The Ministry of Health confirmed almost 7,300 domestic COVID-19 cases along with more than 2,000 recoveries in Vietnam on Friday. Thirty-seven provinces and cities recorded 7,295 local infections while another 12 were imported from abroad, the health ministry said. A total of 1,274 cases were detected in the community whereas the remainder were found in centralized quarantine facilities or isolated areas. Ho Chi Minh City logged 4,913 of the latest domestic infections, Binh Duong Province 608, Long An Province 602, Dong Nai Province 217, and Tay Ninh Province 212. Today’s locally-acquired infection jump is the sharpest so far, after a record was set at 6,164 patients on Thursday. Since the fourth COVID-19 wave began in Vietnam on April 27, Vietnam has registered 77,967 domestic cases in 62 out of 63 provinces and cities. Ho Chi Minh City is taking the lead with 50,474 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 5,976, Bac Giang Province with 5,735, Long An Province with …
Over 1.2mn jabs of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine reach Vietnam
A total of 1,228,500 shots of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, part of a 30-million-dose contract, arrived in Vietnam on Friday morning. The vaccine batch landed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, according to Vietnam Vaccine JSC (VNVC). This is part of the 30 million jabs that VNVC has purchased from AstraZeneca with the support from the Ministry of Health. AstraZeneca has so far sent more than 3.1 million doses out of the 30 million shots to the Southeast Asian country in five shipments. The previous four batches arrived on February 24, May 25, July 9, and July 15. According to Nitin Kapoor, chairman and general director of AstraZeneca Vietnam, nearly 8.6 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine have been delivered to Vietnam through purchase, the COVAX mechanism, and support from other countries. The Southeast Asian country has also received 500,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine donated by China, two million doses of Moderna provided by the U.S. …
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Ho Chi Minh City faces serious blood dearth amid rising COVID-19 cases
Ho Chi Minh City has seen its blood reserves running dry as donation drives have been canceled due to multiple COVID-19 social distancing periods, with the latest being extended until August 1. These days, the Ho Chi Minh City Blood Transfusion Hematology Hospital, which manages the city’s blood bank, receives only 30 to 50 blood bags, merely one-tenth of the amount of blood needed for some 150 hospitals in the city, including those treating COVID-19 patients, said Dr. Phu Chi Dung, director of the hospital, on Friday. With an aim to curb the COVID-19 spread, the municipal administration has over the past few months applied many social distancing periods, during which people are required to go out only in necessary cases, among other epidemic prevention measures, the director said. Given such restrictions, many blood donation activities have been canceled or postponed, Dr. Dung explained. The blood reserves have therefore decreased over time and in the next seven days, they …
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Days-long motorbike trips the only option for stranded Vietnamese to return home amidst pandemic
A group of 29 individuals recently traveled 1,400km on motorbikes from southern Binh Duong Province to north-central Nghe An Province to escape the worsening situation of COVID-19 in southern Vietnam. As air transport and passenger bus services between Nghe An and southern localities have been suspended, motorbikes have become the option available to individuals stranded in the southern provinces that wish to return home in the north. Between Tuesday and Thursday, 29 returnees arrived on motorbikes in Ky Son District, Nghe An from Binh Duong, currently the second hardest-hit locality in the southern region with over 5,400 local infections. They had prepared food and water in advance and not stopped at any street-side eateries or motels for meals or rest. Local medical authorities have collected samples from the returnees for COVID-19 testing and taken them to centralized quarantine facilities as per regulations, according to Ky Son’s chairman Nguyen Huu Minh. Not only Ky Son …
Vietnamese photographer alliance scores honorable mentions in international contest
Two Vietnamese entries to the International Federation of Photographic Art’s (FIAP) 29th Color Biennial earned a combined three honorable mentions by the panel of judges, the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists (VAPA) recently announced. FIAP is an international umbrella organization for 91 national photography associations, including the VAPA. This year, the VAPA has obtained two honorable awards at the FIAP Color Biennal for ‘Traditional Crafts’ and ‘Vietnam Viewed from Above,' two photography collections that the Vietnamese institution curated from a body of works submitted by its active members. ‘Traditional Crafts,’ a collection of 10 photos, ranked sixth out of 36 entries in the print photography category, while ‘Vietnam Viewed from Above,’ a collection of 20 photos, earned fifth place out of 42 entries the digital category. In terms of individual recognition, Vietnamese photographer Dzung Nguyen won an honorable mention for ‘Phoi Chieu Coi’ (Drying Sedge Mat), a …
Ho Chi Minh City needs 7,000 more health workers for COVID-19 response
Ho Chi Minh City needs an addition of more than 7,000 health workers to deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong. Chairman Phong has sent a petition to the prime minister to ask for more support in terms of health personnel, as the city continues to struggle with the worst-ever outbreak. In the document, the official stated that the Ministry of Health had sent 1,936 doctors and nurses from multiple localities to Ho Chi Minh City to assist in COVID-19 treatment efforts. About 1,600 medical lecturers and students were also mobilized to take part in contact tracing and test sample collection in the metropolis. To continue supporting the health sector in Ho Chi Minh City, the municipal People’s Committee asked for the provision of an additional 7,064 health workers. They include 927 doctors and 4,037 nurses for COVID-19 treatment, 100 laboratory and X-ray technicians, and 2,000 medical professionals for the collection of test samples. …
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