Vietnam stays Covid-19 clear for eighth straight day

Of the 270, 219 have been discharged and 51 are undergoing treatment, including 12 relapsed patients.

Among the active ones, nine have tested negative once and seven twice.

Of the relapses, five are in Hanoi, four in Ho Chi Minh City, two in the northern province of Quang Ninh and one in the south central province of Binh Thuan.

In the wake of relapses, HCMC health authorities announced Friday that they will keep recovered Covid-19 patients under health monitoring for 30 days instead of 14, as has been done so far. During this period, the city will conduct the new coronavirus test every day on the recovered patients, instead of once a week as the nation's been doing thus far.

In another move to prevent possible infections from relapsed patients, the Health Ministry last week suggested that patients eligible for discharge from hospitals should stay on for another 14 days. So far, all patients have been allowed to leave hospitals after discharge and be monitored at home for 14 days.

Saturday morning also marks the 16th consecutive day that Vietnam has not reported any infection caused by community transmission.

The Covid-19 pandemic has spread to 212 countries and territories, with almost 240,000 deaths reported so far.