Community-based infections, as opposed to those detected in centralized quarantine facilities and zoned-off areas, accounted for 84 percent of new COVID-19 cases recorded in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday, according to the city’s COVID-19 portal.

City authorities tested 146,079 individuals and logged 5,268 new infections, 4,413 of which were community transmissions, according to an update on the municipal COVID-19 portal at on Wednesday.

According to these figures, 3.6 percent of the samples taken came back positive, and 84 percent of the positive samples were taken from the community. 

The number of samples taken on Wednesday was 8,100 more than that on Tuesday, though the rate of community infections was exactly the same. 

Of the new cases identified, all 388 of those reported in Binh Tan District were discovered in the community and at hospitals.

In District 4, District 5, District 7, Tan Binh District, Go Vap District, and Hoc Mon District, the rates of transmission cases detected in the community and at hospitals ranged from 90 to 100 percent.

Authorities in the southern metropolis are currently conducting a citywide testing drive, taking advantage of a 15-day ‘shelter-in-place’ order that came into effect on Monday.  

The number of patients is forecast to increase during this period, according to a scenario drawn up by the city’s health sector.

At a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Nguyen Hoai Nam, deputy director of the municipal Department of Health, said that daily samples rose from 10,000-15,000 ten days ago to over 100,000 on Monday and Tuesday.

The number of rapid test samples already exceeded 500,000 in those two days combined. 

Functional forces will accelerate testing in at-risk areas and repeat the tests after two to three days, Nam said.

The city’s administration is currently calling for understanding and cooperation from residents, reiterating an order to follow regulations on epidemic prevention and control, including avoiding going out, sheltering in place, strictly adhering to social distancing rules, and getting vaccinated.

City officials are also urging residents to undergo COVID-19 testing in order to aid in the early detection of infections, allowing individuals to self-monitor and care for their health, and quarantine at home if necessary.  

As of Wednesday evening, Vietnam had documented 381,363 COVID-19 cases, with 169,921 recoveries and 9,349 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

The country has confirmed 377,245 domestic transmissions in 62 out of 63 provinces and cities in its current fourth bout with the virus, which began on April 27.

Ho Chi Minh City has registered the most infections in the country, with 190,166 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 81,182, Dong Nai Province with 19,728, Long An Province with 19,046, and Tien Giang Province with 8,155.

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