A medical worker is disinfecting the environment

Case 208, a 38-year-old woman, is an employee of the Truong Sinh Co. Ltd, which provides services for the Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital.

Case 209 is a 55-year-old woman living in Duc Giang ward of Hanoi’s Long Bien district. She is a cook at the Petrolimex Hanoi. From March 18 to 24, she had close contact with Case 163 at the kitchen of this company.

Case 210, a 26-year-old woman, returned from Thailand on March 20. Earlier, she had close contact with Case 146.

Case 211, 23 years old, is a female student returning from the US. She departed the US on March 19 and transited Abu Dhabi (the United Arab Emirates) and Bangkok (Thailand) before arriving in Hanoi on March 20.

Another patient, Case 212, is a 35-year-old woman returning from Russia on March 27.

The 210th, 211th and 212th patients have been in quarantine since their arrival in Vietnam.

On March 31 evening, Vietnam announced three new cases. Of those cases, one was a worker from Truong Sinh Co. Ltd and two others were related to patient No.124.

The 205th patient is a 41-year-old worker from Truong Sinh Co.Ltd that supplies services to Bach Mai Hospital.

The 206th is a 48-year-old man residing in An Phu ward, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City. He was driver of the patient No.124 and No.151. He is being treated at Cu Chi hospital for acute respiratory diseases in good health conditions.

The 207th is a Brazilian man residing at Thao Dien ward, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City. He is husband of the patient No.151 and colleague of the patient No.124. He is also under treatment at Cu Chi hospital in good health conditions.

Among the 207 cases, 57 have fully recovered.

Ho Chi Minh City basically contains COVID-19 hotbeds

Ho Chi Minh City's Health Department said the city has basically contained the local clusters of COVID-19, adding that the city recorded 49 COVID-19 infection cases as of 7pm on March 31, 11 of them fully recovered.

Among 196 samples collected from those who were related to the Buddha bar in District 1, 166 tested negative for SARS-CoV-2, 11 positive, and 19 are waiting for results.

Of more than 2,900 people who had contact with them, four were found positive, 505 negative and more than 2,400 on the waiting list.

The medical sector collected 306 samples from Muslims in District 8, including those who had close contact with patients and attended a ceremony at a local mosque. All of them have tested negative. At present, 176 are under concentrated quarantine at the Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City and 122 others self-quarantine at home.

No new infection has been detected among this group since March 15.

Up to 179 samples from those who attended a funeral in Binh Chanh district were also collected, with 86 negative and 93 others still waiting. Since March 23, no new infection case has been found among this group./.

HCM City calls for people’s unity in COVID-19 fight

Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Thanh Phong called on the city’s residents to join hands in the fight against COVID-19, at a teleconference on March 31.

He asked people to refrain from going out, except when really necessary such as buying food and medicine.

Implementing the Prime Minister’s directions to curb the pandemic given its complicated developments, Phong outlined several tasks that the southern economic hub will carry out within 15 days, starting from 0:00 am April 1.

He ordered the municipal Department of Industry and Trade to coordinate with the Union of Trading Cooperatives (Saigon Co.op) and Saigon Trading Group (Satra) to ensure the supply of essential goods for people, and encourage online shopping and home delivery.

Meanwhile, the Department of Transport is responsible for working with districts to arrange passenger trips according to anti-coronavirus regulations, and suspend public buses, intercity buses, and taxi services.

Official vehicles, employee shuttle buses, and trucks delivering food and carrying production material must be operated in accordance with the health ministry’s instructions.

Phong noted that all working plans and programmes of agencies must be ensured, with only the working method. changed. He suggested that staff members work from home and only go to the office to handle necessary procedures with the agreement of the head of the office.

The Department of Justice was tasked to make recommendations to the municipal People’s Committee about the establishment of disease control groups.

Hanoi ensures sufficient supply of goods for people

Hanoi ensures sufficient supply of goods for residents as the capital city started a two-week nationwide social distancing order to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Tran Thi Phuong Lan, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Industry and Trade.

