One more Vietnamese passenger tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival in South Korea, while another tested positive for the first time at a Japanese airport.

According to a representative from Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, the 24-year-old passenger from the northern province of Ha Nam took a Vietnam Airlines flight from Hanoi to Incheon International Airport in South Korea on August 20.

He tested positive for the virus through the method of the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Being informed of the case, 15 staff from Vietnam Airlines and Noi Bai International Airport who had close contact with the passenger have been asked to quarantine themselves at home for 14 days.

He was the second passenger on the same flight to have been infected. The other was a 22-year-old student from the northern city of Haiphong.

The student had returned to Vietnam in March and was quarantined as regulated. He travelled to Quang Nam and Danang City in the central region between July 24-27 and then self-isolated at home

Last week, a young man from Ba Vi District’s Vat Lai Commune in Hanoi, tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival in Japan.

New death raises Vietnam’s COVID-19 toll to 30 

Another COVID-19 patient with serious underlying health conditions in central Da Nang city has become the 30th death related to the coronavirus-caused disease in Vietnam, the Ministry of Health confirmed on August 27.

A 51-year-old COVID-19 patient died Thursday morning, the 30th coronavirus-related fatality in Vietnam.

The woman, from Da Nang City, had a history of hypertension, heart failure, and severe kidney failure which required routine dialysis.

On July 19, she was admitted to Da Nang Hospital for arteriovenous fistula thrombosis, a complication that can occur during dialysis.

During her treatment, she did not suffer from any fever or other respiratory symptoms associated with COVID-19.

She was tested for SARS-CoV-2 on July 27 and the results returned negative, but her August 4 tests returned positive and she was moved to Hoà Vang field hospital the following day.

Once there, she developed acute respiratory distress syndrome, toxic shock syndrome and a persistent high fever.

She received intensive resuscitation treatment, including intubation, continuous renal replacement therapy and doses of antibiotics and antiviral drugs. However, the infection did not subside.

On August 26, her condition rapidly deteriorated .

In the early hours of Thursday morning, her heart faltered and stopped altogether and all efforts at resuscitation failed.

She was pronounced dead at 0:30am, with the official cause of death listed as pneumonia due to COVID-19 with complications, septic shock, multi-organ failure on a patient with hypertension, chronic kidney failure, and heart failure.

A 56-year-old woman who had previously tested positive for COVID-19 in Da Nang died of complications from other, serious underlying health issues Tuesday evening.

The patient, a resident of Son Tra District in the central city, had a history of hypertension, stroke, and end stage renal failure which required routine dialysis.

She was confirmed to have contracted coronavirus on July 30 as she was being treated at Da Nang Hospital, which is one of the three medical facilities at the centre of the outbreak in Da Nang.

However, she has tested negative for the virus three times since then – on August 18, August 21, and August 23.

She passed away at Hoa Vang medical centre in Da Nang late Tuesday night, with the causes of death officially reported as septic shock, multiorgan failure, pneumonia, end stage kidney failure, stroke and heart failure.

The case is not logged as a COVID-19 related death.

Among the active COVID-19 patients in Vietnam, 13 are considered in critical conditions, with three have high probability of imminent death.

Stranded Hanoian tourists from Da Nang complete quarantine period

More than 400 tourists who were stranded in Da Nang City and taken to Hanoi in the middle of this month have completed their 14-day-long quarantine at the Military School in the capital.

All of them have tested negative for COVID-19 on two separate occasions.

On Wednesday afternoon, the tourists were allowed to return to their homes but told they must self-isolate for a further two weeks.

Seven flights were specially arranged to bring back nearly 1,500 tourists from 17 localities to Hanoi and HCM City between August 12-14.

Thousands of Vietnamese flocked to the central coastal city, a popular resort town, in July for summer vacations, taking advantage of promotions in a push for domestic tourism after three months of no reported local transmissions of COVID-19.

Lieutenant Colonel Dương Văn Quang, the manager of the quarantine camp told Tuổi trẻ (Youth) newspaper they hosted 847 tourists returning from Đà Nẵng on four flights and the tourists left the quarantine area in four groups.

Nguyen Quang Anh, a resident of Hanoi's Tay Ho District said he was stranded in the central province of Quang Ngai due to COVID-19 resurgence and then brought home thanks to a specially-arranged flight.

“When staying at the quarantine area, I was taken care very well from meals, sleeping and disease preventive measures,” Ánh said.

Pham Xuan Nam from the northern city of Thai Bình added: “I want to thank the Party, State and Government for timely assistance and supports at this time.”

