A secondary high school student receives a COVID-19 vaccine dose in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam has detected a number of new, highly-contagious Omicron sub-variants, including BA.2.74, said the General Department of Preventive Medicine on Wednesday.

The department also corrected its August 15 report which mistakenly mentioned BA.2.75 among sub-variants circulating in Việt Nam. It is BA.2.74, not BA.2.75, it said in the latest statement, adding that the first case of BA.2.74 was reported in the Hà Nội-based Bạch Mai Hospital on August 8.

Other Omicron sub-variants found in the country are BA.4, BA.5, and BA.2.12.1, according to the department.

The Ministry of Health has warned of a spike in the number of new COVID-19 infections as well as critical cases. Over the past week, Việt Nam has recorded an average of 2,000 new COVID-19 cases each day. Tuesday's daily new incidences of COVID-19 reached nearly 3,000, highest in three months. More than 100 seriously ill COVID-19 patients are being treated at hospitals.

The General Department of Preventive Medicine has asked local health authorities to update the number of new COVID-19 cases on a daily basis, so health authorities can have sufficient data to accurately assess the pandemic situation.

The national COVID-19 caseload in Việt Nam reached 11,370,462 cases of COVID-19 as of August 16. The total number of recoveries rose to over 10 million. The country has so far administered more than 251 million doses of vaccines. — VNS