Vietnam has not yet drafted plans to give Covid-19 vaccines to children under five years old, the local health ministry said at a meeting on August 12. The meeting was held after the government recently instructed the ministry to make plans to vaccinate infants aged six months and above against Covid-19 starting next year. The order came as the government continued to push for greater vaccination coverage amid rising new infections and slow progress of the booster vaccination doses in various localities. "We'll continue to closely follow instructions from the WHO, watch for experiences from other countries, and study the local demand for vaccination of this age group," the ministry said. According to the ministry, the most important work now is to speed up the vaccination progress for children from five years old and adults as the number of infections have begun to rise again. "As of August 11, the country administered a total of over 249.36 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine," … [Read more...] about Health Ministry yet to approve vaccination for children under five
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Progress in research, clinical trials of domestic COVID-19 vaccines updated
There are five vaccines being in the research and clinical trial process, namely Nanocovax, COVIVAC, ARCT-154, COVID-19 HIPRA and S-268019, the ministry said, adding the research is being conducted on schedule and in line with contents of the research plans approved by the ministry. The work is expected to complete in December next year. As of August 11, Vietnam received 253,071,094 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, including 234,636,494 for the people aged 12 and above, and 18,434,600 for children aged between 5-11. So far, as many as 249,778,892 doses have been administered to people nationwide, with 100% of people aged over 18 years old; and from 12 to under 18 getting the first and second injections. The vaccination rate of 3rd and 4th shots in the over-18-year-old group reached 73.9% and 57.4%, respectively. In July, as many as 13.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered to people nationwide, up 2.1 million compared to June, the ministry said. Localities across the … [Read more...] about Progress in research, clinical trials of domestic COVID-19 vaccines updated
Ministry proposes keeping Covid-19 in Group A of infectious diseases
Ministry proposes keeping Covid-19 in Group A of infectious diseases Regarding the reason why Covid- 19 has not been considered an endemic disease in Vietnam yet, the Ministry of Health said that most countries in the world are in a state of unstable cases and deaths, with an erratic increase and decrease trend when new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus appear. At the same time, acquired immunity (due to vaccines and infection) has not been stable for a long time and decreases over time. In Vietnam, more than 9 million new cases were reported in the first seven months of this year, with over 33,000 cases in July alone, up 22.4 percent from June. Cases of sub variants BA.4, BA.5 have been recorded and began to account for a large proportion in southern provinces. Meanwhile, the rates of booster shot vaccination and vaccination among children were low in some localities. The rise in new cases could cause overload of the health system, particularly in the context of other diseases … [Read more...] about Ministry proposes keeping Covid-19 in Group A of infectious diseases
Vietnam reports additional 2,192 new Covid-19 cases on Friday
The Vietnamese Ministry of Health on Friday reported an additional 2,192 Covid-19 infections, raising the country's total tally to over 11 million. Illustrative photo According to the ministry's report, the national caseload has so far increased to 11,362,540. On August 12, an additional 5,897 more patients recovered from the disease, raising the number of recoveries in the country to over 10.00 million. On Friday evening, one death from Covid-19 was recorded, raising the country's total fatalities to 43,096, accounting for 0.4 per cent of total infections. By August 12, the country had injected more than 250 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines. Vietnam is targeting the completion of Covid-19 inoculation for children aged between 5 - 11 in August, as well as the administration of the third shot for those aged 12 - 17, as well as the third and fourth doses to people aged 18 and above as soon as possible. … [Read more...] about Vietnam reports additional 2,192 new Covid-19 cases on Friday
Rise of screen time puts children at high risk of social media addiction
Children are exposed to increased risks of online harms, especially during the outbreaks of the COVID-19 with increased screen time. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The National Children's Hospital has recently received more child patients with mental illnesses attributed to the increased screen time they spent during the COVID-19 pandemic when outdoor physical social activities were limited. Doctor Ngo Anh Vinh, deputy head of the hospital's Department of Adolescent Health, said that after the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of children coming to check for mental illnesses related to social networks increased. "Many of them need treatment for social media addiction. Some children are admitted to the hospital after they have attempted suicide," Vinh said. "Currently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) considers social network addiction and game addiction as a mental illness with consequences that severely affect the child's mental and physical health and quality of … [Read more...] about Rise of screen time puts children at high risk of social media addiction
