Worrisome new coronavirus strains are emerging why now

The deliberations and scrutiny of the WHO's response to the outbreak follows concerns over how the United Nations agency and governments worldwide handled Covid-19 in early 2020. A "public health emergency of international concern" is WHO's highest level of alert. The agency does not declare pandemics, but it did start using the term to describe Covid-19 in March 2020. For many governments, that - rather than WHO's earlier declaration of an emergency in January - was the moment they began to take real action to try to contain Covid, which proved to be too late to make a difference. Monkeypox does not spread nearly as easily as Covid and there are vaccines and treatments available, unlike for the coronavirus when it emerged. But it has still raised alarm. The case count from the current outbreak outside of Africa has topped 3,000 in more than 40 countries, according to a Reuters tally - largely among men who have sex with men - since it was first reported in May. There have been … [Read more...] about WHO eyes decision on monkeypox ’emergency’, Africa says it’s long overdue

A medical employee prepares to administer a COVID-19 booster dose to workers in HCM City's Tân Thuận Export Processing Zone. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vũ HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam on Wednesday announced 888 new COVID-19 infections. All the new cases were domestic, of which 747 were detected in the community. The capital Hà Nội continued to register the highest daily case count with 149 new transmissions. Other new infections were found in Hải Phòng (88), Đà Nẵng (61), Nghệ An (51), Bắc Ninh (50), Yên Bái (45), Phú Thọ (34), Quảng Ninh (28), Lào Cai (26), Vĩnh Phúc (25), HCM City (25), Quảng Bình (22), Sơn La (17), Bạc Liêu (16), Hà Giang (15), Thái Bình (15), Hà Nam (15), Thái Nguyên (15), Ninh Bình (14), Hà Tĩnh (14), Bắc Kạn (13), Hòa Bình (12), Hải Dương (11), Nam Định (11), Thanh Hóa (11), Tuyên Quang (11), Quảng Trị (10), Lâm Đồng (9), Đồng Tháp (9), Cao Bằng (8), Bến Tre (7), Thừa Thiên Huế (7), Bắc Giang (7), Điện Biên (6), Cà Mau (6), Hưng Yên (6), Bình Định (5), Lạng Sơn … [Read more...] about Việt Nam reports 888 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday

Medical staff transported a COVID-19 patient to a hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia, on July 9 last year. (Photo: XINHUA/VNA) Jakarta - Indonesia is confident that it can overcome another wave of COVID-19 infections caused by BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of Omicron in the context that most of the people in this country already have high antibodies due to a past illness or have been vaccinated. The country is ready to handle COVID-19 as a type of endemic disease no matter what new variant emerges, Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said at a press conference. Referring to the next wave of the pandemic, expected in July, Budi said that he believed the pandemic (if it breaks out) will be milder than the previous wave of transmission due to Delta and Omicron variants. His confidence stems from the fact that the wave caused by variants BA.4 and BA.5 – first detected in South Africa – peaked at a lower level than the original Omicron wave. Results of a survey in March … [Read more...] about Indonesia will overcome new wave of COVID-19: official

Mumbai civic chief IS Chahal (L) receives Vice Chairwoman of the HCMC People’s Committee Phan Thi Thang (R). (Photo: SGGP) The visit was attended by Vice Chairman of the People’s Council of HCMC Nguyen Van Dung, representatives of the city’s department and Consul General of Vietnam to Mumbai Hoang Tung. Speaking at the meeting, Mumbai civic chief IS Chahal said that the Covid-19 pandemic has basically been controlled in the city where coronavirus fatality accounted for 0.8 percent of the total number of confirmed cases thanks to the effectiveness of epidemic prevention and control measures, creating a strong socio-economic recovery. At the working session between leaders of HCMC and India's Mumbai Vice Chairwoman of the HCMC People’s Committee Phan Thi Thang emphasized the traditional good relationships between Vietnam and India that were founded by two outstanding leaders of the two nations, President Ho Chi Minh and Prime Minister J. Nehru, beginning in the 1950s. … [Read more...] about HCMC, Mumbai enhance cooperation, open new direct flights

A secondary school student receives a COVID-19 vaccine in southern Vĩnh Long City. — VNA/VNS Photo Lê Thúy Hằng. HÀ NỘI — A total of 740 new COVID-19 infections were detected in Việt Nam on Thursday, with zero deaths recorded. The latest update brings the total national caseload to 10,740,595 so far. All the new infections were domestic, while 634 of the transmissions were found in the community. New cases were detected in Hà Nội (154), Bắc Ninh (54), Nghệ An (51), Yên Bái (40), Đà Nẵng (40), Phú Thọ (39), HCM City (38), Quảng Ninh (33), Lào Cai (26), Vĩnh Phúc (22), Hải Dương (20), Hà Nam (18), Thái Nguyên (16), Thái Bình (15), Bắc Kạn (15), Hòa Bình (13), Điện Biên (13), Nam Định (13), Ninh Bình (12), Lai Châu (12), Sơn La (11), Hưng Yên (11), Tuyên Quang (11), Hà Giang (9), Quảng Bình (9), Cao Bằng (8), Quảng Ngãi (6), Hải Phòng (6), Thanh Hóa (5), Gia Lai (4), Lạng Sơn (4), Quảng Trị (3), Khánh Hòa (3), Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu (2), Hậu Giang (2), Lâm Đồng (1) and Bình Phước (1). … [Read more...] about 740 new COVID-19 infections, zero deaths logged on Thursday

