3 COVID-19 patients are discharged from field hospital No1 in Tra Vinh Province (Photo: baodautu.vn)

The National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on Friday announced that 21 more patients have been given the all-clear after testing negative for the coronavirus at least twice. All are Vietnamese nationals and will continue to be quarantined for the next 14 days.

To date, two thirds of 268 cases in Vietnam have been treated successfully, and most patients receiving ongoing treatment are in a stable condition.

Worldwide, coronavirus cases have jumped to 2.2 million and more than 145,000 deaths have been reported. The epidemic has now spread to 210 countries and territories.

The US is still the biggest epicenter, with 670,000 cases, followed by Spain, Italy and France. New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo said Thursday that he is extending the state’s shutdown until May 15. He asked people to stay home as much as possible and maintain social distancing.

Switzerland announced on Thursday a three-stage easing of its restrictions, with some stores and services being allowed to reopen on April 27.