Hcm city postcode

The War Remnants Museum is expected to offer free entrance from August until the end of this year. — File photo courtesy of the museum

The loans will help tourism companies pay at least 50 per cent of their employees’ salaries for three months. The loans are expected to cover about 31,500 employees working in 5,002 tourism businesses in the city.

The city-funded loan package will be handled by the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) – HCM City branch.

Vietravel chairman Nguyen Quoc Ky told Tuổi Trẻ (Youth) newspaper that tourism businesses were currently making very little or no profit.

He estimated that tens of thousands of tourism employees have lost or quit their jobs due to the serious impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, Vietravel had nearly 1,500 employees, but now has only 50 people to maintain the company’s operation.

Apart from the loan package, the department has proposed that the People’s Committee support training expenses for tourism personnel this year. The training expense of VND1.2 billion ($52,295) includes VND1 billion from the city budget and VND200 million from other sources.

The money will be used for 20 training courses for tour guides, and managers and staff working for tourism-service providers, food and beverage businesses, and hotels.

The department also suggested free entrance fees at the city’s main attractions from August until the end of 2021. The attractions include the War Remnants Museum, the Vietnam History Museum in HCM City, the HCM City Museum, the HCM City Fine Arts Museum, and the Cu Chi Tunnels Relic Site.

In order to offset losses in ticket sales, the city was also asked to provide VND21 billion ($915,168) to pay for salaries and expenses at these five attractions.

According to the Tourism Department, the total number of domestic travelers to the city in the first five months of this year was 7.1 million, up 11.4 per cent year on year. The city, however, has had no international tourists this year because of COVID-related travel restrictions.

Total tourism revenue during the period was estimated at VND35.58 trillion (US$1.55 billion), an increase of 23.3 per cent compared to the same period in 2020.

The number of tourism businesses operating in the city dropped by 50 per cent in the first five months, while 171 businesses had their licenses revoked.

Source: Vietnam News

Locals seek necessities at Co.opXtra Vạn Hạnh in HCM City’s District 10. Photo courtesy of nld.com.vn

HCM CITY — Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many food firms in HCM have been able to maintain stable prices for their products.

The current difficulty is a “test” to assess how professional businesses are keeping the city’s food market stable.

After the first week of social distancing in HCM City, Trương Chí Thiện, general director of Vĩnh Thành Đạt Food Joint Stock Company, said the prices of chicken and duck eggs had remained relatively low.

Buying power has slowed down compared to last week, he said.

Previously, due to the fear of the epidemic and implementation of social distancing, the consumption of fresh food, including poultry eggs, rose dramatically. At some markets in HCM City, the price of chicken eggs and duck eggs skyrocketed by VNĐ10,000 per pack of 10 eggs.

“Businesses then immediately coordinated with supermarkets and food warehouses to replenish supply of food at the original price. Chicken eggs were sold at VNĐ26,000 per pack of 10 and duck eggs at VNĐ31,000 per pack. This set food prices at markets back to the normal state,” Thiện said.

According to poultry egg production and trading enterprises, the consumption of eggs during the social distancing period has not increased significantly. Meanwhile, the price of animal feed has risen by 20 to 30 per cent.

“Even though these firms have been suffering from a slight loss from duck egg sales, they all have agreed to keep prices stable. The current challenge for us is to affirm our role in helping the city get through this difficult period,”  Thiện added.

Meanwhile, general director of Việt Nam Animal Industry Joint Stock Company (VISSAN) Nguyễn Ngọc An said that input prices had increased due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the scarcity of some materials which have to be imported from overseas, the output price of most products has not risen.

Since the price of live pork is on the decline, Vissan has offered discounts on some fresh pork products until June 16 to share difficulties with consumers and stimulate purchasing power.

“Locals only focused on shopping on the first and second day of social distancing. However, firms have continued to produce and store large quantities according to the city plan,” An said.

Large distributors such as Saigon Co.op, Central Retail, Satra and Vinmart are also negotiating with suppliers to postpone price adjustment and maintain stable prices for at least a few months.

The supermarket systems have promoted agricultural products and fruits with excess output because of the inability to export, and have coordinated with suppliers to offer discounts and strengthened telesales and delivery as well.

Handling delivery

Maintaining a stable circulation of food is the most important task among businesses at this time.

Many firms said that social distancing has brought difficulties in terms of transportation of goods and medical declaration.

However, these have been handled by relevant authorities. For example, the HCM City Department of Industry and Trade promptly proposed that the city Department of Transport create favourable conditions for trucks to efficiently carry goods across the city around the clock, instead of during peak hours as before.

But transportation of goods to neighbouring provinces has encountered certain troubles. A few days ago, a Vissan delivery vehicle to Bạc Liêu had to return to HCM City despite having all the necessary documents and medical declarations.

Bách Hoá Xanh Joint Stock Company had the same problem when carrying goods to Long An. The checkpoint at the province requires drivers from HCM City to be vaccinated when passing the station.

After receiving complaints from similar firms, the province has agreed to allow vehicles to travel in and out of the area. However, firms must commit to take full responsibility if there is a risk of a positive case. — VNS

Many major transport projects will be completed this year in HCM City. Photo: tuoitre.vn

HCM CITY  HCM City People’s Committee has issued a plan for transport infrastructure development for the 2021-2030 period.

By 2030, the city targets building an additional 652km of roads, 212km of railways and bus rapid transit, 365km of inland waterways, 81 bridge projects, 15 major intersections, and seven projects under the smart city programme.

In addition, the city expects to complete investment plans for highways and national highways connecting the city with provinces in the Southern Key Economic Zone.

