Today’s Covid News: Vietnam records highest single day coronavirus infections

On August 21, Vietnam records the highest daily Covid-19 cases at 11,321, with 40% in Binh Duong and 36% in Ho Chi Minh City, lifting the tally to 336,707, including 7,540 deaths.

Of 196,000 active cases, 687 are in intensive care units (ICU) and receive extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support.

Most of the cases are detected in Ho Chi Minh City (171,801), Binh Duong (66,447), Long An (17,440), Dong Nai (16,839), and Tien Giang (6,575).

Hayat-Vax Covid-19 vaccine. Photo: G42 Medications Trading Llc

Vietnam to approve 7th Covid-19 vaccine

Vietnam considers licensing Hayat-Vax Covid-19 vaccine developed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the 7th vaccine approved in the country for emergency use after the request made on August 20 by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Health needs to verify, approve, and vaccinate free of charge for local people.

Hayat-Vax is a joint collaboration between Sinopharm CNBG and Abu Dhabi’s G42. The UAE has become the first country in the Arab world to begin manufacturing a Covid-19 vaccine with a full production schedule.

Vials began rolling off the production line in March, and there are plans in place to increase capacity to two million doses a month, according to the National.

Regarding vaccines, Albert Bourla, chairman and CEO of Pfizer, pledged to speed up the supply of vaccines to Vietnam in August and September and increase the shipment in the fourth quarter. Bourla made the commitment at the phone talks with PM Pham Minh Chinh on August 20.

With two deals inked so far, Vietnam will buy a total of 51 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, of them, 20 million doses are for adolescents aged between 12 and 17. According to the Ministry of Health, Vietnam has about nine million children aged from 12 to 17.

Earlier on August 19, Chinh also phoned AstraZeneca Chairman & CEO Pascal Soriot to ask for more vaccine delivery to Vietnam.

Data from the Ministry of Health show that Vietnam has received more than 22 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, including more than 14 million AstraZeneca doses, more than 5 million Moderna doses, more than 1.2 million Pfizer doses, 2.5 million Sinopharm doses, and 12,000 Sputnik-V doses.

To date, more than 16.49 million doses have been administered, including 1.7 fully vaccinated.

On August 21, the health ministry required medical facilities to prioritize vaccination to pregnant women and breastfeeding women.

Military medics are ready to go to HCMC for the pandemic fight. Photo: Trong Duc/ VNA

Social distancing extended as Covid outbreak

HCMC will continue the stay-at-home order for the next two weeks, starting from August 23. 

According to Pham Duc Hai, deputy head of the city’s Steering Committee on Covid-19 Prevention and Control, the city will not be in a state of emergency during the period.  

He said residents in the “green zone” (safe zone) and “yellow zone” (low-risk zone) will be able to go to markets once a week. Meanwhile, residents in the “orange zone” (high-risk) and “red zone” (hotspots) will get paid goods at home from authorities led by the army.

People with financial difficulties will receive free-of-charge goods packages.

The city has provided nearly 3,000 goods supply spots citywide. In case of shortage, the city will send mobile vehicles to bring essential goods to residential places.

HCMC today began launching the digitalized Covid-19 case data to enable people to search information of the infections and helps health workers inform the health condition of the patients

Meanwhile, HCMC’s neighbor of Binh Duong will require people not to leave their homes for two weeks from August 22 in 11 wards in Thuan An City and Ben Cat Town.

The central city of Danang will extend the shelter-in-place order for three days until August 26. At the same time, it will test all residents three times before removing the restrictions.

Today, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh announced the social distancing extension, which will last until September 6, asking people to strictly follow the shelter-in-place measure to help curb the pandemic.

Accordingly, the city’s health sector needs to prepare facilities and manpower for the case of 30,000 infections while the army gets ready for accommodating 70,000 people for quarantine.

Hanoi has begun the lockdown on July 24.

On August 21, it confirmed 64 new cases, lifting the caseload to 2,792.

Covid-19 cases in Vietnam. Source: MoH. Chart: Minh Vu