Colonel Do Hong Thai, principle of the Military School said the school co-operated with Son Tay General Hospital, Son Tay Town Healthcare Centre to offer proper health care and quarantine conditions to serve and ensure safety for the quarantined people.

The school also arranged coaches to take the people to coach stations Son Tay, My Dình or Noi Bai Airport so people could easily catch means of transportation to get home.

Hai Duong imposes curfew after new Covid-19 cases

The authorities in the northern city of Hai Duong have applied a curfew and banned takeaway food at traditional markets as more Covid-19 cases were reported.

Hai Duong People's Committee announced that they would implement stricter measures against Covid-19 after three patients were found to have been to a local store.

All takeaway food stalls at traditional markets will be banned due to a lack of preventive measures. Delivery services for such food stalls and non-essential goods are banned. In addition, local people are banned from going out from 10 pm to 5 am except in emergency cases.

Outdoor sports and exercises and other events are banned until further notice.

On August 23, Patient 1016 was confirmed to have SARS-CoV-2. He is also the owner of a convenience store so he had come into contact with many people. On the following day, his son and mother also tested positive.

Hai Duong Department of Health is searching for people who had come to the convenience store, Hieu Trang, from July 19 to August 18. People with symptoms must self-isolate at home and report to medical centres.

On August 24, Hai Duong authorities quarantined the residential cluster in Thanh Xa Village and the concrete pipe manufacturing facility in the southern area of Hai Duong after Patient 1016's test came back positive.

The quarantine period will last for 28 days.

Vietnam reports no new COVID-19 cases on August 27 morning

Vietnam reports no new COVID-19 cases on August 27 morning (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam reported no new COVID-19 cases on August 27 morning, keeping the national tally at 1,034, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Earlier, 5 new imported cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on August 26 afternoon.

Among the new patients, quarantined upon their arrival, two men had contracted SARS-CoV-2 in the UAE and tested negative for the novel coronavirus thrice before returning to the homeland via Can Tho International Airport, the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, on August 9.

The three others, two men and one woman, were repatriated from Russia and arrived at Van Don International Airport, the northern province of Quang Ninh, on August 11.

Of total cases, 687 are local infections, and 547 have linked with central Da Nang city, where the new outbreak began on July 25.

There are 69,429 people having close contact with confirmed cases or coming from pandemic-hit regions under quarantine at present, including 1,878 in hospitals, 20,411 in other concentrated quarantine sites, and 47,140 at home or accommodation facilities.

Also on August 26, 37 patients were given the all-clear, adding up to 632 recoveries so far.

Fifty-three of the patients still under treatment have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, 67 twice, and 47 thrice.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 death toll has now reached 29 after the latest death was reported in the afternoon.

The 66-year-old man in Tu Nghia district of central Quang Ngai province, who had suffered from cerebrovascular problems, hypertension and chronic kidney failure, died at the Hoa Vang medical centre in Da Nang on August 26 morning.

Providing details about a fatality at the Hoa Vang medical centre on late August 25, the Ministry of Health said the 56-year-old woman, residing in Da Nang’s Son Tra district, died after testing negative for the coronavirus for three times.

Her death was attributed to septic shock, multiple-organ failure, pneumonia, end-stage renal failure, heart failure and cerebrovascular problems. She is not counted as a COVID-19 fatality.

Ninh Binh turning hotels into COVID-19 quarantine facilities

Ninh Binh province has being turning its hotels into COVID-19 quarantine facilities for foreigners entering Vietnam to work in the local area.

Dong Ne is the first hotel in Ninh Binh to become a medical isolation site for foreigners coming to Vietnam to work in the province.

They are placed in quarantine at the site for 14 days.

The provincial Centre for Disease Control will look for more accommodation providers to register as isolation facilities for foreign experts or high-skilled workers employed in the locality./.

Photo contest on Vietnamese pandemic-fighting spirit launched

A photo contest that aims to spread the impressive images of Vietnamese people in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic has been launched.

Organised by the Vietnam Public Relations Network (VNPR), the Kien Cuong Viet Nam - Resilient Vietnam photo contest is open to both professional and amateur photographers, with two categories of awards: professional photos and mobile phone photos.

The committee will accept entries till September 30. The awards ceremony is expected to take place on October 10, 2020, virtually on VNPR's Facebook page.

All Vietnamese and foreigners living in Vietnam, with no age restriction, can send photos to participate in the contest via the website vnpr.vn/kiencuongvietnam or email [email protected].

The jury of the contest is made up of prestigious Vietnamese photographers and veteran photojournalists of international news agencies as well as leading press organisations in Vietnam.

