Photo: VNA

Vietnam logs additional 46,880 Covid-19 cases

The Health Ministry announced the detection of 46,880 new Covid-19 infections across 62 cities and provinces on February 21, marking a fall of 331 cases from the previous day. The Ministry of Health also confirmed 104 Covid-19 deaths on the same day, duly raising the national death toll to 39,605. The same day also saw 13,235 patients recover from the virus to taking the number of recoveries to over 2.294 million.

Hanoi continues to lead the way in terms of the number of infections with 5,477 cases, followed by the northern provinces Bac Ninh with 2,582 and Phu Tho with 1,908, according to VOV.

Meanwhile, the Ho Chi Minh City health department has called for better capabilities in order to detect and treat positive cases in preparation for a possible surge. The southern city had recorded nearly 3,500 cases over the past week, nearly three times compared to the week previously, although severe cases and deaths remain low.

Photo: VNA

Quarantine for fully vaccinated Covid-19 contacts shortened to five days

People who get at least two shots of Covid-19 vaccines and have close contact with Covid-19 patients will be quarantined for five days instead of seven days as previously, according to the Ministry of Health. In a document sent to localities and agencies on February 21, the ministry said the people should receive the final dose at least 14 days before or recover from the disease within three months. They will be quarantined at home, lodging facilities, or qualified establishments, the document said.

During the quarantine period, they will take a Covid-19 test on the fifth day. If the test result turns out negative, they will be under medical self-monitoring for another five days and seriously follow the health ministry’s 5K message.

Those who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated will be quarantined for seven days at home, lodging facilities, and other establishments, and tested for Covid-19 on the seventh day of the quarantine. They would be under medical self-monitoring for the next three days if the result is negative.

For Covid-19 patients, their home quarantine and treatment will be removed after seven days and their antigen test result is negative. If the test result is positive, the quarantine will be extended for another 10 days for patients fully vaccinated and 14 days for patients partially vaccinated.

Photo: VNA

Khanh Hoa busy preparing for int’l tourism restoration

Tourism businesses and authorities in Khanh Hoa province are swiftly making infrastructure and personnel preparations to welcome international tourists back as Vietnam is set to completely reopen to foreign travelers from March 15. Khanh Hoa, home to one of the most beautiful coasts in central Vietnam and experienced in the pilot reopening to foreign visitors, is now confident in reactivating tourism, Lao dong (Labour) newspaper reported.

Travel companies and hotels in the province are also ramping up preparations for international tourism restoration. Many enterprises in Khanh Hoa expressed their hope for easing entry regulations for foreign workers in the tourism industry.

To prepare for the reopening, the Khanh Hoa Tourism Association has organized an inter-sectoral survey team and instructed accommodation facilities, tourist attractions, transport, and travel companies, along with shops, in how to serve foreign tourists and take anti-Covid-19 measures.

Nguyen Thi Le Thanh, Director of the provincial Tourism Department, said basing on the initial success in reopening domestic tourism, Khanh Hoa has been working to attract international travelers back. It views the domestic market as the key factor in tourism recovery and also keeps a close watch on guidelines from the Government and the MCST so as to make appropriate moves in international tourism reactivation, she added.

Photo: VNA

Bamboo Airways operates first flight on Vietnam-Australia direct route

Vietnamese carrier Bamboo Airways operated the first flight connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Melbourne in Australia on February 19-20. According to the airline's Deputy General Director Truong Phuong Thanh, this is a new milestone in its roadmap to exploit Vietnam-Australia's direct air routes.

Along with the Ho Chi Minh City-Melbourne route, the airline has planned to open additional routes linking major cities of Vietnam and Australia, he said. The route helps shorten the travel time between the two cities to about eight hours, saving eight hours compared to transit flights.

Earlier in December, Bamboo Airways announced the launch of the Vietnam-Australia direct air route and signed agreements with Melbourne airport and Victoria State for the operation of the route.

Vietnam Covid-19 Updates (Feb. 21): Daily Count First Time Hits More Than 47,000 As of 6 pm on February 20, Vietnam has detected 2,787,493 Covid-19 cases since the start of the outbreak, ranking 32nd out of 225 countries ...

Vietnam Covid-19 Updates (Feb. 20): Nearly 42,000 New Cases Recorded As of 6 pm on February 19, Vietnam has detected 2,740,293 Covid-19 cases since the start of the outbreak, ranking 32nd out of 225 countries ...

Vietnam Covid-19 Updates (Feb. 19): Daily Caseload Hits 42,439 The national tally reached 2,685,463. There are 2,956 patients in critical conditions, while an additional 80 deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours, taking ...