A One Stop Service Centre called “Anh Duong (Sunshine) House” opened in HCM City on June 21 to support survivors of gender-based and domestic violence.(Photo Courtesy of UNFPA) HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Two more One Stop Service Centres (OSSCs) on June 21 were officially launched in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang City to provide integrated and essential services supporting survivors of gender-based and domestic violence. With financial contribution from the Government of Japan, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Vietnam contracted the Centre for Studies and Applied Sciences in Gender – Family – Women and Adolescents (CSAGA) to establish the OSSCs called “Anh Duong (Sunshine) House”, to detect and prevent violence and support survivors via the hotline 02433335599 operating 24 hours a day. The OSSC model provides essential, comprehensive and integrated services to women and girls who are experiencing or are at risk of gender-based and domestic violence. It provides a … [Read more...] about More service centres set up to support survivors of domestic violence

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – A total 740 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the past 24 hours from 4pm June 22 to 4pm June 23, according to the Ministry of Health . Hanoi still reported the highest number of infections on the day with 154 cases, followed by Bac Ninh with 54 and Nghe An with 51. The national caseload reached 10,740,595. A total 5,087 COVID-19 patients were given the all clear on June 23, bringing the number of recoveries so far to 9,627,924. There are 32 patients in serious conditions needing breathing support. No death from COVID-19 was recorded in the past 24 hours. The total fatalities stood at 43,084. On June 22, 1,011,752 doses of vaccines were administered, raising the total number of doses of COVID-19 vaccines injected to 227,753,376./. VNA … [Read more...] about COVID-19: 740 cases added to national caseload on June 23

The two major cities were among several places in China that implemented curbs to stop the spread of the Omicron wave during March to May, with Shanghai imposing a two month-long city-wide lockdown that lifted on June 1. The efforts, part of China's adherence to a zero-Covid policy that aims to eradicate all outbreaks, have brought case numbers down but many of the heavy-handed measures have fuelled anger and even rare protests and taken a heavy toll on the economy. Beijing shut its schools in early May and asked students to move to online learning amid a spike in locally transmitted Covid cases. Senior year students at middle and high schools were allowed to return to classrooms from June 2. On Saturday, with case numbers trending lower in recent days, the capital's education commission said all primary and secondary school students in the capital can return to in-person classes from Monday. Kindergartens will be allowed to reopen from July 4. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of … [Read more...] about Beijing to reopen schools, Shanghai declares victory over Covid

To enhance its commitment to music fans and emerging talent, Mastercard has joined forces with acclaimed producer Timbaland’s Beatclub music creator platform. Inspired by the original songs developed for Mastercard’s album, up-and-coming Beatclub music creators were mentored by Timbaland as they remixed two standout tracks. “Our first ever music album featuring the inspiring, original work of 10 rising artists takes our innovative sonic branding approach to an even higher, unmatched level,” said Raja Rajamannar, Mastercard chief marketing and communications officer and president, Healthcare. “From Algeria to Australia and Slovenia to Sweden, each of the artists integrated our melody into their songs and created something that we are all truly proud of! We hope others will enjoy these songs as much as we do.” “The launch of our first ever music album marks a new milestone in Mastercard’s sonic brand journey. The power of music is both universal, yet individual - enabling … [Read more...] about Mastercard launches its first ever music album: Priceless®

Vietnamese people are willing to travel and they are also very confident to welcome foreign tourists to their country. With 85% of local travelers stating they intend to travel in the next 12 months, Vietnam emerged as the second most confident country in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the newly released Travel Confidence Index. Vietnamese people excited to travel and confident to welcome international travelers Young Vietnamese and international travelers alike love to travel to Sapa Town in Lao Cai Province, Vietnam. Photo: Dan Chi The index indicates that among Asia-Pacific travelers, Vietnamese were among the most willing travelers to put up with and overlook key travel deterrents in order to hit the road - which included enduring disruptions and travel costs; as well as confidence with their home country in receiving inbound travelers. This signifies great potentials for domestic tourism to leverage in its next era of growth. The majority … [Read more...] about Vietnamese list among most willing travelers