The move came as the southern metropolis experiences rising numbers of new coronavirus cases and those requiring centralized quarantining, which burden its healthcare system and threaten to overload the capacity of quarantine zones.

A total of 527 Covid-19 cases have been recorded in the city in Vietnam's latest coronavirus wave. The municipal health department said around 3.5 percent of the patients are experiencing severe Covid-19 symptoms, and more coronavirus cases should be expected in the coming days.

The department on Wednesday requested hospitals in the city to tighten screening processes and not to let any Covid-19 case slip through.

HCMC's Go Vap District and District 12 are particularly concerning locations as they have recorded hundreds of coronavirus cases related to a major cluster at a Christian congregation. Anyone who come from these areas to hospitals must be screened for Covid-19, the department said.

By June 7, over 20 clinics and hospitals in the city linked to Covid-19 cases have had to stop receiving new patients for disinfection and contact tracing efforts.

Vietnam has recorded over 6,400 infections in 39 cities and provinces in this new wave of Covid-19, which started on April 27 and has been the nation's most challenging outbreak yet.

Bac Giang and Bac Ninh account for most patients, at 3,621 and 1,205, followed by HCMC with 527 and Hanoi with 447, including 95 in a locked down hospital.

Thu Anh