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Health experts ring alarm bell on coronavirus this winter

by hanoitimes.vn

Although Covid-19 in Vietnam has been controlled, staying alert is a necessity, as cold and dry winter conditions favor the transmission of the virus.

Health experts in Vietnam have warned about the Covid-19 outbreak during the upcoming winter, especially in the northern region, Kinh Te & Do Thi quoted Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam as saying at a meeting of the National Steering Committee for Covid -19 Prevention and Control on October 15.

Experts have assessed that the world has been experiencing a long outbreak of Covid-19, Mr. Dam emphasized, adding that although the disease in Vietnam has been controlled, staying alert is a necessity, as cold and dry winter conditions favor the transmission of the virus.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam speaks at the meeting. Photo: Kinhtedothi.vn

Europe is facing a new outbreak as the number of new Covid-19 cases has been rising sharply there. Many European countries have re-imposed lock down measures in an effort to contain the resurgence, he noted.

Therefore, the deputy PM requested serious management and quarantine of people entering the country. All incoming people have to be put under medical surveillance for at least 28 days from the date of entry.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health (MoH) has drafted a guide on entry protocols, including sanitary control and quarantine of those who enter Vietnam from countries deemed safe on commercial flights.

At present, people entering Vietnam have to be tested for Covid-19 three times, instead of twice regulated previously, so as to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The MoH is managing information of incoming people and will provide it to local authorities as well as health and police forces to facilitate the monitoring of these persons in their localities, Mr. Dam added.

The Committee also stressed the need to facilitate the entry of foreign entrepreneurs, investors, workers, and experts.

Given the rapid spread of Covid-19 around the world, Director of the MoH’s Department of Preventive Medicine Dang Quang Tan said disease prevention and control measures still need to be further enforced, especially communication works should be enhanced to raise public awareness.

Mr. Tan recommended that big and populous localities like Hanoi, Danang and Khanh Hoa should make masking up compulsory and fine anyone who refuses to do so.

As of October 16, Vietnam has gone through 44 consecutive days without new community infections. It has reported 1,124 cases of Covid-19 so far, including 1,030 recoveries and 35 fatalities.

Former minister gets 11 years in jail for corruption

by e.vnexpress.net

A Hanoi court Thursday found Hoang guilty of “violating regulations on management and use of state assets, causing loss and waste.”

Hoang, 67, did not show up at the court for the sentencing because of health problems. He was present through the four-day trial.

Phan Chi Dung, former head of the Light Industry Department at the ministry got nine years for the same charges.

The defendants’ violations involved mismanagement of a land plot of 6,000 square meters in downtown HCMC. The plot, estimated to be valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, has become private property after several illegal transfers.

The wrongdoings were unearthed in November 2018 when authorities were investigating former vice chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee, Nguyen Huu Tin.

According to the investigators, Ho Thi Kim Thoa, as former deputy minister, knew in 2016 that the land plot on Hai Ba Trung Street in District 1 was arranged to be assigned to Vietnam’s largest brewery Sabeco, under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, for it to invest and build a six-star hotel and convention center.

While both Thoa and Hoang knew that Sabeco was not allowed to establish a new entity to use the land allotted to it, she got the former minister to permit the establishment of the Sabeco Pearl Company.

Based on Hoang’s approval and Thoa’s direction, Phan Dang Tuat, board chairman and head of the state capital management board at Sabeco, signed a letter to the HCMC People’s Committee, requesting approval for Sabeco Pearl to own the project.

He also asked HCMC authorities to let Sabeco Pearl perform financial obligations and for Sabeco to transfer its land use right to the newly formed joint venture.

Thoa took advantage of the government’s capital divestment policy and under Hoang’s direction, signed two documents for Sabeco to divest its 26 percent stake in Sabeco Pearl and approved a starting auction price of VND13,347 ($0.58) a share. Hoang also directed the divestment procedure and auction price approval to be expedited.

These actions led officials at departments of HCMC People’s Committee to advise the city’s former vice chairman Nguyen Huu Tin to approve lease of the prime land to Sabeco Pearl in contravention of regulations, leading to the land becoming a private property.

The Me Linh Square Investment Joint Stock Company, which used to be Sabeco Pearl, a wholly private company, is currently the owner of the plot.

