Severity soars among Hanoi Covid cases

Of those patients, 33 rely on high-flow nasal cannula oxygen, up 25.5 percent, 58 use invasive mechanical ventilation, an increase of 21.6 percent, while 25 use non-invasive ventilation, up 27.7 percent, according to the Department of Medical Service Administration under the Ministry of Health.

In invasive ventilation, air is delivered via a tube inserted into the windpipe through the mouth or sometimes the nose. In non-invasive ventilation, air is delivered through a sealed mask that can be placed over the mouth, nose, or whole face.

On Tuesday, Hanoi reported 18 Covid-19 fatalities, the highest daily death toll ever.

By Monday, the city had more than 68,500 patients under treatment, including 59,000 cases treated at home.

Hanoi has recorded around 3,000 new daily Covid-19 cases in the past two weeks, and consistently topped the country in the daily tally.

It has recorded nearly 117,535 Covid-19 cases so far in the fourth coronavirus wave, which struck last April.

The city confirmed Wednesday its first community transmission of Omicron, a hotel employee who had close contact with foreign entrants infected with the variant. Health authorities said there’s no risk of an outbreak as the person has been quarantined at the hotel.