is also gradually becoming a reliable destination for medical treatment, offering high-quality services at reasonable costs.
Over the past six months, 150 communal health stations in provinces including Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, Ben Tre and Ca Mau have been equipped with information technology systems. In addition, 117 key provincial healthcare workers have received training, with thousands more expected to follow.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ministry of Health swiftly launched a telemedicine programme, connecting more than 1,000 medical establishments nationwide. The model, which remains in operation, has benefited tens of thousands of patients, including foreign nationals.
After more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the patient's pneumonia improved, breathing stabilised, sedation was reduced, and the breathing tube was removed. He is now conscious, able to eat orally, and in recovery.
Medical workers from the healthcare centre of Hanoi's Dong Da district collect samples for COVID-19 testing. (Photo: VNA)
