HCMC – The Ministry of Health reported 42 new Covid-19 infections this morning, June 24, including 37 locally-infected cases and five imported cases, mostly in HCMC. The disease has hit 45 provinces and cities nationwide up to now, with Khanh Hoa Province being the latest virus-hit locality.

Among the five imported cases that were quarantined upon their arrival in Vietnam, a resident of Tay Ninh Province returned home from Malaysia on May 6 and underwent a 21-day mandatory quarantine period. Notably, she tested positive for the coronavirus on June 23. As for the domestic infections, HCMC still took the lead with 26 cases. Thai Binh and Bac Giang reported three cases each. Tay Ninh and Long An recorded two cases each, while Khanh Hoa had one case. Accordingly, the south-central province of Khanh Hoa reported its first community case in the latest coronavirus wave, which began on April 27. The patient is a local resident in Phu Yen Province’s Tuy Hoa City. She traveled to Khanh Hoa Province with her four family members on their private car on June 22. Last night, the Duc Tin medical clinic in Tuy Hoa City was locked down while the Phu Yen Provincial General Hospital suspended operations as the woman had visited these locations. Medical workers have disinfected the clinic, while all doctors and medical staff of the clinic had their samples collected for Covid-19 testing. In Khanh Hoa, the Military Hospital 87’s emergency unit was put on lockdown as the woman visited there for medical treatment, said Ton That Toan, deputy director of the Khanh Hoa Center for Disease Control. In another development, at a meeting with the authorities of Binh Duong Province on June 23, two deputy ministers of health Tran Van Thuan and Nguyen Truong Son asked this southern province to tighten up social distancing measures in Thuan An City. The city, which shares its border with many localities including the biggest coronavirus hotspot of HCMC, is implementing social distancing in line with the prime minister’s Directive 16.