Vietnam ready for talks with US on tax evasion investigation into Vietnamese steel pipes
Vietnam is willing to hold trade talks with the United States to timely solve arising problems regarding a U.S. anti-circumvention investigation into steel pipe products imported from the Southeast Asian country. Le Thi Thu Hang, spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made the statement at a regular press briefing in Hanoi on Thursday following reports that the U.S. officially initiated an investigation into the case. Hang affirmed that the Vietnam-U.S. comprehensive partnership has witnessed progress in all fields in recent times, including in economy, trade, and investment. Vietnam is the leading trade partner of the U.S. in Southeast Asia, while the U.S. is the second-largest trade partner of Vietnam, with two-way trade turnover exceeding US$110 billion in 2021. “Vietnam advocates promoting economic, trade, and investment cooperation with the U.S. on the basis of freedom, fairness, and mutual benefits in accordance with bilateral agreements and … [Read more...] about Vietnam ready for talks with US on tax evasion investigation into Vietnamese steel pipes
Photos: Two blue whales forage near south-central Vietnam shore
Beachgoers at De Gi Beach in Binh Dinh Province, south-central Vietnam has spent the past few days in awe of two blue whales who have been hunting in nearby waters. Dinh Thanh Tien, chairman of Cat Khanh Commune, on Friday confirmed the appearance of the blue whales at De Gi in his locality in Phu Cat District, Binh Dinh Province. The two whales are about 17 and 10 meters long, according to Tommy Toan, a local tour guide who claims to have seen them several times. They are part of a larger pod of whales that have been foraging in the waters near De Gi Beach since before August, Toan said, adding that the other members of the group have moved elsewhere. A blue whale forages in the waters near De Gi Beach in Phu Cat District, Binh Dinh Province, Vietnam. Photo: Nguyen Dung / Tuoi Tre A blue whale lunges toward fish in the waters near De Gi Beach in Phu Cat District, Binh Dinh Province, Vietnam. Photo: Nguyen Dung / Tuoi Tre “They come here to … [Read more...] about Photos: Two blue whales forage near south-central Vietnam shore
Mass fish die-off in German-Polish river blamed on unknown toxic substance
An unidentified highly toxic substance in the Oder river, which runs through Poland and Germany, appears to be the cause of a mass die-off of fish, the German state of Brandenburg's environment ministry said. An analysis of river water taken this week showed evidence of "synthetic chemical substances, very probably also with toxic effects for vertebrates," the ministry said on Thursday, adding that it remained unclear how the substance entered the water. According to local broadcaster rbb, the state laboratory found high levels of mercury in the water samples. The head of Poland's national water management authority told private broadcaster Polsat News that the presence of mercury in the water had yet to be confirmed, however. "At the moment, these are press reports. We have no confirmation regarding mercury in the Oder," Przemyslaw Daca, the head of Polish Waters, said. The ministry in Brandenburg, the state surrounding Berlin, said it had not yet been possible to assess … [Read more...] about Mass fish die-off in German-Polish river blamed on unknown toxic substance
Heavy downpour turns Hanoi streets into ‘rivers’
Many streets in Hanoi were turned into 'rivers' as a heavy downpour battered the Vietnamese capital city on Friday morning. The torrential rain started at around 5:20 am on Friday, according to the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting. Thuy Khe Street in Hanoi is turned into a 'river,' August 12, 2022. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre The downpour resulted in serious flooding on Thang Long Avenue, Le Trong Tan Street, and Thuy Khe Street, among others. Knee-high rainwater was also recorded on such roads as Pham Hung, Nguyen Hoang, and Ton That Thuyet. The situation posed a lot of challenges for local residents during the morning commute as multiple vehicles broke down. Serious flooding on Thang Long Avenue in Hanoi, August 12, 2022. Photo: Thanh Chung / Tuoi Tre According to the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, rainfall of 20-60 millimeters dampened northern localities as well as north-central Thanh Hoa … [Read more...] about Heavy downpour turns Hanoi streets into ‘rivers’
Over 8,100 new Covid-19 infection cases confirmed on Sunday
Vietnam confirmed an additional 8,176 new Covid-19 infections in 52 localities on Sunday, according to the Ministry of Health. According to the ministry's report, 8,163 of the new patients are locally-transmitted cases confirmed in 52 out of 63 localities in the country including HCM City (985), An Giang (695), Dong Nai (674), Binh Duong (623), Dong Thap (382), Binh Thuan (369), Tay Ninh (332), Soc Trang (299), Vinh Long (288), Tien Giang (274), Kien Giang (274), Bac Lieu (273), Ca Mau (243), Dak Lak (228), Khanh Hoa (209), Ba Ria - Vung Tau (204), Binh Phuoc (184), Can Tho (146), Thai Binh (134), and Tra Vinh (134). There were 13 imported patients confirmed today. The new infections showed a decrease of 288 cases compared to yesterday's figure. There were 3,705 infections found in the community. As of Sunday evening, 1,021,493 infections had been reported since the new outbreak occurred in the country in late April. Some localities that have recorded the highest number of … [Read more...] about Over 8,100 new Covid-19 infection cases confirmed on Sunday