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5,382 new Covid cases, Ho Chi Minh City surpasses 400,000 case mark

A total of 5,382 people have tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Vietnam during the past 24 hours, with half of them detected in the community, according to the Ministry of Health in its 6 pm coronavirus update on October 4.

Ho Chi Minh City remains the largest coronavirus hotspot in Vietnam as it registered 2,490 new cases. It was followed by Binh Duong with 1,210 cases, Dong Nai 701, An Giang 222, and Soc Trang 118, all in the south. Khanh Hoa topped central localities in infection numbers, reporting 53 cases, followed by Quang Binh with 18 cases, Quang Ngai 17, Binh Dinh 14, Nghe An 10, and Quang Tri 9. Meanwhile, the Covid-19 outbreak proves complicated in the northern province Ha Nam as 36 new cases were recorded. Nearly 500 cases have been logged in the locality since the virus resurged in early September.

Notably, the number of infections in HCM City surpassed the 400,000 case mark, hitting 400,003 by October 4. The same day, the ministry announced that nearly 28,000 Covid-19 patients have been discharged from the hospital over the past 24 hours.

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HCM City prepares to inoculate students above 12

The HCM City Department of Education and Training has proposed a plan to the People’s Committee to vaccinate more than 642,000 students aged between 12 and 18 against Covid-19. It wants to complete the task before the end of the first semester in order to prepare for a return to school in the second. Remote learning has been extended indefinitely though the city has lifted most other lockdown restrictions.

Nguyen Van Vinh Chau, deputy director of the city Department of Health, said vaccinations for students would begin once the Ministry of Health puts out specific guidelines and there is enough supply of vaccines. His department has made a list of students aged 12 and above, but the vaccination schedule has yet to be drawn up and the city is still waiting for adequate vaccine supply, he said.

As of October 4, 96,4 percent of the city population aged 18 and above have received as least one dose of a vaccine, and 60.6 percent are fully inoculated, according to the HCM City Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Vietnam receives 1.5 million Covid-19 vaccine doses from COVAX

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a ceremony in Hanoi on October 4 to symbolically receive 1.5 million doses of Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine from the COVAX Facility with assistance from the US Government. Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dang Hoang Giang thanked the COVAX Facility and the US Government and people for their timely support as Vietnam is accelerating its Covid-19 vaccine inoculation drive.

He also highly appreciated the effective support from UN agencies, including the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the US in medical supplies and capacity building for Vietnamese health workers, saying Vietnam wishes to continue receiving such important assistance as well as consultancy for its post-pandemic recovery and socio-economic development in the coming time.

On behalf of the UN agencies, WHO Representative in Vietnam Dr. Kidong Park expressed his gratitude towards COVAX donors and highly spoke of Vietnam’s efforts to speed up vaccinations against Covid-19, particularly for priority groups and in most-affected cities and provinces. Park emphasized the need for Vietnam to further promote the “5K + vaccine” principle when the country resumes economic activities.

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Stay-home period for vaccinated Vietnamese visitors entering Singapore cut to 10 days

Singapore has decided to reduce the 14-day stay-home period to 10 days for fully vaccinated travelers arriving from higher-risk countries and regions, including Vietnam. The decision, which will take effect from Thursday, is in line with the shortening of local quarantine periods, which have taken into consideration the shorter incubation period of the Delta variant, Channel News Asia reported citing a source from Singapore's Ministry of Health.

However, travelers will undergo a Covid polymerase reaction chain (PCR) test on arrival and on day 10. They will also undergo self-administered antigen rapid tests on days three and seven. A 10-day stay at dedicated stay-home notice facilities will costs S$1,450 ($1,068), compared to S$2,000 for a 14-day stay. The stay-home notice requires travelers to remain in their place of residence or dedicated facility for the stipulated period.

Around 12,000 Vietnamese citizens live and work in Singapore. Vietnam has recorded more than 800,000 cases during the fourth coronavirus wave, with most linked to the highly transmissible Delta variant. More than 10 million people in Vietnam have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 while more than 80 percent of Singapore's population have been vaccinated.