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Collecting sample for Covid-19 testing. Photo: VNA

National Covid-19 caseload increases by additional 12,607 cases

An additional 12,607 Covid-19 infections, including 16 imported cases, were added to the national caseload on August 31, the Ministry of Health announced.

Ho Chi Minh City reported the highest number of infections during the day at 5,444. It was followed by Binh Duong province with 4,530, Dong Nai 634, Long An 587, Tien Giang 214, and Dong Thap 138. The capital city of Hanoi logged 77 cases.

The new infections brought the country's total number of infections since Covid-19 broke out in Vietnam in early 2020 to 462,096.

Also on August 31, an additional 10,044 patients were given the all-clear, raising the total number of recoveries to 238,860, cited VNA.

The number of fatalities during the day has not been updated, leaving the total death toll from Covid-19 at 11,064.

The country has to date administered over 19.96 million doses of vaccines, with close to 2.62 million people having been fully vaccinated.

Over 100,000 Covid patients in HCM City discharged from hospitals

As many as 107,216 recovered Covid-19 patients in Ho Chi Minh City have now been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from the virus, according to the municipal Center for Disease Control (CDC).

The center noted that as of August 31, the southern city has recorded a total of 216,314 Covid-19 cases, with more than 215,800 community infections and 445 imported ones being quarantined upon arrival in the country.

A critically ill Covid-19 patient receives special treatment. Photo: Cho Ray hospital

Currently, Ho Chi Minh City is in the process of treating 40,133 Covid-19 patients, including close to 2,450 children under the age of 16. Among them are 2,736 cases undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation, while a total of 16 people are reliant on the life support machine known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

The city has also conducted a rapid antigen testing (RAT) campaign for people who are living in orange (high risk) and red (very high risk) zones. This has been done alongside taking pooled samples from people in green and yellow areas (places which are free and nearly Covid-19 free).

Furthermore, the country’s largest Covid-19 hotspot will also test shippers for free, according to VOV.

A total of 400 mobile medical stations have been set up across the city, with the primary aim of taking care of home isolated Covid-19 patients.

PM requests stronger fight against Covid during National Day holiday

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 31 signed official dispatch No. 1108/CD-TTg on strengthening Covid-19 prevention and control during the country's National Day holiday (September 2).

According to the dispatch, the Covid-19 pandemic has not been controlled completely in the country, especially in southern cities and provinces and several localities with crowd populations and vibrant trade, cited VNA.

As the National Day holiday lasts four days, the PM asked Chairpersons of the People’s Committees of centrally-run cities and provinces to continue directing and strengthening prevention and control measures in a strict and effective manner.

At an alley in Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi. Photo: VNA

Localities applying social distancing measures must seriously follow Resolution No. 86/NQ-CP, official dispatch No. 1099/CD-TTg dated August 22, 2021 and official dispatch No. 1102/CD-TTg dated August 23, 2021. They were also required to strictly punish violations of prevention and control regulations while ensuring social welfare and social safety and order.

Other provinces and cities were urged to fully and strictly take pandemic prevention and control measures, especially the 5K message, as well as stopping festivals, unnecessary gatherings, and activities in public places, entertainment areas, tourism and spiritual destinations.

Heads of Party committees and administrations at all levels will be responsible for directing anti-pandemic work in their areas. Localities must deploy forces working round-the-clock to promptly discover and deal with any arising problems.

Ministries, agencies and provinces and cities were also assigned to offer all possible support to localities in the fight against Covid-19.

HCM City requires over 8.1 million Covid-19 vaccines by late 2021

Ho Chi Minh City needs approximately 8,145,900 Covid-19 vaccine doses between now and the end of the year, according to the municipal Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.

Priority target groups for vaccination include the elderly, those with underlying health conditions, pregnant women from 13 weeks or more, and breastfeeding mothers. The list also consists of anti-pandemic frontline forces, frontline forces involved in economic development, such as investors, businesses, workers inside, and outside industrial zones, and employees providing essential services and goods, reported VOV.

Photo: VNN

The southern city has therefore set a target of basically completing the vaccination process for roughly 7,208,800 people aged 18 and over.

The municipal Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control has also devised a specific four-phase injection scheme, using four vaccines, including AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, and Vero Cell.

Between March 8 and August 29 Ho Chi Minh City administered more than 6.1 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, including over 332,000 people who have been fully vaccinated.

The southern city remains the hardest pandemic-hit locality in the nation during the latest wave of outbreaks that resurged in late April, with over 215,000 locally-infected cases and more than 8,800 deaths being recorded so far.

Vietnamese players wins youth chess world cup

Nguyen Hong Nhung claimed the U16 FIDE Online Rapid World Cup Cadets & Youth title Monday night.

Nhung defeated another Vietnamese player, Vu Bui Thi Thanh Van, after two games in the final. With the title, the 15-year-old got a spot at FIDE Online Rapid Super Final 2021, which has a prize pool of US$30,000. Despite losing the final, Van was also rewarded a Super Final slot.

Nguyen Hong Nhung, the champion of FIDE Online Rapid World Cup & Cadets. Photo: VnExpress

Another Vietnamese player, Dau Khuong Duy also claimed a ticket to Super Final, after beating Russia's Matfey Yurasov in the third-place clash Sunday.

Three Vietnamese players who had been eliminated in the quarterfinals will be invited to play FIDE Online Rapid Grand Prix Series 2021 in November. The top two players in each category will qualify for Super Final, scheduled to take place from Dec. 18 to 24, cited VnExpress.

FIDE Online Rapid World Cup Cadets & Youth is a two-stage tournament with five different age groups – under 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, and two sections - open and girls (totaling 10 tournaments). Participants must not have reached their 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, or 18th birthdays, respectively, before Jan. 1, 2021.

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