The department also corrected its August 15 report which mistakenly mentioned BA.2.75 among sub-variants circulating in Vietnam. It is BA.2.74, not BA.2.74, it said in the latest statement, adding that the first case of BA.2.74 was reported in the Hanoi-based Bach 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 (MoH) has warned of a spike in the number of new COVID-19 infections as well as critical cases. Over the past week, Vietnam has recorded an average of 2,000 new COVID-19 cases each day. 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 Vietnam 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.