Vietnam Covid-19 Updates (March 2): Hanoi Passes 13,000 Infections

Photo: Suc Khoe & Doi song

Covid-19: New cases almost reach 99,000 on March 1

The country confirmed a further 98,762 Covid-19 cases on March 1 across 63 cities and provinces nationwide, with Hanoi continuing to lead the tally with 13,323 infections. Localities recording thousands of Covid-19 cases include Quang Ninh (4,011), Bac Ninh (3,933), Nghe An (3,864), Lao Cai (3,398), Hung Yen (3,393), and Son La (3,087).

The Ministry of Health confirmed an additional 86 Covid-19 deaths on the same day, including 20 in Hanoi, thereby raising the national death toll to over 40,338 or 1.1% of total infections.

There are 3,851 patients in critical conditions, while an additional 86 deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours, taking the total fatalities to 40,338, accounting for 1.1 percent of the caseload.

Photo: VTC News

Asymptomatic Covid patients should not use Molnupiravir: MoH

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has advised asymptomatic Covid-19 patients to not use Molnupiravir as part of their treatment. The MoH said Molnupiravir should only be used to treat mild to moderate cases in patients with at least one risk factor for severe disease progression.

The medicine should only be used by patients with symptoms that have developed for five days or less, and Molnupiravir should not be used for more than five days consecutively. In particular, it should not be used for post or pre-exposure prophylaxis. The advice came after local medical units reported that people have been flocking to buy the medicine to store in advance, or by people with Covid but without symptoms.

The ministry said that patients with mild symptoms should use the medicine when their saturation of peripheral oxygen (SpO2) is higher than 96 percent and the respiratory rate is less than 20 times per minute. Those with moderate symptoms should use the medicine when the SpO2 is at 94-96 percent, the respiratory rate is 20-25 times per minute, and when an x-ray lung lesion shows less than 50 percent.

Those with underlying diseases can also use the medicine, the ministry said. The dosage of the medicine is 800mg, two times a day, over five days.

Molnupiravir is not recommended for use during pregnancy. Breastfeeding women are told to not breastfeed while using the medicine and for four days after the last dose of Molnupiravir. The medicine should also not be used on Covid-19 patients under 18 years old, as it can affect the development of bones and cartilage. Molnupiravir can affect sperm in men, therefore, a reliable method of contraception should be used during treatment and for at least three months after the last dose of Molnupiravir.

Photo: Hanoimoi

HCM City opens training course on vaccination for children aged 5 - 11

The Ho Chi Minh City Centre for Disease Control (HCDC) on March 1 opened a training course on safe vaccination for children aged 5 - 11. The course, which will last until March 11, will provide training for about 1,350 members of local vaccination teams, with the guidance given by experts from three children’s hospitals in the city.

About 963,000 children aged 5 - 11 in HCM City need to be vaccinated against Covid-19, according to data from the Department of Education and Training and the Department of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs. To gear up for this vaccination campaign, the municipal Department of Health said it has made all-around preparations such as training, personnel, and emergency aid, and is only waiting for the Ministry of Health’s decision to start.

Earlier, the Department of Education and Training ordered local schools to collect opinions from students’ parents, most of whom voiced support for inoculating their children against the disease.

On February 5, the Government issued a resolution on purchasing the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer for children aged between 5 and under 12. The number of Covid-19 cases among local children has been on the rise, especially when schools have reopened. From February 13 to 26, there were 2,659 confirmed cases who are children under 18, according to the Department of Education and Training.

Photo: Lao Dong

Children aged 5-11 to get 0.2ml of Pfizer vaccine each dose

Children aged between 5 and 11 in Vietnam will be administered Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine with a dosage of 0.2ml, according to the Ministry of Health.

The ministry on March 1 issued a decision amending Article 1 of a decision on conditional approval of vaccines for urgent needs in Covid-19 prevention and control. People aged from 12 will receive 0.3ml of Pfizer each dose.

The Government recently decided to buy 21.9 million doses of Pfizer for children aged 5-11. As of February 27, Vietnam had administered 193.6 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines.

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