Photo: Zing

Daily Covid-19 infections skyrocket to more than 162,000 in Vietnam

As many as 162,435 people have tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus in 62 cities and provinces across Vietnam during the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health (MoH) reported on March 8. The national daily count for March 8 represents an increase of 15,080 cases compared to the previous day, the MoH said in its coronavirus update at 6 pm.

Of the total, 104,353 cases were detected in the community, 20 people tested positive upon returning from overseas, and the remainder were documented in the lockdown and isolation areas. The same day the MoH announced an additional 70,902 recoveries and 86 more Covid-19 related deaths.

The capital city of Hanoi topped localities in infection numbers as 32,650 cases were reported during the day, an increase of more than 300 cases compared to the March 7 figure. Notably, the last 24 hours saw the central province of Nghe An record 15,292 new cases, up 5,139 cases against the previous day. Other localities that present the highest increase in daily infection numbers are Hai Phong and Bac Ninh registered 3,871 and 10,731 cases respectively, up 2,924 and 2,858 cases.

Photo: Suc Khoe & Doi song

Vietnam administers 198mln Covid-19 vaccine doses, one year on from start of the historic campaign

After one year of implementing the Covid-19 vaccination campaign, Vietnam has administered nearly 198.3 million doses of vaccines to people living in the country, becoming one of the six countries with the highest vaccination coverage in the world.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that the campaign has been a success, resulting in a high vaccination rate. In the Spring campaign alone, 14 million vaccine doses were administered, he noted, adding that Vietnam is considering the fourth shot to residents.

In only one year, Vietnam received 219 million vaccine doses, of which more than 197 million have been injected with nearly 181 million on adults and over 17 million on children aged from 12-17. So far, the country has basically injected two doses to all people from 12 years old.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 has generally replaced the Delta variant to attack the majority of localities, especially Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. In the time to come, Vietnam will give vaccine shots to children in the age group of 5-11 and is considering the injecting of the fourth dose to residents.

Photo: Suc Khoe & Doi Song

Safe reopening creates opportunities for Vietnam's tourism recovery

The Government has agreed with a proposal of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and other public agencies on safely reopening tourism activities by air, road, and sea in a new normal condition starting March 15. The ministry is now completing its related plan for submission to the Government and the Prime Minister as soon as possible, creating favorable conditions for both tourists and local services providers.

General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) Nguyen Trung Khanh said the opening of tourism needs to ensure Covid-19 prevention and control. In Vietnam, the vaccine coverage is high, but it is still necessary to pay attention to the risk of the emergence of new strains.

Regarding "vaccine passport", not many countries have so far recognized Vietnam’s vaccination certificate, making it difficult to bring Vietnamese tourists abroad and causing an imbalance in international air transport. Therefore, more negotiations are needed for the industry to access more abundant and better sources of tourists.

To ensure the recovery of Vietnam's tourism, it is necessary to improve the quality of products, facilities, and human resources. The VNAT will propose training and re-training programs for tourism workers as well as the extension of support policies, particularly in terms of finance and credit, for businesses and employees in the industry.

Vietnam Covid-19 Updates (March 8): More Than 147,300 New Infections As many as 36,993 Covid patients made a full recovery, with the total number of recovered patients in Vietnam reaching 2,718,440.

Vietnam Covid-19 Updates (March 7): More Than 142,000 New Infections Recorded As of 6 pm on March 6, Vietnam has detected 4,434,700 Covid-19 cases since the start of the outbreak, ranking 21st out of 225 countries ...

Vietnam Covid-19 Updates (March 6): Daily Infections Rise to More Than 130,000 As of 6 pm on March 5, Vietnam has detected 4,232,520 Covid-19 cases since the start of the outbreak, ranking 21st out of 225 countries ...