Girls without masks are taking photographs at Hoàn Kiếm Lake. According to Hà Nội's medical authority, many people are neglecting pandemic preventive measures following their vaccinations. — VNA/VNS Photo Tuấn Đức

HÀ NỘI — The number of new daily COVID-19 cases in the capital city could reach as many as 1,000, said Hà Nội Health Department Department’s director Trần Thị Nhị Hà.

The pandemic in the city had been complicated, especially since October, with the number of new infections constantly increasing, Hà said during the Thursday session of the ongoing Hà Nội People’s Council meeting.

A record number of 822 new cases were reported in the capital city yesterday.

“It is forecast that the number of cases would continue to increase to about 1,000 cases per day. The pandemic would be spreading out to all districts, possibly even with the Omicron variant," Hà said.

However, the rate of two-dose vaccinations was already very high and most of the cases were mild and asymptomatic and could be treated at home or at mobile health stations, she said.

According to the director, the causes of the recent increase were due to pathogens in the community, resumption of trade, production and business activities, people’s travel, and the cooler winter-spring weather that is favourable for virus development.

But she pointed out that one of the causes was the fact that many people seemed to ignore pandemic prevention measures because they have been vaccinated.

Although difficult, she said it could be basically controlled if response solutions are well prepared.

“The city had a scenario for treating 100,000 cases to avoid overloading for healthcare facilities. Accordingly, mild and asymptomatic patients were treated at home and mobile health stations,” said Hà.

“Currently 90-92 per cent of patients had no symptoms. The rate of severe patients was only about 1.2 per cent and the mortality rate was low at about 0.34 per cent," she said.

There are 805,000 out of 2.1 million households eligible for F1 quarantine and F0 treatment at home.

According to the director, the awareness of pandemic prevention of those who were treated or quarantined at home was very important to limit the disease from spreading in the community.

So far, Hà Nội had not yet recorded any cases related to the Omicron variant but the city was still updating information to find appropriate solutions, she said.

More than 605,000 children aged 12 to 17 in Hà Nội have been given COVID-19 vaccinations, reaching 87 per cent of the total about of children.

Up to December 8, the city had administered one dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine to 315,967 children aged 12 to 14, reaching 80.25 per cent of children in this age group, and to 289,568 children aged 15 to 17, reaching 95.3 per cent.   

The city officially implemented Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccines for students in grades 10, 11, and 12, equivalent to ages 15-17 from November 23, for 9th graders (aged 14) from November 27, and for 7 and 8th graders (aged 12 and 13) from November 30.

As scheduled, about 700,000 children aged 12-17 need to be vaccinated.

At present, about five million children aged 12 to 17 in 50 provinces and cities nationwide had been inoculated, more than one million of whom were fully vaccinated. — VNS