The entries must be photos taken in Vietnam with the theme the efforts of the local people, authorities at all levels, social organisations and enterprises in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and together overcoming difficulties caused by the virus.

Each competitor can submit one or more entries, not exceeding five photos. Photos are taken from January 23 to September 30 are eligible, with full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution or higher for photos taken in the Phone Photo category, and a resolution of more than 3,000 pixels for photos competing in the professional category.

In each entry, besides the photo, participants need to include information about its author, content, time and location of the shoot.

One gold, one silver and one bronze award will be given to best works in each category, in addition to one Inspiration Award.

The top photos selected by the organising board will be displayed at the exhibition entitled Kien Cuong Viet Nam – Resilient Vietnam. The winning works will also have the opportunity to appear in articles and publications of VNPR in domestic and international press./.

COVID-19: Campaign encourages people to wear masks

The Ministry of Health on August 26 launched a photo collection with the message “You’re still beautiful when wearing face masks”.

Many celebrities in the fields of art, cinema, and football joined the collection to encourage the community to regularly wear face masks to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

Head of the ministry’s department for communication and emulation Nguyen Dinh Anh said wearing face masks when going out and keeping physical distance are simple but effective measures against COVID-19.

Earlier, the ministry launched the music video Vung Tin Viet Nam (Be Confident, Viet Nam) to promote the fight against the pandemic in the country.

The video is part of a communication campaign initiated and implemented by the ministry  in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the theme "Niem Tin Chien Thang" (Confidence of Victory)./.

Malaysia looks to tighten borders

The Malaysian Ministry of Health has proposed the government continue tightening borders to cope with the increasing number of imported COVID-19 cases.

Director-general of the ministry’s health agency Noor Hisham Abdullah said on August 26 that 24 out of the 50 new infections recorded since August 20 were imported.

The number of such cases is increasing in recent days, so the government should not ease the border but “tighten” it, he said.

He added that the health ministry is closely monitoring the situation in some countries and territories such as the Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

The same day, the Singaporean Ministry of Health said travelers who have visited or transited through the Republic of Korea in the previous 14 days will be required to quarantine at a designated facility instead of their own place of residence.

This will take effect on August 29 and apply to all travelers who enter Singapore.

People who are placed in quarantine will also need to be tested for COVID-19 before their release./.

Close contacts of Vietnamese COVID-19 patients in RoK quarantined

Authorities of northern Ha Nam province and Hai Phong city are tracing and quarantining close contacts of two men who tested positive for coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 after arriving in the Republic of Korea (RoK).

Deputy Director of the Health Department of Ha Nam province Nguyen Trong Khai said on August 26 morning that after receiving confirmation from the Korean authorities regarding the COVID-19 case of a 24-year-old male named N.N.C in Kim Bang district, health workers have set up surveillance zone around his residence and identified 68 people who he came into contact with him.

According to Khai, the man went to the RoK on August 20 on a flight with a fellow Vietnamese from the northern city of Hai Phong, also confirmed SARS-CoV-2 positive by health authorities there.

Both of them are not listed in the Vietnamese health ministry's COVID-19 registry as of August 25 morning.

Before departing to the RoK, he worked in Hanoi and left for his hometown, also held a farewell party at his home and at a restaurant.

Fifty six close contacts (F1 cases) in Ha Nam were placed under quarantine and had their specimens taken to be tested for COVID-19.

The province’s health workers are coordinating with counterparts in other localities to locate identified F1 cases and place them under medical observation.

Meanwhile, the man on the same flight was confirmed by Hai Phong city’s authorities to be a student who was repatriated from the RoK in March. The man had visited central Da Nang city and Quang Nam province, the country's current COVID-19 epicentre, from July 24-27, but had been self-isolating at his home.

He returned to the RoK on August 20 to continue his studies but tested positive for coronavirus. He is currently in a stable condition.

Hai Phong authorities have identified 25 people he had close contact with and a further 197 people who came into contact with those people. So far, these 25 people have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2./.

Ministry launches music video to promote fight against COVID-19

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has launched a music video titled “Vung tin Vietnam” (Be Confident, Vietnam) to promote the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

The video is part of a communication campaign initiated and implemented by the MoH in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the theme “Niem Tin Chien Thang” (Confidence of Victory).

The campaign aims to promote all of society to participate in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The video was produced on the platform of both Vietnamese and international music, based on the lyrics and melody of the song with the same title “Vung tin Vietnam” by Pham Minh Thanh, performed by Thanh with singer Ha Le and the harmony by Tung Tic.