Lan said the city’s supply of goods is working normally, delivering to 26 shopping centres, 142 supermarkets and thousands of stores across the city. They have also been following rigorous sanitary protocols and regularly inspected to ensure food safety and to combat the spread of the virus.

Under the Prime Minister’s social distancing order, the city’s supermarkets and traditional markets will remain open. Firms have been told to submit their transport vehicle numbers for special permits to deliver goods during the fortnight period. Mobile stores and make-shift supply centres are also considered as additional options. The army and the police have been ordered to assist with the transport of goods and logistics if necessary.

The city’s authority has been working closely with suppliers and firms in the city as well as the nearby provinces to make sure there will be sufficient supply of goods for the city in all scenarios.

According to the department, the city increased reserves by 300-500 percent over normal demand.

The municipal department would spend 194 trillion VND (8.3 billion USD) to triple the volume of goods for reserves in the second quarter of this year.

RoK's bank supports over 200,000 USD for Vietnam’s COVID-19 fight

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Tran Thanh Man (third from right) receives Shinhan Bank's funding

Hanoi (VNA) – Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Vietnam Park Noh Wan and the country’s Shinhan Bank on March 31 presented 5 billion VND (213,000 USD) to Vietnam’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Tran Thanh Man thanked the diplomat and the bank's representatives for the support, and said that the money will contribute to Vietnam’s efforts to fight the pandemic.

Speaking of the RoK Government’s efforts in COVID-19 prevention and control, Man stated that many RoK enterprises operating in Vietnam have donated to support the fight in Vietnam, in response to the VFF Central Committee’s appeal.

He affirmed that the fundings will be allocated to buy essential equipment to serve treatment and to concentrated quarantine areas and hospitals nationwide.

Ambassador Park said that over the past days, the two Governments and the two countries’ enterprises have taken measures to sovle difficulties caused by the pandemic.

He expressed his hope that with the support of the Shinhan Bank, Vietnam will have additional resources to win over the pandemic, and bilateral trade, tourism and people-to-people exchanges will resume as normal./. 

HCM City attractions close in continuing coronavirus fight

The Independence Palace, one of popular tourist attractions in HCM City, closes to visitors until further notice in an effort to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

HCM City authorities closed tourist attractions and landmarks on Saturday until further notice as part of efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The Department of Tourism informed tourist sites and travel firms about the closure decision made by the People’s Committee the previous day.

Đầm Sen Cultural Park and Suối Tiên Theme Park, which get thousands of visitors every day, have been closed since March 16.

Bến Thành Market, a popular tourist attraction, remains open since there are plenty of food and foodstuff stalls inside.

Nguyễn Khoa Luân, director of Ảnh Việt Hop on - Hop off Việt Nam Company, said double-decker bus tours of HCM City and Hà Nội are halted until further notice from local authorities.

The city also ordered the closure of all entertainment sites, restaurants, beer clubs, eating facilities with a capacity 30 seats or more, beauty salons, barber shops, and gyms from March 24.

Hotels in the city remain open.

The number of visitors coming to tourist attractions in February-March plummeted by 50-70 per cent year-on-year, according to the department.

Mekong Delta steps up efforts to fight COVID-19

The Đồng Tháp Military School in Đồng Tháp Province’s Sa Đéc town has been set up as a 150-bed field hospital. — Photo giaoducthoidai.vn

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Đồng Tháp has set up a field hospital as a quarantine and treatment area for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 or suspected of having COVID-19.

The Đồng Tháp Military School in the province’s Sa Đéc Town has been set up as a 150-bed field hospital, said Đoàn Tấn Bửu, deputy chairman of the provincial People’s Committee.

The field hospital was established after four people were put under mandatory quarantine at the Đồng Tháp Military School after returning to Việt Nam from the UK on March 19. They were confirmed positive with the coronavirus virus that causes the disease called COVID-19 on March 22.

