Today’s Covid News: Vietnam’s coronavirus infections surpass 700,000
Vietnam is racing against time to vaccinate people in order to soon reopen the economy in affected areas.
Vietnam’s Covid-19 cases have reached 707,436 as of Sept. 21, including 67% have recovered, statistics by the Ministry of Health showed.
| Military medics are important in the pandemic fight in Vietnam. Photo: VNA |
The total infections were mostly detected in Ho Chi Minh City (49%), Binh Duong (26%), Dong Nai (5%), and Long An (4%). The death toll hit more than 17,000, including 76% in Ho Chi Minh City.
The number of average daily infections in Vietnam was 10,330/day over the past week while the number of deaths was 229/day during the week.
As the transmission is widespread, Vietnam is racing against time to vaccinate people in order to soon reopen the economy in affected areas.
So far, more than 35 million vaccine doses have been administered, including nearly seven million people are fully vaccinated.
To get as much vaccine as possible, the country has been making efforts to pursue to mission by importing and lobbying for the doses.
It has received more than 47 million doses, including 12 million via the global vaccine sharing COVAX Facility.
In the latest move, Italy announced to donate 796,000 doses to Vietnam after the first donation of 812,000 doses, Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced today [Sept 21].
With a combined of 1.6 million doses, Vietnam becomes one of the largest recipients of Italy’s Covid-19 vaccine donations and Italy is one of the biggest donors in the EU for Vietnam via COVAX.
Regarding the vaccination, Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh today asked related agencies to facilitate the harvest, transport, consumption, and export of agricultural products and farm produces.
| Hanoi streets are crowded again on the day of relaxation. The photo was taken on Sept 21 by Khanh Huy/ The Hanoi Times |
Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi
Today, one more district in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) was listed among the areas bringing the pandemic under control. Nha Be is the latest locality ranking together with District 7, Cu Chi, and Can Gio.
As regarding massive testing is key to stamp out the virus in “yellow zone” (low-risk area) and “red zone” (very high-risk place), HCMC today asked the Ministry of Health to supply it 10 million antigen test kits to help it fulfill the mission by the end of this month.
Accordingly, people in those places would be tested three times a week to soon detect infections in the community.
Given a large number of ride-hailing shippers, the local authorities will allow ride-hailing service providers to test their shippers instead of the public health sector currently.
The move is aimed to speed up the testing to facilitate the delivery of goods in the face of the shelter-in-place ruling in the majority part of the city.
Hanoi, in contrast, witnessed crowded streets on Sept. 21, the first day that the city required no travel permit and relaxed restrictions after two months of lockdown.
From Sept. 21 onward, a number of essential services are resumed, including food takeout, barbershop, in-person shopping in both supermarkets and wet markets across the city.
The health sector and other forces will isolate affected areas on a small scale to avoid impact on residents.
Speaking at a virtual meeting today, Deputy Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Ha Minh Hai asked local authorities to keep an eye on precautionary measures amid the relaxed restrictions.
Hai highlighted the city’s three main tasks namely pandemic prevention and control, good healthcare for everyone, and recovery plans.
| Vietnam's coronavirus cases. Source: MoH. Chart: Minh Vu |