The video features daily life across the country in the fight against the pandemic.

The video aims to increase public awareness as well as to pay tribute to anti-pandemic forces on the frontline of the campaign such as experts, physicians, medical staff, the military and millions of workers.

It also shows the public living safely and happily with COVID-19 and people taking many actions to help each other overcome difficulties.

In addition to many rustic and simple features, the video has a youthful and modern melody, with the rap performed by Ha Le particularly popular.

Celebrities including national football team midfielder Bui Tien Dung, outstanding student Khang A Tua, famous backpacker Tran Dang Dang Khoa and disabled activist Nguyen Thi Van star in the video.

It was released on Monday evening on different social networks and mass media such as YouTube, Facebook, Zalo, Lotus, TikTok, Gapo of the MoH, UNDP, Grab Vietnam and music platforms like Nhaccuatui, Keeng and Spotify.

The MoH launched the Niem Tin Chien Thang campaign early this month to spread the message of "confidence of victory" and encourage the community to make all efforts to control the pandemic.

The campaign aims to appeal for all classes of society to fully implement measures in the prevention and control the disease by following healthy lifestyles to live safely with the pandemic and continue socio-economic development

It also aims to convey a message calling for solidarity and spreading love to the community, especially the vulnerable groups in society.

The campaign which will take place until the end of September.

Acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said the campaign was launched in line with the evolution of the pandemic in the new period.

"With the campaign, the ministry wishes to call on all Vietnamese people, especially youths, to raise awareness and fully implement measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We hope the campaign will motivate people to dedicate, share and spread love to all classes to join hands to fight off the pandemic.

"Every citizen, be a soldier on the pandemic prevention and control front. Unite, together we will conquer this plague," said Long./.

Nearly 350 Vietnamese repatriated from Europe, Africa

Close to 350 Vietnamese citizens in Europe and Africa were brought home aboard a Vietnam Airlines flight on August 26 and 27.

The flight was arranged by Vietnamese authorities, the Vietnamese representative agencies in the two regions, the national flag carrier Vietnamese Airlines, and relevant agencies of over 20 host nations involved.

Passengers included children under 18, students who finished learning courses, the elderly, pregnant women, stranded tourists, and workers with expired visas or labour contracts.

The Vietnamese Consulate General in Frankfurt, Germany, sent staff to assist the citizens in handling boarding procedures at the Frankfurt Airport where all of them gathered to fly home.

Security, safety and hygiene measures were carried out throughout the flight to protect their health and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Upon landing at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, those on board received health check-ups and were sent to concentrated quarantine facilities.

More flights are set to be conducted in the time ahead to repatriate Vietnamese citizens with disadvantaged circumstances, depending on their need and quarantine capacity at home./.

Locked down hospital reopens after one month

One more hospital in Da Nang has opened after a month of disinfection after the COVID-19 outbreak, but strict safety conditions will remain in place.

Director of the city’s General Hospital, Dr Le Duc Nhan said the lockdown was lifted on Tuesday evening, but it could only manage operations at 30 per cent capacity.

He said the hospital has 2,000 staff, but only 350 are available as the others are at quarantine centres, while 150 have been helping COVID-19 patients at the city’s Lung Disease Hospital.

Nhân said the hospital will resume full capacity when all medical staff return.

“We only offer treatment to patients with serious ailments at the moment, and all patients and medical staff will be trained on precautions,” Nhân said.

Last week, Hoan My Da Nang Private Hospital began receiving patients after a month-long lockdown after a COVID-19 patient had visited the site.

Restrictions were eased at some markets and residential areas in the city after testing results came back negative.

The city’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC) will conduct a mass test of all students and teachers before the high-school examination from August 26 to September 1.

At least 40 students who had close contact with SARS-CoV-2 positive cases will be assigned to isolated rooms during the examination.

Authorities from Da Nang have called for support and co-ordinations from neighbouring provinces and cities to host residents, students and workers coming home from Da Nang.

At least 10,000 stranded students, residents and workers from different provinces have registered to come home. Special trains and flights will be arranged to carry stranded people.

Quang Nam Provincial health department has been keeping a close watch on a COVID-19 patient (No 564) who was infected again with SARS-CoV-2 on August 22.

The department said the 19-year-old patient, who had been treated at the hospital for two weeks in early August, had fully recovered from COVID-19 after testing negative four consecutive times. She was taken home for isolation.

However, she tested positive with the coronavirus again in August – four days after leaving the hospital.

Social distancing orders were officially eased in Quang Ngai City from Tuesday evening after the province did not report positive cases for 16 days.