The four patients were sent to Sa Đéc General Hospital for treatment, Bửu said.

A total of 160 people on the same flight with the four confirmed cases are being quarantined and tested, he added.

The hospital is designed to isolate and examine patients with suspected COVID-19 and patients with COVID-19, he said.

In the Mekong Delta city of Cần Thơ, medical officials at the Cần Thơ Central General Hospital on Tuesday practiced emergency response procedures on patients with COVID-19, as issued by the Ministry of Health.

Nguyễn Minh Vũ, director of the hospital, said that the practice prepares medical staff for all possible situations.

The hospital is fully prepared with medical infrastructure and equipment to receive patients with COVID-19 according to guidelines from the Ministry of Health.

Doctors and nurses at the hospital are equipped with personal protective masks, suits and gloves.

HCM City issues guidelines on transporting quarantined people home

A dormitory at the FPT University in Hà Nội being used as a quarantine zone.

The HCM City Department of Health has given instructions on how to transport people from public quarantines to their homes after they complete the mandatory 14-day COVID-19 quarantine period.

It said if they are picked up by their family, appropriate pick-up locations must be designated.

HCM City residents will be taken by car to the designated pick-up locations arranged by district authorities and handed over to their family while those from the Mekong Delta will be taken to four pick-up locations in Long An, Tiền Giang and Vĩnh Long provinces and Cần Thơ City from where they will be taken home by authorities from their province.

People from the central region will be dropped off at Đồng Nai Province or Phan Thiết City in Bình Thuận Province.

The elaborate arrangements have been made since they will have to remain in isolation for a further week after reaching home.

A certificate of completion of quarantine will be issued.

The Centres for Disease Control in provinces will continue to monitor the quarantined people even after they reach home.

Since March 20 all travellers coming to Việt Nam have been subject to mandatory quarantine for 14 days.

It does not apply to people coming for diplomatic and official purposes though they have to isolate themselves at their place of stay under the supervision of local authorities.

All Vietnamese carriers have suspended international flights since March 25.

Recently Việt Nam has sent thousands of its nationals returning home to escape the pandemic in the EU and the US to quarantine camps.

As of Tuesday afternoon the country has had 204 COVID-19 cases, of whom 56 have recovered and the rest are still in hospital. There have been no deaths.

Blood reserve shortage caused by COVID-19 in Đà Nẵng

Đà Nẵng General Hospital has made an urgent call for blood donations as reserves have been severely affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Head of the hospital’s haematology and blood transfusion department doctor Phạm Thị Ngọc Ánh said blood reserves would run out in four or five days and they currently only have about half of the reserves the hospital would normally store.

She said the department has 700 units of blood, only enough to supply patients who faced fatal diseases or an emergency.

“We often receive more than 1,500 units of blood from donors in March when students from universities and colleges begin their blood donation campaigns. However, all universities and colleges are closed and students are staying at home to stop COVID-19 spreading,” Ánh said.

“The hospital has set up a strict process for blood donors to avoid SARS-CoV-2 infection. All donors must be sterilised and have a health check and their temperature taken before giving blood,” she said.

According to the hospital, blood donated by people in Đà Nẵng provides 99.5 per cent of blood used for transfusions and emergency cases for the city. The number of voluntary blood donors in the city accounts for 3.25 per cent of the population, the highest rate in the country.

The city has a list of 650 individuals able to donate blood at short notice in emergency cases.

Young people from Thanh Khê District donated 483 blood units in a voluntary campaign last week.

In COVID-19 news, the city has begun using home sample tests for all local and foreign people who entered the city from abroad.

Medical response teams will visit every household to take samples.

The city encouraged all people to stay at home and limit contact at public sites, and all people were warned to wear face masks in public.

Nine people were fined in Sơn Trà District when they did not wear face masks in public on Monday. VNA/VNS/VNN