Photo: Doanh Nghiep & Tiep Thi

Covid-19: New cases on April 5 total 54,995

The number of new Covid-19 cases came to 54,995 in the past 24 hours from 4 pm April 4 to 4 pm April 5, up 6,280 from the previous day, according to the Ministry of Health. Hanoi continued to report the highest number of infections on the day with 5,199 cases, followed by Nghe An with 2,925 and Phu Tho with 2,827.

Despite the big number of infections due to the highly contagious variant Omicron, the numbers of serious patients and fatalities have dropped strongly thanks to the high vaccine coverage and better treatment.

Photo: Thanh Nien

HCM City to vaccinate children aged 5-12 against Covid-19 by September

Ho Chi Minh City is to vaccinate all children aged 5 to 12 against Covid-19 by this September, according to an urgent plan by the municipal People’s Committee on the work.

Nearly 900,000 children in the southern metropolis are expected to be inoculated under the plan. The city’s Department of Education and Training and Department of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs have been asked to review and compile a list of the eligible prior to the vaccination campaign.

The municipal People’s Committee requested localities to work together with the health sector in response to adverse incidents, and relevant agencies to keep a close watch on the children following Covid-19 inoculation. As of April 4, more than 206.55 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines had been administered across the country.

Photo: Suc Khoe & Doi Song

SEA Games 31: Agencies asked to build suitable Covid-19 control plan

Medical agencies have been asked to build a specific Covid-19 prevention and control plan corresponding with that of regional countries, in preparation for the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31). Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son made the request during an April 4 meeting of the Medical and Anti-Doping Sub-Committee of the Games regarding Covid-19 prevention measures during the regional event, which saw the participation of representatives of the departments of health of the 12 host localities.

The Ministry of Health has compiled a work plan serving the coming Games, according to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue, Director of the Ministry’s Department of Medical Examination and Treatment. The sub-committee is tasked with providing health care for delegates, athletes, and staff engaging in the sporting event, as well as curbing the spread of diseases, particularly Covid-19, during the Games.

It must guarantee food safety, appoint personnel and prepare equipment to carry out its tasks during the event. As the capital city of Hanoi will host the largest number of competitions, the municipal Health Department has been asked to devise specific scenarios for the opening and closing ceremonies.

SEA Games 31, themed “For a stronger South East Asia”, will run in Hanoi and 11 neighboring localities from May 12 to 23. It will feature 40 sports with 526 events and expect to attract around 10,000 participants. The biennial event was initially slated for late 2021 but was delayed due to the pandemic’s impact.

Photo: VNA

Over 92 percent of students resume face-to-face learning

Up to 92.17 percent of Vietnamese students have returned to school, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son said at the Government’s regular press conference on April 4 evening. According to him, earlier the same day, Hanoi had announced its plan to get pupils from the first to sixth grades in 30 districts and townships across the city back to school for face-to-face learning from April 6. Hanoi is also the only locality in Vietnam that is yet to allow the reopening of pre-schools.

Also speaking at the Government’s press conference, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Doan Van Viet said that the number of foreign tourists failed to meet expectations, after the country piloted the welcome of foreign holiday-makers to several certain localities in November 2021 and began the full reopening on March 15.

At present, 70 percent of the visitors to Vietnam come from Northeast Asia, Viet said, expecting an increase in the number of those from other regions. He stressed the need for Vietnam to continue bettering communications on policies related to visas, health, and entry; stepping up tourism promotion in key markets, and issuing more open health policies to make visitors feel secure coming to the country.

Vietnam Covid-19 Updates (April 5): Additional 48,717 Cases Reported The new transmissions bring the total caseload in the country to 9,867,045 since the start of the pandemic. More than 206.55 million doses of Covid-19 ...

Vietnam Covid-19 Updates (April 4): Daily Infections Keep Falling Sharply As of 6 pm on April 3, Vietnam has confirmed 9,818,328 Covid-19 cases since the start of the outbreak, ranking 12th out of 227 countries ...

Vietnam Covid-19 Updates (April 3): Daily Infections Fall to One Month Low As of 6 pm on April 2, Vietnam has confirmed 9,716,282 Covid-19 cases since the start of the outbreak, ranking 12th out of 227 countries ...