HANOI, July 24 (Xinhua) - Vietnam's daily COVID-19 infections hit a new high for the third day in a row with 9,256 new cases on Saturday, surging from Friday's 7,307, according to the country's Ministry of Health.

The new infections included 9,225 locally transmitted and 31 imported, bringing the total tally to 90,934 with 370 deaths, the ministry said.

Among the community cases, 5,396 were reported in the southern epicenter Ho Chi Minh City, 1,892 in the southern Long An province, and 785 in the southern Binh Duong province.

Nationwide, 17,583 COVID-19 patients have recovered, up 2,047 from Friday.

As of Saturday, Vietnam had registered a total of 88,762 domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases, including 87,192 detected since the start of the latest outbreak in late April, the ministry said.