Khader health minister

The teams will visit Can Tho and the provinces of Kien Giang, Vinh Long, Dong Thap, Long An, An Giang, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Hau Giang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau and Soc Trang.

On April 18, a team led by Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long travelled to Kien Giang Province to meet the local Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control and checked activity at the international border gate and stations, quarantine areas, and a health center in Ha Tien city.

Speaking at the meeting, Ha Van Phuc, head of the province’s Department of Health, said that COVID-19 prevention and control at the border has been very stressful because neighbouring countries are seeing an increase in cases.

The province is at high risk of community transmission, Phuc said.

The control of migration through trails, border crossings and the sea is difficult, he added.

The province has already found 142 illegal immigrants.

The working conditions for soldiers at border stations are also difficult as they have to ensure strict control of migrants via the border and sea, he said.

All COVID-19 patients who enter the province are brought to Ha Tien District Health Center for treatment, he said, adding that the center is small and can treat only 30 patients.

Phuc said the ministry should allow the province to set up a field hospital. The next day, on April 19, Cho Ray Hospital in HCM City sent a team including 13 medical officials to the province to help set up the field hospital and COVID-19 prevention and control activities.

The province has three COVID-19 testing machines with the maximum capacity of 600 samples per day, but this number does not ensure rapid tracing as the ministry has required, he added.

Phuc said the ministry should give priority to providing two more real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction machines and other items related to COVID-19 tests.

Moreover, the province needs 20,000 rapid tests for COVID-19 diagnosis and 10 million pairs of medical gloves.

Phuc also suggested that the ministry should give priority to providing COVID-19 vaccines in the next phase of the national vaccination drive.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that the province should prepare for worst-case scenarios if COVID breaks out again.

Prevention and control of illegal migrants via the border and sea should be strengthened, Long said, adding that communication to encourage local people to become collaborators in COVID-19 prevention and control should be enhanced.

He told the HCM City Pasteur Institute and relevant agencies to help the province upgrade its testing capacity.

The Minister of Health has just decided to establish the Steering Committee for the safety of people after Covid-19 immunization comprising of leaders of the Ministry of Health, leaders of relevant departments including departments under the Ministry of Health, leading experts in the fields of immunization, infectiousness, emergency resuscitation, active resuscitation, hematology, cardiology, neurology who will screen and treat people suffering allergic reactions happening within 4 hours of getting vaccinated.

According to the Ministry of Health, treatment of unusual vaccine-associated blood clots after Covid-19 vaccination is the same as normal coagulation disorders. At present, the Covid-19 vaccination groups of scientists and medical workers have outlined the treatment approaches for blood clots with low platelets after vaccination.

Assoc. Prof. Dr Dao Xuan Co, Deputy Director of Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital, General Secretary of the Vietnam National Association of Emergency, Intensive Care medicine and Clinical Toxicology, said treatment of coagulation disorder after vaccination against Covid-19, an extremely rare reaction, is like common blood clotting disorders.

The Ministry of Health has deployed the remote medical examination and treatment system (Telehealth) to 1,500 locations in 63 provinces and cities nationwide; therefore, leading experts can instruct grass-root medical facilities to cure people suffering from the disorder.

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam reported no new COVID-19 cases in the past 12 hours to 6am on April 20, according to the Ministry of Health .

The total number of infections in Vietnam was 2,791, including 2,475 recoveries and 25 deaths.

Among active patients undergoing treatment at medical establishments nationwide, 11 tested negative to the virus once, 16 twice and 18 thrice.

As many as 40,150 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or entered Vietnam from pandemic-hit regions are currently quarantined across the country, including 531 in hospitals, 24,361 in state-designated establishments and 15,258 at their homes or residences.

According to the ministry, on April 19, additional 3,812 people in 13 provinces and cities got COVID-19 vaccine shots, raising the total number of people vaccinated against the coronavirus in the country to 80,857.

The Health Ministry continued to urge all people to follow the 5K motto – Khau trang (wearing facemask) – Khu khuan (disinfecting) – Khoang cach (keeping distance) – Khong tu tap (no gathering) – Khai bao y te (making medical declaration), in order to live safely amid the pandemic./.

VNA

In total, Australia has committed AU$40 million (US$31 million) over three years to support Vietnam’s vaccine procurement and delivery efforts.

The Australian Embassy and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have announced an assistance worth US$10.5 million to support Covid-19 vaccine delivery in Vietnam, ensuring the country’s expanded immunization program.

Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Robyn Mudie said at a press conference in Hanoi on April 19 that her country will explore options to procure vaccines to support Vietnam.

Some of those vaccines in due course are likely to be manufactured in Australia and the Australian government expects some of the homemade vaccines will be part of the country’s contribution to Vietnam, according to the ambassador.

Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Robyn Mudie (middle) poses with other representatives at the press conference. Photo: Australian Embassy

Mudie said the support will help Vietnam purchase cold chain equipment to store and transport vaccine doses to areas in need.

It is also intended to fund training courses and materials for Vietnam’s health workers and officials and developing immunization in remote provinces to ensure equitable and uniform vaccine coverage.

Rana Flowers, UNICEF Representative in Vietnam, said introducing a new vaccine, especially for Covid-19, was a colossal task for any government with many important steps involved.

Thanks to the partnership with the Australian government, UNICEF has committed to working with Vietnam’s health ministry and other partners vaccinate the prioritized 20% of population in the country by late 2022.

“No one is safe until everyone is safe, so mass vaccination against Covid-19 is an important step to contain the pandemic, protect frontline workers who serve children and for Vietnam to reopen to the rest of the world,” Rana Flowers stressed.

Funding for the program is drawn from US$404 million regional Vaccine Access and Health Security Initiative, as well as from Australia’s bilateral development cooperation program with Vietnam.

In total, Australia has committed US$31 million over three years to support Vietnam’s vaccine procurement and delivery efforts.

In the coming months, Australia will liaise with the Ministry of Health to set up vaccination roll-out plan in Vietnam, Ambassador Mudie said.

The mango growing area currently stands at some 87,000 ha, 48 percent of which is in the Mekong Delta.

Vietnam shipped over 180 million USD worth of mangoes abroad last year, accounting for only 1.15 percent of the world’s total.

China was the largest market of Vietnam, with nearly 152 million USD, or 83.9 percent of the total, followed by Russia, the U.S., the Republic of Korea, the EU, Australia, and Japan, according to MARD’s Agro Processing and Market Development Authority.

To achieve the export target, Deputy Director of MARD’s Plant Protection Department Nguyen Thi Thu Huong called on the ministry to upgrade her department’s technical centers so as to carry out studies helping to remove technical barriers, seek new markets, and conduct pre-export checks.

She also recommended MARD digitize its databases on farming zones, processing establishments, and packaging facilities.

While localities should enhance connectivity between cultivation areas and increase training for local staff in charge of farming techniques, businesses need to seriously comply with regulations from both importing countries and Vietnam, boost production cooperation, maintain constant monitoring to ensure sufficient supply and quality materials, and remain updated on export information, Huong added.

Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam said having 48 percent of the mango growing area concentrated in the Mekong Delta is favorable in improving quality and meeting the requirements of importing markets.

However, as the area meeting VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards makes up just 3.8 percent of the Mekong Delta’s mango growing area, it is necessary to boost the adoption of these standards, he noted.

Nam also urged provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta to work to improve quality in every step, from farming and harvesting to preservation, while strengthening links in mango sales.

In particular, they should identify target markets and work with enterprises and cooperatives to help farmers align cultivation practices with international standards.

Source: VNA