By the end of this year, the city expects to complete four main roads in Thủ Thiêm New Urban Area, the Thủ Thiêm 2 Bridge, and the Đồng Văn Cống road expansion project.

In addition, the city will complete the upgrading of provincial road No 9, an overpass at the Eastern bus station, and the Vàm Sát 2 Bridge in Cần Giờ District.

Total expected capital to implement all of these projects in 2021 is VNĐ137 trillion (US$6 billion), including about VNĐ63 trillion from the state budget, and VNĐ74 trillion from other sources. — VNS

The Hospital for Tropical Diseases in HCM City has been locked down because 55 staff have tested positive for the coronavirus. VNA/VNS Photo Thu Hương

Gia Lộc

HCM CITY — Hospitals in HCM City are strengthening preventive measures against COVID-19 after 55 employees, mostly in administrative departments, at the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases tested positive for coronavirus.

Speaking at an online meeting on Monday, Nguyễn Tấn Bỉnh, head of the city’s Department of Health, said that 55 of 924 employees at the hospital had tested positive.

All of these employees had received two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Most of the positive cases are employed in the IT and administrative departments. The hospital’s doctors and nurses have all tested negative for coronavirus.

Test results show that the viral load of the positive cases was low, possibly because they had already received two doses of the vaccine.

The staff who tested positive are healthy and are not in serious condition, and have no symptoms.

A contagious-disease expert at the city Children’s Hospital No 1, Trương Hữu Khanh, said: “No vaccine can protect 100 per cent against disease. So vaccines against COVID-19 are the same. Vaccinations will help keep COVID-19 patients from becoming seriously ill or even dying. And they will not be able to spread the germ to others strongly.”

Vaccine efficacy

Professor of Infectious Diseases Trần Tịnh Hiền at Oxford University has said that the “rate of vaccinated people who have tested positive for coronavirus is 5 per cent to 10 per cent. This is not a failure of the vaccine.”

The protection efficiency for people getting vaccinated with the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is 60 per cent after 28 days, according to a survey conducted of 159,930 adults aged more than 70 in the UK from December 2020 to February this year.

The primary analysis of Phase III clinical trials from the UK, Brazil and South Africa published as a preprint in The Lancet confirmed that the COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca is safe and effective at preventing COVID-19, with no severe cases and no hospitalisations more than 22 days after the first dose.

Results demonstrated vaccine efficacy of 76 per cent after the first dose, with protection maintained to the second dose. With an interval of 12 weeks or more between the two doses, vaccine efficacy increased to 82 per cent.

The analysis showed the potential for the vaccine to reduce asymptomatic transmission of the virus, based on weekly swabs obtained from volunteers in the UK trial. The data showed that PCR positive readings were reduced by 67 per cent after a single dose, and 50 per cent after the two-dose regimen, supporting a substantial impact on the transmission of the virus.

The primary analysis for efficacy was based on 17,177 participants with 332 symptomatic cases from the Phase III UK, Brazil and South Africa trials led by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, a further 201 cases than previously reported.

According to a press release from AstraZeneca, the AstraZeneca US Phase III trial of AZD1222 demonstrated statistically significant vaccine efficacy of 79 per cent at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and 100 per cent efficacy at preventing severe disease and hospitalisation.

This interim safety and efficacy analysis was based on 32,449 participants with 141 symptomatic cases of COVID-19. Vaccine efficacy was consistent across ethnicity and age. Notably, in participants aged 65 years and over, vaccine efficacy was 80 per cent.

Preventive measures

Two staff at Gia Định People’s Hospital in HCM City tested positive after contact with one of the positive cases at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases. The Gia Định hospital staff who tested positive do not have a fever, sore throat, or loss of taste and smell. They also received vaccinations in late April.

The Hospital for Tropical Diseases has been disinfected, and many measures have been taken to stamp out the spread. The hospital is currently treating 126 COVID-19 patients, including 18 seriously ill cases.

Dr Nguyễn Anh Dũng, director of Gia Định People’s Hospital and head of the hospital’s Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, said the hospital’s two staff who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and had contact with the person at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases had not visited other departments and sites on its campus.

The hospital has tested its entire staff and disinfected the entire area. The staff who tested positive work in the hospital’s microbiology department which has been isolated.

“The hospital will continue tightening preventive measures and screening,” Dũng said.

At Children’s Hospital No 1, staff have been divided into shifts. The staff must wear masks and not eat together. Many chairs in rooms have been removed.

Trần Văn Khanh, director of Lê Văn Thịnh Hospital, said: “The hospital has asked its staff to comply with the Government’s 5k message on face masks, disinfection, distancing, no gatherings, and health declarations. They are asked not to eat together.”

“The hospital’s staff are divided into many shifts because the number of patients visiting the hospital has fallen. All meetings in the hospital’s departments are carried out online,” Khanh said.

If anyone on the hospital staff has symptoms of COVID-19, they are required to report to local health officials and get tests at local health facilities. They are allowed to stay at home.

The hospital staff must fill out a health declaration form every day. Staff in the departments of microbiology, emergency, health examination, and contagious diseases are tested weekly.

The hospital has set up an examination and treatment facility for people who have a cough, fever, or loss of taste and smell, and another COVID-19 screening area outside the hospital before patients are brought to emergency departments.

Nguyễn Tấn Bỉnh, head of HCM City Department of Health, said that 821 COVID-19 community -transmitted cases have been recorded from May 18 to June 13 in the city. Districts Gò Vấp, 12, Bình Thạnh, Tân Bình, Bình Tân and Tân Phú have had the highest number of cases. The city has traced contacts and discovered small clusters, but has not found the original transmission source. VNS