Vietnam Faces Covid Surge, Vaccine Shortage Hits New Heights
On Thursday, August 12, the Vietnamese government warned that the pandemic is hitting a critical point. Over 9,600 new cases were reported last day, the largest spike yet since the outbreak began.
Hitting Home Base: The Epicentre of the Outbreak
- Ho Chi Minh City – Home to most of the new infections.
- Binh Duong and Dong Nai – Industrial hubs bearing the brunt.
- Declining numbers compared to last year’s totals on a typical day? No more.
Health authorities counted 326 fresh Covid‑19 deaths – bringing total fatalities to 4,813.
Why the Tension Is Real & Where Vaccines Are Going Missing
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam painted the situation as “very tense” with a nationwide shortage of vaccines. He explained that while deals for hundreds of millions of shots have been made, delivery is slow. Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has flagged a push for domestic production of home‑grown vaccines.
What the Numbers Tell Us
- Only ≈1.1 million out of 98 million people are fully vaccinated – the lowest rate in Asia.
- About 18 million doses have been received so far.
- Since late April, over 246,500 infections have been recorded, most skyrocketing since then.
Vietnam’s leaders, in recent months, have made roughly 20 phone calls to international partners to secure more vaccine supplies. Despite this, the situation remains fragile.