Inspectors concluded that the actions of Hoang, Thoa and their accomplices have cost the exchequer more than VND2.7 trillion ($117.18 million).

Hoang was the industry minister from 2007 to 2016 under Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s cabinet.

Throughout the trial, Hoang only admitted his responsibility as the head of the industry ministry, saying that the main responsibility is this case was that of Thoa and Sabeco as Thoa was the direct manager of the firm when the violations took place.

Thoa is absconding, having fled the country.

The court also handed out sentences for eight others in the case. These are former municipal officials who were also found guilty of violating land management regulations.

Nguyen Huu Tin got 6.5 years; Lam Nguyen Khoi, former director of the Department of Planning and Investment, 4.5 years; Dao Anh Kiet, former director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, five years; and Le Van Thanh, former head of the city’s office, four years.

The violations of the defendants were particularly serious, the court said. They had high professional qualifications and management experience, yet committed illegal acts for a long time, intentionally violating regulations on state property, causing serious consequences, it added.

The court also ruled that the land plot on Hai Ba Trung Street will be transferred to the city administration.

Of four other defendants, officials of agencies under the municipal departments, three were given jail terms of 3-3.5 years each and one received a 30-month probation.

Vietnam to benefit from int’l Covid vaccine tech: health ministry

by e.vnexpress.net

The Ministry of Health is still trying to secure more vaccine sources, he told a press meet Wednesday. Certain countries, for example Japan, have agreed to transfer Covid-19 vaccine production technologies to Vietnam, he added.

“I will visit Japan while the deputy minister Truong Quoc Cuong will go to Russia to negotiate over vaccines,” Thuan said, without sharing specific schedule.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners have also agreed to transfer technologies for vaccine production to Vietnam, and the ministry is set to discuss the matter further with WHO within this month.

Domestically developed Nanocovax by Nanogen, set to enter its third phase of human trials, may receive the health ministry approval halfway through this trial should Covid-19 resurface in Vietnam, Thuan indicated.

Late last month, it was announced Nanocovax would undergo its third phase of human trials from May 5 to the end of June, involving around 10,000 volunteers.

Thuan said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has further instructed the health ministry to deploy coronavirus prevention measures once “vaccine passports” go online.

“Some people believe vaccine passports should only be used once herd immunity is achieved by vaccination,” Thuan noted, adding the ministry would inform the government on what should be an appropriate timeline to apply such passports.

Vietnam is currently experiencing its fourth wave that has seen 64 community transmissions since last week in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City and the provinces of Ha Nam, Vinh Phuc, Hung Yen, Quang Nam, Dong Nai, Hai Duong, and Yen Bai.

As of Thursday, over 675,000 people in 48 cities and provinces have been vaccinated. Vietnam has received about a million doses so far, either through commercial contracts or Covax.

The country aims to secure 150 million doses to cover 70 percent of its population by next year.

Vietnam ex-trade minister jailed for 11 years over violations in state asset management

by tuoitrenews.vn

Vietnam’s former Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for violations in state asset management.

The Hanoi People’s Court on Thursday gave Hoang the 11-year jail term for “violating regulations on the management and use of state assets, causing losses and wastefulness.”

The 67-year-old former official failed to attend the trial due to health problems.

Phan Chi Dung, former head of the Light Industry Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, was sentenced to nine years in jail for the same offense.

Eight other defendants who are former Ho Chi Minh City officials were sentenced to between 30 months and seven years behind bars for violating regulations on land management.

According to the indictment, the Saigon Beer – Alcohol – Beverage JSC (Sabeco), managed by the ministry, was given more than 6,000 square meters of land at 2-4-6 Hai Ba Trung Street in downtown Ho Chi Minh City for production and business operations.

Hoang and Dung, along with Ho Thi Kim Thoa, former Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, who has fled the country, directed their subordinates at the ministry and Sabeco to establish Sabeco Pearl, a joint venture between the firm and a number of private enterprises.

Sabeco completed legal procedures for the joint venture to invest in a project on building a hotel, a commercial and convention center, and office space for lease on the land lot.

The ministry later ordered Sabeco to divest its entire stake at Sabeco Pearl.

Following these illegal transfers, the land lot became private property, resulting in losses worth VND2.7 trillion (US$116.8 million) to the state.

