Vietnam News Today (July 4): Vietnam sees record Covid-19 infections with 922 cases

	Vietnam News Today (July 3): Vietnam to receive up to 10 million Covid-19 vaccines in July
	Vietnam News Today (July 2): Vietnam Team in Group B of World Cup qualifiers’ third round
	Vietnam News Today (July 1): Northern region faces prolonged hot spell

Testing for Covid- 19 in Ho Chi Minh city. Photo: VNA

Vietnam sees record Covid-19 infections with 922 cases

Vietnam logged 353 new Covid-19 cases from 12:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on July 3, raising the total number of infections in the day to 922, a record high so far, reported the Health Ministry.

The new cases include seven imported and 346 domestic cases. Among the local infections, 250 were found in Ho Chi Minh City, 32 in Dong Nai, 16 in Quang Ngai, 14 in Phu Yen, 12 in Tien Giang, seven in Nghe An, six in Binh Duong, five in Binh Dinh and four in Ba Ria – Vung Tau.

As many as 306 cases were discovered in quarantine or locked down areas and 248 patients were given all-clear from the virus, cited VNP.

As of 6 p.m. on July 3, the country recorded a total of 17,199 domestic and 1,844 imported cases.

From April 24, 15,629 domestic cases were found, including 4,869 recoveries.

Thirteen provinces have gone through 14 days without new infections in the community, including Yen Bai, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Tuyen Quang, Son La, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Thai Nguyen, Dien Bien, Vinh Phuc, Hai Duong, Phu Tho and Ha Nam.

Since April 24, over 3.3 million tests have been conducted for more than 7.94 million people.

Among patients under treatment, 313 tested negative for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 once, 132 twice and 74 thrice. There were 7,643 recoveries and 84 deaths related to the disease.

Government launched US$1.14bln support package to help Covid-19 hit workers

The Government has just issued Resolution No 68 on a number of policies to support employees and employers facing difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic, worth a total of VND26 trillion (US$1.13 billion).

Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung on July 1 afternoon during the regular Government press meeting has discussed the details of the support package.

Dung said that Resolution 68 was issued in the context of the fourth outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic on a large scale, affecting many industries and fields. The Politburo on June 25 agreed to support workers and employers affected by the pandemic.

Workers working on protective clothing. Photo: VOV

Minister Dung emphasized that the support solutions this time focus mainly on the group of workers in industrial zones and export processing zones, reported VOV.

"In Resolution 68, some basic principles are set out, such as ensuring timely support, to the right people, publicity and transparency, simple and easy criteria and procedures for employees and employers to access,” he said.

Concerned agencies allocate the budget according to regulations, balancing the central budget and the local budget, said Dung.

In addition, the Resolution supports employees who suspended labour contracts or took unpaid leave from May 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021 but were participating in compulsory insurance with the support level of VND1.8-VND3.7 million (US$78-US$160) per month depending on their work delay period.

Employees who work under labour contracts but have been suspended from work due to medical quarantine or in lockdown areas, will receive one-time support of VND1 million (US$43) per person.

In addition, tour guides who are suspended from work will enjoy one-time support of VND3.7 million (US$160).

Pregnant employees are provided an additional VND1 million (US$43) per person.

Children who have to be treated for Covid-19 or under medical quarantine will be covered with support of VND1 million (US$43) per child.

Delta variant threatens to overload Vietnam's healthcare system: experts

The fast spreading Delta strain is responsible for a high number of community infections in Vietnam's ongoing Covid-19 wave, making it hard to control, experts said.

Phan Trong Lan, head of Ho Chi Minh city Pasteur Institute, Vietnam's leading epidemiology center, said the Delta variant, or B.1.167.2, first detected in India, has been labeled highly transmissible by the World Health Organization, and able to reduce the efficacy of available Covid-19 vaccines.

Previously in 2020, an infected person could transmit the virus to between two and four others and the Alpha, or the U.K. strain that appeared earlier this year, to up to seven. The Delta variant, meanwhile, is said to be 40-60 percent more transmissible than the Alpha.

