Vietnam’s Ministry of Health announced almost 1,000 locally-acquired coronavirus infections in two dozen localities on Wednesday, most in the country’s economic hub Ho Chi Minh City.

The ministry recorded 997 cases in 22 provinces and cities, including 968 in centralized quarantine centers or isolated areas, it said in a report.

Ho Chi Minh City reported 766 infections, followed by Binh Duong Province at 60 and Khanh Hoa Province at 41.

Wednesday saw the third-biggest rise in daily infections in the communty, after health authorities documented 1,019 cases on Tuesday and 1,089 transmissions on Monday.

Since the fourth and worst virus wave broke out in Vietnam on April 27, the country has logged 19,610 COVID-19 patients in 56 out of its 63 provinces and cities, 5,753 of whom have recovered from the respiratory disease.   

Ho Chi Minh City is on top with 8,151 infections, followed by Bac Giang Province with 5,678, Binh Duong Province with 918, Hanoi with 483, and Dong Thap Province with 330.

By comparison, Vietnam confirmed 106 community cases in the first wave from January 23 to April 16, 2020, 554 in the second from July 25 to December 1, 2020, and 910 in the third from January 28 to March 25, 2021. 

The Southeast Asian country has confirmed 23,071 cumulative infections since the pathogen first hit it early last year, according to the health ministry’s data.

Recoveries have mounted to 8,557, including 480 announced on Tuesday, whereas today’s five virus-related fatalities have taken the toll to 102.

The country has administered 3,928,001 AstraZeneca vaccine doses to medical workers, teachers, factory workers, and other frontline staff since it rolled out inoculation on March 8.

A total of 235,570 people have been fully vaccinated.

The government set a target of immunizing two-thirds of a population of nearly 98 million people against COVID-19 by the end of this year.

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