Photo: VNA

Covid-19: Daily caseload hits 34,737

The Ministry of Health confirmed 34,737 coronavirus infections detected across all 63 cities and provinces across the country during the past 24 hours, an increase of nearly 3,000 cases compared to the previous day. Of the total, as many as 25,026 cases were diagnosed in the community, meaning the virus infection risk is very high.

Most of the cases were reported in the north, as people returned to work after the nine-day lunar New Year holiday and localities are launching spring festivals that attract large crowds, according to VOV.

Hanoi capital topped localities, registering 3,888 new cases, followed by Thai Nguyen, Hai Duong, Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Phu Tho, Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh, Vinh Phuc, and Bac Ninh recorded from 1,000 to more than 2,000 cases each.

Daily infection numbers also rose slightly in other localities and central and southern regions. Notably, Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s largest metropolis in the south, announced 620 new cases in a single day, an increase of 279 cases compared to the previous day.

Photo: Suc Khoe & Doi song

HCM City raises the pandemic level of many communes, wards

With Ho Chi Minh City remaining at Level 1 of pandemic risk (low-risk – new normal), 37 out of the city's total 312 wards and communes have seen their risk rise to Level 2 of medium-risk when the city began assessing its pandemic level following Decision 218 of the Ministry of Health on February 14, according to the municipal Department of Health.

Among those localities, 28 have a lower-than-requirement rate of full vaccination; and three have recorded a death rate among Covid-19 patients higher than 6 per 100,000 persons, among other causes.

Given such developments, the department recommended the communes and wards focus on getting their residents to receive full doses of Covid-19 vaccines; and intensify communications activities to raise public awareness of self-testing and prompt reports of infections to the authorities to minimize the rates of severe cases and deaths from the coronavirus.

After the Lunar New Year holiday – the longest festival in Vietnam that always sees heavy traffic as people often rush for their family reunion, daily Covid-19 cases in HCM City grew slightly but declined to less than 200 on February 13 and 14 with a very low number of related deaths.

Photo: SGGP

About 153,000 foreigners fly from/to Vietnam since the pilot resumption of int'l flights

About 153,000 foreign passengers flew from/to Vietnam from the time the country launched a pilot program to resume international flights in January to February 14, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV). With the lifting of restrictions on international passenger flights, foreign arrivals to Vietnam are expected to surge in the coming time and gradually recover to that before Covid-19 broke out, the authority said.

On February 15, or the first day of the reopening of regular international flights, Noi Bai airport in Hanoi saw 80 international flights, including 23 passenger flights. Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City served 94 international flights on the day.

Budget airline Vietjet Air and national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines have announced plans to increase flight frequency and resume international networks.

Photo: Nhan Dan

HCM City plans for vaccinating nearly one million children aged 5-11 against Covid-19

Ho Chi Minh City plans to vaccinate 970,000 children aged 5-11 against Covid-19. Nguyen Hong Tam, deputy director of the city’s Centre for Disease Control (HCDC), said on February 14 however it would have been approved by parents individually and is not obligatory.

HCDC has provided training to health workers at all levels in safe practices, vaccine storage, handling vaccination side effects, and others. Health agencies had worked with district authorities to persuade parents to vaccinate their children, he added.

Three Covid cases were detected in schools on February 14, the day they resumed classes for all grades. All students who had been in close contact with the patients tested negative, according to VNA.

Department of Education and Training has instructed schools to scrupulously comply with preventive measures, and test teachers, staff, and students who left the city during the Tet holidays. According to the department, around 66.32 percent of pre-school, 95.99 percent of primary school, and 94.96 percent of sixth-grade students attended classes on February 14.

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