COVID-19 Updates (October 4): Vietnam enters 32rd day without COVID-19 community infection

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Ceremony for patients discharged from Hoa Vang Field Hospital. (Photo: MOH)

Vietnam enters 32rd consecutive day without COVID-19 infection in the community

Vietnam had no new COVID-19 cases to report on October 4 morning, entering the 32nd consecutive day without infections in the community.

The country has to date confirmed 1,096 COVID-19 cases, including 691 local infections and the rest are imported, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control. Among the patients undergoing treatment, one has tested negative for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 once, two twice and four thrice.

So far, 1,020 patients have been successfully treated and there are now no patients in critical conditions. The death toll from the disease remained at 35, most of them elderly people with serious underlying conditions. As many as 16,447 people who had close contacts with COVID-19 patients or entered Vietnam from pandemic-hit regions are being quarantined across the county, including 718 in hospitals, 11,212 in concentrated quarantine establishments, and 4,547 at home.

Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam chaired a teleconference in Oct. 3. (Photo: Vietnam Plus)

Deputy PM: The pandemic could last until the end of 2021

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, Head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, chaired its national teleconference on October 3 to review the fight against the pandemic in the new situation.

Speaking at the event, Dam and said the World Health Organisation (WHO) forecast that the pandemic could last until the end of 2021 due to the unavailability of vaccines.

With the Party’s sound leadership, the PM and Government’s determination, and the close collaboration between the steering committee and ministries, agencies, and localities, Vietnam effectively and promptly localized affected areas, helping to achieve the dual goal of fighting the pandemic and ensuring economic growth. The country also stepped up cooperation with foreign experts and organizations to study the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, share treatment therapies, and offer mutual support, he said.

Workers receive gifts after losing jobs due to COVID-19 in Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: VNA)

Ministry proposes loosened conditions for access to support package

Businesses and workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic will likely have more opportunities to get access to the 62 trillion VND (2.6 billion USD) package, the first of its kind financed by the Government during the outbreak period. This is a key part of a proposal sent to the Government by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA) this week, revising and supplementing the Government’s Resolution 42/ND-CP on supporting people facing difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

If the proposal is approved, some conditions and requirements for businesses and workers will be eliminated and simplified. The number of beneficiaries is expected to increase. People who had to stop working temporarily will enjoy financial support from February 1, this year, instead of the current regulation from April 1.

Vice Chairman and General Secretary of the Hanoi Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (Hanoisme) Mac Quoc Anh said the association's members agreed with MoLISA’s proposal to loosen the conditions so that the 62 trillion VND package can be put into practice.

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