Vietnam reported 49 local coronavirus infections on Thursday, when the Ministry of Health also confirmed 51 recoveries.

Forty-two of the new cases were registered in Hai Duong Province, the country’s current hotbed, five in Quang Ninh Province, one in Gia Lai Province, and one in Hanoi.

Vietnam had spent nearly two months detecting zero local infections before the virus re-emerged on January 28, when the country announced the first two cases.

Five hundred and fifty-three domestic cases have been recorded in 13 provinces and cities since then, including 383 in Hai Duong Province, 59 in Quang Ninh Province, 29 in Hanoi, and 34 in Ho Chi Minh City.

Medical experts linked most of the 34 cases in Ho Chi Minh City to Tan Son Nhat International Airport although they did not know the primary source of transmission.

Authorities have shut down non-essential services like bars, clubs, and karaoke parlors in several provinces and cities, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, to curb COVID-19 transmission.

They have canceled fireworks displays to prevent large gatherings.

Local residents are told to wear face masks in public, wash hands, keep safe distance, avoid crowds, and declare health status.

Vietnamese are celebrating the Lunar New Year festival, the country’s biggest, when family reunions and crowded events are the norm.

Vietnam has documented 2,140 coronavirus patients, including 1,246 locally-transmitted infections, as of Thursday night, according to the Ministry of Health.

The health ministry confirmed 51 recoveries on Thursday, taking the total number of recovered patients to 1,531.

Thirty-five patients have died of the pathogen, most having suffered chronic underlying medical conditions.

At the time of writing, more than 115,000 people are being quarantined in Vietnam after coming into contact with infected patients or entering the Southeast Asian country from virus-struck regions.

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