Photo: VnExpress

Gene sequencing results show the Delta variant is dominant among infections in the ongoing outbreak in Vietnam, especially among cases recorded in central and southern localities, including Ho Chi Minh city, cited VnExpress.

Because of this strain, the southern region has recorded many cases to have developed Covid-19 symptoms or tested positive a day after coming into contact with an infected person, said Lan.

"It is still uncertain whether the Delta variant causes more severe Covid-19 symptoms, though the increased number of cases has caused healthcare system overload, which can lead to a higher mortality rate," he stressed.

Le Quoc Hung, head of the Tropical Diseases Department at Cho Ray, a leading hospital in southern Vietnam, said when a new coronavirus strain struck, there will be groups experiencing high and lower virulence.

Specifically, the group of higher virulence will see early symptoms, allowing early detection of Covid-19 patients for early isolation and treatment.

Meanwhile, those with lower virulence often sees no, or only mild symptoms, which impedes detection.

Vietnam targets herd immunity in late 2021, early 2022

Vietnam’s roadmap for receiving Covid-19 vaccines can be affected due to a global shortage, with the vaccines likely to come in droves in the fourth quarter this year.

The country is sparing no effort to complete vaccinating its citizens in late 2021 or early 2022, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said at a meeting of the national steering committee for the 2021-2022 Covid-19 vaccination drive held on July 2.

A man gets his Covid-19 vaccine shot. Photo: VNA

The minister said the goal is a huge requirement. The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a target for herd immunity by 2023, and that of other countries is within 2022 and in early 2023.

Earlier, in the Government’s regular meeting on July 1, Long said Vietnam is scheduled to receive 30 million doses of vaccines in the third quarter of 2021, according to VNP.

According to the minister, Vietnam received commitments to be provided with 105 million doses and is negotiating for an additional 45 million doses this year.

As of July 1, more than 3.81 million Covid-19 vaccine doses had been administered nationwide, including more than 2.57 million doses in June alone. As many as 204,000 people have received both shots.

Localities ready for national high school graduation exam

Localities are quickly finishing their preparations for the national high school graduation exam to implement the dual goal – ensuring safety for candidates during the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuring a serious and fair exam.

As planned, more than 1.1 million students nationwide will sit for the national high school graduation exam following the Ministry of Education and Training’s schedule.

The exam will be held in two phases due to the Covid-19 pandemic; the first phase will take place on July 7-8 for candidates who are not infected with SARS-CoV-2, reported VNA.

Candidates who had direct contact with Covid-19 patients, called F1, and candidates who had direct contact with F1 cases and those living in areas under lockdown will sit the exam in the second phase. The official time for the second phase exam will be set later by the ministry.

An exam centre prepares for the national high school graduation exam in Hanoi's Hai Ba Trung district. Photo: VNA

In Hanoi, head of Ba Dinh district’s Education and Training Office Le Duc Thuan said the district already arranged six back-up exam centres in case of incidents.

The district also set up medical teams with sufficient drugs and essential equipment for the exam, he added.

The district's Exam Steering Committee had checked all of the back-up and official exam centres to ensure careful preparations for the exam, including the implementation of pandemic prevention, fire prevention and facilities for the exam, he said.

The district’s Health Centre has planned to spray disinfectant before the exam and after each test to ensure safety for the candidates and participants. It has also made plans to deal with any teacher, candidate or staff at any exam centre showing signs of fever, cough or shortness of breath.

In Ho Chi Minh city, Le Hoai Nam, deputy director of the city’s Education and Training Department said the city already arranged two back-up exam centres for each official exam centre in case of incidents.

The city’s Health Department had worked closely with the education sector to screen and update the list of teachers and employees participating in the exam, he said.

All candidates and people participating in the exam had been tested for SARS-CoV-2, he said.

The education department had developed scenarios to implement the exam and submitted them for approval by city administration, he said.

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