A nurse prepares an AstraZeneca COVID-19 shot in HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — A total of 293 local COVID-19 cases were reported on Saturday in 15 localities, the Ministry of Health announced.

HCM City topped the list of most infections with 135.

With the development of the pandemic in HCM City in recent days, the City People's Committee on Saturday decided to apply lockdown measures in some areas in Bình Tân District's An Lạc Ward.

The order will take effect from midnight on June 20 in areas No 2, 3 and 4 in An Lạc Ward to prevent the spread of the virus.

Forty-nine new cases were reported in Bắc Giang, 36 in Bắc Ninh, 30 in Bình Dương, 16 in Nghệ An, six in Đà Nẵng, six in Long An, three in Tiền Giang, three in Hà Tĩnh, two in Hòa Bình, two in Lạng Sơn, two in Đồng Nai, one in Hà Nội, one in Nam Định and one in Lào Cai.

Most of the new cases had close contact with previously confirmed COVID-19 cases.

The ministry also reported 15 imported cases including eight in Ninh Bình, two in Đà Nẵng, one in Thanh Hóa, one in Hà Nam, one in Tây Ninh, one in An Giang and one in Quảng Nam.

They were immediately quarantined on arrival.

A total of 321 patients were also given the all-clear from the disease on Saturday.

As of Saturday, the country’s total number of infections stands at 12,900, including 11,213 domestic cases and 1,687 imported cases.

Twenty-one out of 63 provinces and cities in the country have not seen any new cases in the past 14 days.

There have been 9,936 cases since the latest outbreak hit the country on April 27.

On Saturday afternoon, the Centre for Disease Control of Bắc Giang Province also added 178 cases which were detected previously in locked down areas to the national list of COVID-19 cases.  — VNS