A COVID-19 patient is treated at Ho Chi Minh City's Cho Ray Hospital

Vietnam has gone through 75 consecutive days without new COVID-19 cases recorded in the community on June 30 morning, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Among the total 355 infections, 215 were imported and quarantined upon arrival.

At present, 9,877 people having close contact with patients or entering from pandemic-hit areas are quarantined at hospitals, concentrated quarantine facilities, and homes.

The committee’s treatment sub-committee reported that 335 patients have given all-clear and there is no death.

Twenty patients are being treated at health facilities nationwide and most are in stable condition. One tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once and three tested negative at least twice./.

Five more COVID-19 patients recover

Five more COVID-19 patients have been given the all-clear at the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control said on June 29.

They are patients 344, 346, 348, 351, and 352, and all are now in a stable condition.

All recovered patients are then placed in quarantine for 14 days.

As of the same day, 335 out of 355 patients that tested positive to SARS-CoV-2 have recovered and there have been zero fatalities.

There remain 20 patients under treatment at hospitals.

Vietnam had no new COVID-19 cases to report on June 29 morning, marking 74 days in a row without new local transmissions, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

The total number of confirmed cases stood at 355, with 215 being imported cases./.

HCM City apartment building monitored after resident reinfected with Covid-19

Residents living on a floor of an apartment building in HCM City have been quarantined for monitoring after a man was found reinfected with SARS-CoV-2.

The HCM City Centre for Diseases Control announced late Monday evening that they were co-operating with local authorities to carry out viral tests for all residents living on the 12th floor of the Pham Viet Chanh Apartment Building in Binh Thanh District after a man here tested positive for SARS-CoV2 on June 28.

The man had been successfully treated for Covid-19 and was discharged from hospital some 20 days ago.

According to head of the Ministry of Health's Communications Department, Nguyen Dinh Anh, the man was a 20-year-old student who returned from France on May 24. He tested positive for the virus on May 25 and was treated at a local hospital.

After being discharged from hospital on June 9, he had been further monitored for 14 days at a quarantine area in Binh Thanh District. He returned home at the apartment building six days ago and has been regularly given viral tests.

As of Tuesday morning, Vietnam has gone 75 consecutive days without recording any new Covid-19 infection cases in the community, said the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.

Among the total 355 infections, 215 were imported and isolated upon arrival.

335 patients have been successfully treated and no deaths reported so far.

There are now twenty patients being treated in stable condition.

Vietnam among recipients of RoK’s ODA to fight COVID-19

Vietnam will be among the developing countries to receive official development assistance (ODA) totaling 36 billion won (nearly 30 million USD) this year from the Republic of Korea (RoK) to fight COVID-19 and accelerate their sustainable development, according to the RoK’s Foreign Ministry.

A press release of the ministry said besides Vietnam, other recipients include Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Ethiopia, Colombia and Cambodia, adding the money is to intensify the RoK’s humanitarian assistance and medical cooperation.

The decision on this effect was made on the basis of the comprehensive consideration of the priorities in the RoK’s policies, it said and added that the country will consider whether to increase the recipients of the assistance depending on the cooperation need.

The same day, the RoK announced it recorded another 42 COVID-14 cases, bringing the national total to 12,757.

Thailand to extend state of emergency by one more month

Thailand’ Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on June 19 decided to extend the national state of emergency by another month to July 31.

The decision was made during a CCSA meeting chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

The CCSA decision comes even as Thailand proceeds with its final phase of easing its lockdown measures. Among the venues allowed to reopen on July 1 as part of Phase 5 are all schools, bars and nightclubs, as well as entertainment venues such as karaoke bars and soapy massage parlours, and game and internet cafes - all considered to be high risk for an outbreak.

The first phase began on May 3 with the reopening of parks, restaurants, open air sports venues and salons.

As of June 29, Thailand had confirmed 3,169 COVID-19 cases, including 58 deaths.

Meanwhile, Indonesia reported 1,082 new coronavirus cases on June 29, taking the national total number of infections to 55,092, according to the country’s health ministry.

The Southeast Asian nation also recorded 51 more deaths on the day, sending the total number of COVID-19 fatalities to 2,805, the highest in East Asia outside China.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines soared to 36,438 after the country's Department of Health reported 985 more infections on June 29.

The department said in its bulletin that the number of recoveries further rose to 9,956 after 270 more patients have survived the disease.

The death toll also increased to 1,255 after 11 more patients have succumbed to the viral disease, it added.

Indonesian President orders quick disbursement of budget for COVID-19 fight

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has ordered the Health Ministry to immediately disburse the 75 trillion rupiah (5.26 billion USD) budget earmarked to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

Addressing the Cabinet meeting to evaluate outcomes in the COVID-19 fight on June 29, the President called for the ministry to cut complicated procedures to allow the prompt disbursement of the emergency funds.

According to him, claims from hospitals must be paid as soon as possible. Incentives to medical workers and laboratory staff must also be given as immediately as possible.

His order came after a video of an uncharacteristic reprimand, released online at the weekend by the presidential palace, expressing his anger and disappointment that only 1.53 percent of the total budget had been disbursed and instructed Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto to speed up spending.

The government has allocated the budget for several purposes, ranging from upgrading 132 referral hospitals across the country to provision of incentives to health workers.

The bulk of the 75 trillion rupiah budget is earmarked for buying medical equipment, enhancing health facilities and infrastructure and supporting health workers, according to Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture.

Incentives for doctors and nurses range from five million rupiah to 15 million rupiah each month, while allowances for each family of deceased health workers are 300 million rupiah.

During the June 29 meeting, the President also again called for a "breakthrough" in dealing with the pandemic, such as mobilising medical workers from Jakarta to regions with high rates of contagion and distributing more health equipment to areas in dire need.

He also warned regions to prepare well before easing their restrictions and moving transition into the new normal and underlined the need to involve community and religious leaders, sociologists and anthropologists in public communication about the virus in order to reach out to people at the grass roots.

Latest flight repatriates Vietnamese nationals from Europe due to COVID-19

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines conducted a special flight between June 28 and June 29 with over 280 Vietnamese citizens returning home after being left stranded in France and other European countries due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.

The arrival of the repatriation flight comes after joint support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, the Vietnamese Embassy in France, alongside relevant agencies from both nations.

Passengers boarding the flight were made up of minors under the age of 18, the elderly, sick individuals suffering from underlying diseases, pregnant women, guest workers whose labour contracts had been terminated, and students without residence due to the closure of their living accommodation.

To successfully arrange the flight amid the complicated COVID-19 situation in Europe, the Vietnamese Embassy in France has been working closely with local authorities to assist citizens with necessary procedures before they boarded the aircraft.

Moreover, Vietnam Airlines strictly implemented security, safety, and epidemiology measures for the duration of the flight to protect the health of passengers and prevent the possible spread of the virus.

Upon arrival at Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh province, every passenger and crew member on board the flight underwent medical check-ups and were subsequently transferred into quarantine facilities according to regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control.

In line with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s instructions, Vietnamese  authorities, Vietnamese representative agencies abroad, and domestic airlines will continue to conduct similar flights to bring overseas Vietnamese nationals back to the homeland in the coming months.