Vietnam News Today (December 9): HCM City to Inject Third Covid-19 Vaccine Jab from December 10

A doctor is seen inside an intensive care unit of a hospital in Hanoi, December 8, 2021. Photo: VnExpress

Vietnam confirms 14,595 new Covid-19 cases

The Health Ministry announced 14,595 new domestic Covid-19 patients Wednesday in 58 cities and provinces, up 760 from Tuesday.

Most of the new cases were detected in Ho Chi Minh City, at 1,475.

It was followed by the southern province of Tay Ninh with 874 cases and Soc Trang with 781 cases.

In the past 24 hours, 230 Covid-19 patients have died, including 75 in HCMC.

Since the pandemic started last year, the death toll in Vietnam has climbed to 26,930 or 2 percent of all infections, cited VnExpress.

In the latest wave that hit the country in late April, more than 1.35 million cases have been reported and 1.03 million of them have recovered.

So far 55.5 million people have been fully vaccinated.

One Tuesday a 15-year-old boy in the northern province of Son La had become the 4th child in Vietnam to die after being vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine.

Vietnam, New Zealand sign action program to promote strategic partnership

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and his New Zealand counterpart Nanaia Mahuta signed the Vietnam - New Zealand Action Program for the 2021 – 2024 period through an online platform, with a view to carrying out the strategic partnership between the two nations.

Those in attendance at the signing ceremony included the New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam, the Vietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand, along with representatives from each countries’ respective foreign ministries.

Upon addressing the ceremony, Minister Bui Thanh Son expressed his firm belief that the Vietnam - New Zealand Action Program will contribute to further promoting the strategic partnership across multiple fields in the near future.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son. Photo: VOV

Minister Son displayed his elation at the fact that the two sides have been able to steadily maintain co-operation mechanisms in the fields of politics, defense, agriculture, and health care over the past year amid ongoing complicated developments linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to VOV.

The Vietnamese diplomat used the occasion to congratulate New Zealand on successfully organizing the APEC Summit Week as a means of contributing to raising its role and position within the international arena.

In response, New Zealand Foreign Minister underscored the importance of the strategic partnership with the Vietnamese side, before going on to share the complicated situation relating to the Covid-19 pandemic in the Southeast Asian nation and expressing willingness to co-operate in economic recovery efforts.

He therefore hailed the close co-ordination between the two countries’ agencies in completing the Action Program and stated a desire to further step up co-operation in fields such as trade - investment, education, the digital economy, and climate change adaptation.

Most notably, both countries are striving to hit US$2 billion in trade turnover by 2024.

With regard to co-operation at regional and international forums, the NZ diplomat thanked the nation for its strong support of New Zealand as it assumes the chair of APEC 2021.

He went on to emphasize that New Zealand is one of ASEAN's oldest dialogue partners and shares its views with Vietnam on a peaceful, stable, inclusive, and international law-abiding Indo-Pacific region, with ASEAN playing a central role in this.

As part of the occasion, Minister Son invited his New Zealand counterpart Nanaia Mahuta to visit the country at an appropriate time, with his invitation being graciously accepted.

HCM City to inject third Covid-19 vaccine jab from December 10

Ho Chi Minh City will administer additional and booster shots of Covid-19 vaccine to its residents from December 10, according to the municipal Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.

The steering committee issued a document guiding the inoculation on December 8.

Accordingly, additional Covid-19 shots will be first provided for adults (from 18 years old) who have been fully inoculated with the last jab at least 28 days earlier and are immunocompromised. Priority will be given to those aged over 50, reported VNA.

A medic is about to inject a Covid-19 vaccine shot. Photo: VNA

Meanwhile, the city will administer the booster shots to people aged above 18 who are fully vaccinated or receive the additional shot at least six months. The priority will be given to people aged over 50, those suffering from underlying health issues, people who require long-term care at health facilities, and medical workers, especially those directly involved in collecting samples for Covid-19 testing and treating Covid-19 patients.

Vaccines used for additional and repeat injections must be approved by the Ministry of Health.

As of December 5, over 7.92 million people in Ho Chi Minh City had been vaccinated, with nearly 6.82 million of them receiving the full two jabs.

Hanoi may ban motorbikes in inner areas from 2025

Relevant agencies in Hanoi are considering the prohibition of motorbikes in some urban districts after 2025.

The Hanoi People’s Committee recently reported on the outcomes of the implementation of a resolution issued by the municipal People’s Council on July 4, 2017. This resolution approved a plan on enhancing the management over road vehicles to reduce traffic congestion and environmental pollution in 2017 - 2020, with a vision to 2030.

Personal vehicles on a street in Hanoi in the rush hour. Photo: VNA

After the resolution was adopted, relevant agencies have been considering the prohibition of motorbikes in the districts located within Belt Road 3, Truong Sa and Hoang Sa roads, and National Highway 5.

Meanwhile, the vehicles may be banned in the districts located within Belt Road 4 in the south of the Red River and within Belt Road 3 in the north of this river after 2030.

Under the 2017 resolution, five rural districts will be upgraded into urban ones in the 2021 - 2025 period, namely Hoai Duc, Gia Lam, Dong Anh, Thanh Tri, and Dan Phuong. That means motorbikes will also be banned in these localities under the roadmap, cited VNA.

If approved, the ban will be imposed five years ahead of the resolution.

As of 2021, there are about 6.4 million vehicles in Hanoi, including 5.6 million motorbikes, 600,000 automobiles, and some 2 million non-resident vehicles.

HCMC postpones school reopening for 1st graders

Children in first grade and kindergartens would not return to school this month, the HCMC administration announced Wednesday.

The decision to rescind an earlier plan is meant to ensure kids' safety and reassure parents.

First graders attend an in-person class at Thanh An Primary School in HCMC's outlying district of Can Gio, October 20, 2021. Photo: VnExpress

According to the earlier plan, announced last week, schools for first, ninth and 12th graders were to reopen on Dec. 13 and kindergartens on Dec. 20 on a two-week trial basis.

But a survey done last week by the Department of Education and Training of 121,700 parents of first graders found more than 70 percent saying they would not send their children to school yet, with most citing the fact they have yet to be vaccinated against Covid, which continues to plague the city, VnExpress reported.

Now only ninth and 12th graders will attend school from Dec. 13.

Students in HCMC have not attended school for well over a year.

In Can Gio District, however, the Thanh An kindergarten, primary, secondary, and high schools in the eponymous island commune will resume classes for all grades on December 13.

In October it became the first locality in the city to reopen schools.

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