Photo: Zing

Daily Covid-19 count falls to 16,515, new Omicron outbreak detected

After peaking at more than 17,000 cases on December 30, Vietnam’s daily count fell roughly 500 to 16,515 on December 31, the last day of 2021, the Ministry of Health said in its coronavirus update. Of the total, 11,337 cases were detected in the community through random testing or test scanning. About 39 people tested positive upon arriving from overseas.

The MoH also added 18,642 recoveries and 226 fatalities to the national Covid-19 database. The outbreak remains complicated in localities across three regions of the country, with most cases documented in the south.

Hanoi capital recorded the largest number of new cases during the past 24 hours, at 1,914, followed by Vinh Long, Ca Mau, and Binh Phuoc that all registered more than 1,000 cases each. Notably, the MoH confirmed an additional 14 Omicron cases in Quang Nam following the first case detected in Hanoi on December 27. The new patients had returned from the United States and the Republic of Korea.

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Quang Ninh assists Lao province in Covid-19 combat

Quang Ninh province of Vietnam has presented 20,000 USD to the Lao province of Luang Prabang to assist the latter in the fight against Covid-19. Vietnam’s Consul General in Luang Prabang Nguyen Dang Hung handed over the aid to local authorities on December 31.

Hung said although Quang Ninh is also coping with a complex Covid-19 situation, its Party organization, administration, and people still wish to join hands with their Luang Prabang counterparts in the pandemic prevention and control. They also believe that the Lao province will bring the outbreak under control and take measures to return all activities back to normal.

For his part, Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Committee and Governor of Luang Prabang province Khamkhan Chanthavisouk thanked Quang Ninh for its assistance, describing this as a demonstration of its solidarity with the three northern Lao provinces it has been twinned with, including Luang Prabang. He expressed his hope that the relations, cooperation, and mutual support between Quang Ninh and Luang Prabang will be further enhanced in the time ahead. In the coming days, the Consulate General of Vietnam in Luang Prabang is set to deliver Quang Ninh’s aid, 10,000 USD each, to the other two northern Lao provinces, Houaphanh and Xayaboury, to help with the Covid-19 combat there.

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More students return to school from January 4 in HCM City

The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has approved a plan to allow an additional 680,000 students in secondary and high school grades to return to school on January 4. Students in grades 7, 8, 10, and 11 will resume in-person classes next week, after the New Year holiday.

On December 13, around 150,000 students in grades 9 and 12 in the city returned to school after nearly eight months at home due to the pandemic. Under the new plan, only 6th graders will not be allowed to return to school. Thanh An island commune in Can Gio district will allow all students from grades 1 to 12 to go back to school on January 4. The decision was made after the city’s Department of Education and Training proposed to let more than 680,000 students return to classes after the New Year holiday.

Students in these grades have been fully vaccinated and safety plans have been prepared. Students will be reviewing lessons and completing mid-term exams from January 4 to January 22. Other educational facilities, such as foreign language, informatics, and life skills centers, will be allowed to resume in-person classes if their Covid-19 prevention and control plans have been approved by district-level authorities.

Two weeks after the pilot plan to welcome back 150,000 students in grades 9 and 12 to school, 47 Covid-19 cases were detected among schools in 15 districts, including 40 students. However, according to the city’s Department of Education and Training, the situation was put under control due to the preparation of response plans.

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Resolution on medical mechanisms, policies for Covid-19 fight

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue has signed a decision of the NA Standing Committee regarding a number of mechanisms and policies in the health care sector serving Covid-19 prevention and control activities. The decision, signed on December 30, covers the mobilization of human resources for testing, vaccination, and treatment; treatment costs and payment; the management of drug and drug ingredients; the stabilization of medical equipment prices; and policies for those who are mobilized for pandemic prevention and control.

According to the resolution, medical examination and treatment practitioners in Vietnam, including foreigners, are allowed to carry out testing, vaccination, medical examination, and treatment for Covid-19 other than the scope of their certificated professional activities.

Foreigners and overseas Vietnamese, who are licensed by a foreign competent authority to practice medical examination and treatment, are entitled to perform Covid-19 testing, vaccination, medical examination, and treatment at Covid-19 treatment medical facilities. They do not need a medical examination and treatment practice certificate issued by a competent authority of Vietnam. The resolution took effect immediately after being signed.

Vietnam Covid-19 Updates (Dec. 31): Daily Infection Tally Rises to 17,000 Over 24 Hours The past seven days have seen the country record an average of 15,289 daily Covid-19 cases compared to 18,134 daily cases during the previous week.

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