The province said coffee shops and restaurants are opened as well as meetings and weddings, but attendees will be limited to 50. Face masks, hand-washing and a two-metre distance are still required in public.

Up to 341 workers returning from Da Nang last week tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 on Monday. These workers have been isolated at quarantine centres for two weeks.

Da Nang receives support from donors in COVID-19 fight

A large number of businesses, collectives and individuals have continued to provide money, medical equipment and food to Da Nang through the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee to support the central city in fighting COVID-19 pandemic.

The America Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham) presented the city with medical equipment valued at 550 million VND (23,769 USD).

The VinaCapital Group and VinaCapita Foundation gave Da Nang 13,000 face masks, 6,300 protective clothes, face shields and hand sanitisers.

Meanwhile, the Vietnam Tennis Federation also donated 1,500 protective clothes and 42,500 medical face masks with a total value of 128 million VND to the city.

Addressing a ceremony on August 26 to receive the gifts, Vice President of VFF Committee of Da Nang Duong Dinh Lieu thanked the donors for their support, which he described as the strong encouragement for the city to overcome the pandemic and resume normal life for locals.

He said that from July 27 to August 21, the VFF Committees at all levels of Da Nang received more than 51 billion VND (2.2 million VND) in cash, medical equipment and necessities from donors across the country.

Lieu affirmed that all assistance provided by donors have been allocated in a timely and effective way to pandemic prevention and control forces and needy people.

Vietnam’s 99 days of no recorded community infections and only imported cases ended on July 25 when Patient 416 was confirmed in Da Nang, leading to the discovery of several hundred local infections connected to this outbreak in the central coastal city./.

Cambodia’s kindergartens, primary schools to reopen in September

The Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport recently gave green light to the reopening of kindergartens and primary schools next month, after an over-3-month closure as the COVID-19 situation improves in the country.

Cambodia recorded no new COVID-19 infections on August 26, marking the 12th consecutive day without any new case.

Ministry spokesman Ros Soveacha said on August 25 that schools are allowed to reopen if they can ensure criteria related to safety and well-being of students and staffs.

Cambodia has so far reported 273 COVID-19 cases, of which 264 have recovered fully./.

Australia supports access to COVID-19 vaccines

Australia will support the Gavi COVAX Facility Advance Market Commitment (COVAX AMC) to improve access for Pacific and Southeast Asian countries to safe, effective and affordable COVID-19 vaccines.
The COVAX AMC will secure and distribute COVID-19 vaccines for all countries, not just those that can afford to purchase or manufacture vaccines themselves.

Australia’s contribution of USD80 million will help secure COVID-19 vaccines for Pacific Island and Southeast Asian countries. The AMC will address the acute phase of the pandemic, providing doses for up to 20 percent of countries’ populations in its first phase, ensuring that health care workers and vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, have access.

Access to vaccines will play a critical role in the economic recovery of our region from this pandemic.

Pacific countries eligible for COVAX AMC support include Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Kiribati. Eligible countries from Southeast Asia are Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, The Philippines and Vietnam.
Australia’s investment builds on our strong support for Gavi. Australia will continue to promote health security in our region through our role as the Vice-Chair of the Gavi Board.

International investment in vaccine manufacturing and procurement is stronger when nations work together. In making this investment, Australia joins key donors such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy and Norway.

The COVAX AMC forms part of the wider COVAX Facility, a global mechanism designed to enable rapid, fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines to end the acute phase of the pandemic by 2021.

Four COVID-19 patients, with the first one in Dak Lak receive discharge

Four patients who had been suffering from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) were announced to have made a recovery from the SARS-CoV-2 virus on August 26, including the first case to hit the Central Highland province of Dak Lak. 

This comes after the Hospital of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease based in Dak Lak province confirmed that the locality’s first COVID-19 patient had successfully made a full recovery.

Following treatment lasting for a period of 24 days, the patient tested negative for COVID-19 six consecutive times.

Furthermore, the remaining three patients were also given the all-clear and were subsequently released from the Da Nang Hospital for Lung Diseases after going on to test negative for SARS-CoV-2 three times.

Two of the individuals are from Da Nang, a pandemic hotspot, whilst the other is residing in the central province of Quang Nam.

All of the recently discharged patients will now undergo quarantine for a further 14 days, in line with the Health Ministry’s regulations.

At present, the country has so far recorded 1,029 COVID-19 cases, including 28 fatalities with underlying health conditions. In addition, the nation has also successfully treated 596 COVID-19 patients. 

Source: VNA/VNN/VNS/VOV/Dtinews