Hoang was Minister of Industry and Trade from 2007 to 2016.

During the trial, Hoang only admitted his responsibility as the head of the ministry, stating that Thoa was mainly responsible as she was the direct manager of Sabeco when the violations took place.

In addition to the prison terms, the trial panel also handed over the land lot to the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee for further handling in accordance with the law.

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Ex-minister of industry and trade gets 11-year jail sentence

by sggpnews.org.vn

Also on the same charge, Phan Chi Dung, born in 1957 and the former Director of the Light Industry Department at the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), got nine years in jail under Article 219 of the 2015 Penal Code’s Clause 3.
Ex-minister of industry and trade gets 11-year jail sentence ảnh 1 Ex-minister of industry and trade Vu Huy Hoang (Photo: VNA)

In line with Article 229 of the 2015 Penal Code’s Clause, eight other accomplices of Hoang, who are former Ho Chi Minh City officials, were sentenced to between 30 months and 7 years in prison for “violating regulations on land management.”. Three of them have already been convicted in other cases for “violating regulations on the management and use of State assets, causing losses and wastefulness”, thus their aggregate jail terms adding to from six to 14 years.

Among them, former Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Huu Tin, born in 1957, will have to serve a total 13 years and six months in prison.
In addition to the prison sentences, the trial panel also pronounced the handing over of the land lot at No 2-4-6 Hai Ba Trung street, Ho Chi Minh City, to the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City for handling according to the law.
Also according to the verdict of first instance, Ho Thi Kim Thoa, former Deputy Minister of the MoIT, is an accomplice in the case. However, Thoa has fled so the Ministry of Public Security’s investigation police agency has issued a decision to suspend the investigation of the criminal case against her and put her on the wanted list.
According to the indictment from the Supreme People’s Procuracy, the Saigon Beer – Alcohol – Beverage JSC (Sabeco), which is under the MoIT’s management, was given more than 6,000 sq.m of land at the No. 2-4-6 on Hai Ba Trung street in downtown HCM City for production and business purposes.
However, Hoang, Thoa, and Dung directed subordinates at the ministry and Sabeco to carry out procedures for using land use rights and Sabeco’s money as capital contributions to set up Sabeco Pearl, a joint venture between the firm and a number of private enterprises, to implement a project building a hotel, a trade and convention centre, and office space for lease on the land.
After Sabeco completed legal procedures for the joint venture’s investment and proposed the HCM City People’s Committee approve the addition of officetel and housing functions to this project, the MoIT ordered the company to divest its entire stake in this project.
This was illegal and resulted in a loss some  US$112.5 million to the State.

HCMC pilots electronic health records for 22,000 residents

by sggpnews.org.vn

This is the first locality of the city to implement electronic health records for a large number of dwellers.

HCMC pilots electronic health records for 22,000 residents ảnh 1 Residents can log in on their smartphones to declare their personal information and health status (Photo: SGGP)

According to Associate Professor-Dr. Tang Chi Thuong, Deputy Director of the city Health Department, after 2 years of preparation, the department has embarked on electronic health records for over the first 22,000 residents in Ward 27 (Binh Thanh district).

Under the pilot project, each citizen is provided with a separate QR code and scans of the code. They can log in on their smartphones to declare their personal information and health status, which are the first steps to establish their electronic health records.
At the launch of the pilot project, people were instructed in more detail on how to declare electronic health records on their phones. The roadmap for electronic health records will be implemented in three phases according to the Health Department.
In the first stage, the Health Department will admit the administrative data of those participating in health insurance under the code transferred by the Ministry of Health. Next, the people’s committees of communes and wards will add the data of those who have not participated in health insurance as well as collect their health record and their personal information including weight, height, blood pressure, number of pregnancies, number of children, vaccination status.
In the second stage, the Department of Health will build data and it will connect electronic health records with electronic medical records in all medical facilities in the third stage. This is the city’s shared data system, which is used as a basis for building a health care strategy for city dwellers.
If after the pilot implementation in Ward 27 is successful in 2021, Ho Chi Minh City will set up health records for all residents in 23 other wards and communes and will continue to expand in the coming years”, Associate Professor Dr. Tang Chi Thuong informed.

By Thanh Son – Translated by Uyen Phuong