Photo: Bao Khanh Hoa

Covid-19: Daily infections fall by 12,500 to 150,000 in Vietnam

Daily coronavirus infections fell to 150,618 in Vietnam on March 19, down by 12,559 cases compared to the previous day, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said in its coronavirus update at 6 pm. Of the total, 150,606 cases were locally acquired, with 99,644 cases documented in the community. Twelve cases tested positive upon returning from overseas, and the remainder were diagnosed in quarantine and lockdown areas.

Most of the cases were recorded in northern Vietnam. Hanoi capital topped localities nationwide registering 21,071 new cases, down 2,507 cases from a day ago. The capital was followed by Nghe An, Phu Tho, Hai Duong, Lang Son, and Tuyen Quang which reported 11,099, 6,681, 4,938, 4,713, and 4,598 fresh cases respectively. It is noteworthy that Hanoi capital and Bac Ninh correspondingly registered to add 190,000 and 35,250 cases to the national Covid-19 database.

Official data from the MoH show the daily average number of new infections recorded in Vietnam in the past seven days was 168,014. The past 24 hours saw 129,434 patients recovering from the disease and 77 patients die of the virus and other underlying illnesses.

Photo: VOV

Vietnam considers licensing locally made Nanocovax Covid-19 vaccine

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has requested the Ministry of Health to consider issuing a registration certificate for the domestic circulation of homegrown Nanocovax vaccine against Covid-19.

Nanocovax has been developed by Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Joint Stock Company since May 2020 based on recombinant protein technology.

Scientists have conducted human clinical trials of the vaccine with three phases in December 2020, February 2021, and June 2021. Approximately 13,000 volunteers have gone through phase III of the trial to evaluate the protective efficacy of the vaccine on the community. The phase was carried out in a number of localities across the country.

Photo: QDND

Pedestrian spaces in Hanoi resume operation

The walking zone surrounding the Hoan Kiem Lake and Old Quarter in downtown Hanoi re-opened on March 18 after nearly 10 months of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The resumption right at the time when Vietnam fully opened to tourism activities is hoped to create an attraction for domestic and foreign tourists.

The walking area around Hoan Kiem Lake spreads over 11 streets which are closed to traffic from Friday night through Sunday mid-night. It is linked to the pedestrian streets in the Old Quarter. For many years, pedestrian streets have been considered a unique tourism product of the capital city.

To prepare for the reopening of walking zones, authorities of wards in Hoan Kiem have been required to embellish the urban area, conduct environmental sanitation activities, and decorate streets with fresh flowers in order to create fresh colors for the areas. Business establishments and people living in the walking zones are required to strictly observe regulations on business and urban order.

Hoan Kiem district’s police have deployed interdisciplinary working teams to ensure security and order in the pedestrian zones in Hoan Kiem Lake and its vicinity. In the context that the pandemic is still evolving, to ensure safety for locals and visitors, Hoan Kiem district’s authorities have developed a plan for epidemic prevention and control at the walking space in the area. Accordingly, visitors are not allowed to join walking activities if they have one of the symptoms of cough, fever. They must scan the QR code or make a medical declaration, and always seriously observe the health ministry’s 5K message.

Vietnam Covid-19 Updates (March 19): 163,174 New Covid-19 Infections As of 6 pm on March 18, Vietnam has detected 7,367,112 Covid-19 cases since the start of the outbreak, ranking 14th out of 225 countries ...

Vietnam Covid-19 Updates (March 18): 24-hour Covid-19 Tally Hits Over 178,000 Compared with Asia, the total number of deaths in Vietnam ranks sixth out of 49th (3rd in ASEAN), the death rate per 1 million people ...

Vietnam Covid-19 Updates (March 17): Daily Count Rises to More Than 180,000 in Vietnam As of 6 pm on March 16, Vietnam has detected 6,820,458 Covid-19 cases since the start of the outbreak, ranking 20th out of 225 countries ...