Vietnam news headlines

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s successful treatment of a United Nations employee who contracted COVID-19 has marked a new step of development in the cooperation between the two sides, while proving the country’s increasingly important role in the regional and international arena, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Kamal Malhotra has said.

This is a historic, significant achievement, he told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), adding that the UN would continue to hold discussions with the Vietnamese government on turning the country into an important and potential destination for patients under the UN Emergency Chartered Medical Evacuation Services ( MEDEVAC ) in the future.

Earlier, Vietnam, at the request of the UN, had received and successfully treated a UN staff member who contracted the coronavirus while working in a regional country and was in critical condition.

The patient was brought to Vietnam by a plane run by the MEDEVAC, according to an announcement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Vietnam was once seen as a country that needs to send its severe patients to other countries via the MEDEVAC mechanism such as Singapore and Thailand, the official said.

However, this is the first time the country has admitted a patient through the mechanism, especially in the context of the pandemic spread, he continued.

According to Malhotra, one of the reasons that the UN asked Vietnam to treat the UN staff member was the country’s good performance in COVID-19 prevention and control, with a low rate of infections, as well as its good medical services.

The event is of historical significance as it took place at a time when Vietnam was holding the rotating UN Security Council (UNSC) presidency, the official said, expressing his hope that there will be similar activities in the time ahead.

Regarding cooperation between the UN and the Vietnamese government and competent agencies in the pandemic combat, Malhotra said both sides have acknowledged the important role of the other, with the Vietnamese government playing crucial leadership.

Helping Vietnam build and roll out its vaccination programme is a top priority of the UN in 2021, he affirmed, adding that the UN and relevant agencies will continue their assistance to Vietnam in vaccine supply, and vaccine quality and safety control.

He also suggested the country should do better in expanding vaccination coverage, and informed that the UN will make effort to provide the country with vaccines enough to inoculate 20 percent of its population by year-end./.

VNA

Vietnam is anticipated to become the world’s third largest rice exporter next year with an estimated export volume reaching 6.3 million tonnes, according to the projection made by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Hanoi (VNA) – A 71-year-old woman with underlying health condition in the southern province of An Giang has become the 62nd COVID-19 related death in Vietnam.

According to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control’s Treatment Subcommittee, the woman, who lives in Chau Thanh district, had contracted tuberculosis, suffered from high blood pressure and had been a type 2 diabetic for more than 10 years.

On June 2, the woman returned from Cambodia to Vietnam together with her daughter and grandchild via the Moc Bai International Border Gate in the southwestern province of Tay Ninh, where they were all quarantined on arrival.

After testing positive for the coronavirus two days later, she was hospitalised at Ben Cau medical centre in a state of exhaustion and with chest pain.

Then, she was diagnosed with tuberculosis resulting from acute respiratory distress syndrome associated with COVID-19.

On June 11, the patient was put on mechanical ventilation and received intensive care, however, due to the rapid progression of the infection, worsening respiratory failure and underlying chronic health problems, she did not respond well to treatment and died on June 14.

As of noon on June 18, Vietnam has logged 10,755 domestic and 1,669 imported COVID-19 infections. The number of cases in the fourth COVID-19 wave is 9,185./.

VNA

Vientiane (VNA) – Representatives from the Lao province of Bokeo on June 18 handed over 200 million LAK (21,160 USD) to Vietnamese Consulate General in Luang Prabang province to assist the fight against COVID-19 in three Vietnamese provinces – Son La, Dien Bien and Lao Cai.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, a representative of the Bokeo authority affirmed the great friendship between Laos and Vietnam, and hoped that Vietnam’s localities would soon stop the spread of the pandemic. They also said they believed the Vietnamese Party, State, Government and people will soon curb and win over the pandemic. COVID-19 pandemic under control and stop its spread, according to the representative.

Vietnamese Consul General in Luang Prabang Nguyen Dang Hung thanked the Lao friends for their meaningful and timely gifts, and affirmed to send the donation s to Vietnam soon to serve the fight against the pandemic./.

VNA

Hanoi (VNA) – The Treatment Subcommittee under the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on May 26 confirmed the 45th COVID-19- related death – a 67-year-old female with serious underlying health conditions.

The patient, residing in the northern province of Bac Ninh’s Thuan Thanh district, had a history of hypertension, radiation-induced hypothyroidism, diabetes, and obesity.

On May 11, she was admitted to the Thuan Thanh General Hospital and was isolated for pneumonia treatment.

One day later, she tested positive for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, then was transferred to the Bac Ninh General Hospital for further treatment.

Her conditions got worse on May 25, and he died later the same day due to septic shock and SARS-CoV-2-induced pneumonia with underlying conditions noted as hypertension, hypothyroidism, diabetes, and obesity.

Vietnam recorded 40 more locally-infected COVID-19 cases over the last 6 hours to 12:00 on May 26, lifting the national count to 5,971, according to the Ministry of Health./.

VNA