The city's mayor has asked local authorities to speed up the vaccination campaign amid surging infections. Hanoi's authorities have been asked to give Covid-19 vaccine booster shots to local residents as soon as possible, according to a decision signed on August 9 by Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Tran Sy Thanh. On August 9, Vietnam saw a record high in three months of 2,300 new cases in a single day, lifting up the country’s total infections to more than 11,350,000, including more than 43,000 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH). The move was made as the caseload with new strains BA.04 and BA.05 in the city is increasing and that vaccination against Covid-19 is an effective and strategic measure in disease prevention and control, stated the document. Local authorities have been asked to urge high-risk and vaccine-hesitant people to complete the two-dose vaccination and ramp up at-home inoculations for homebound people who are aged above 50 with … [Read more...] about Hanoi accelerates Covid-19 vaccination for all locals
Extreme poverty
Yen Bai deploys 21 World Bank-funded projects
Hanoi – The northern mountainous province of Yen Bai has received and implemented 21 programmes and projects funded by the World Bank (WB) with total investment of 4.67 trillion VND (199.65 million USD) since 2000, according to a local official. Chairman of the Yen Bai province People’s Committee Tran Huy Tuan and WB Country Director for Vietnam Carolyn Turk. (Photo: VNA) Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Huy Tuan told WB Country Director for Vietnam Carolyn Turk on August 9 that 18 out of the 21 projects have been put into use, while three are underway. These projects have significantly contributed to local development in essential sectors like poverty reduction, construction, healthcare, rural transport and urban infrastructure, he stressed. Turk was in Yen Bai province to discuss the implementation of the dynamic cities integrated development project, which includes Yen Bai city, with total investment amounting to 63.27 million USD, of which 39.46 … [Read more...] about Yen Bai deploys 21 World Bank-funded projects
Mother Sam’s ‘superhuman strength’ supports 300 children in Vietnam
As a social contributor in the United States, Mother Sam was twice granted the presidential lifetime achievement award for her social devotion. Ai Hong Sam, a Vietnamese-American doctor, has fostered hundreds of children for a simple reason that is “allowing these orphans to call me 'mom' as they have long desired.” At that time, the Vinh Son orphanage in Thong Nhat Ward under Kon Tum Province, located in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam, was struggling to survive as it was home to hundreds of orphans, who were in desperate need of nurturing. Once in a while, charitable groups or individuals paid them a visit and were able to assist in extremely difficult times. One day, a woman from distant America found out, gradually got to know them, and voluntarily took on the burden. Every single thing is confided to Mother Sam Sam and the nuns in the orphanage are sharing the tasks with one another. While the nuns are in charge of looking after the children, she travels … [Read more...] about Mother Sam’s ‘superhuman strength’ supports 300 children in Vietnam
Lowest July Antarctic sea ice on record: monitor
Last month saw the lowest extent of Antarctic sea ice on record for July, according to the European Union's satellite monitoring group. The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) found Antarctic sea ice extent reached 15.3 million square kilometres (5,900,000 square miles) -- some 1.1 million km2, or seven percent, below the 1991-2020 average for July. This was the lowest ice cover for July since satellite records began 44 years ago, and followed record low Antarctic sea ice levels for June too. C3S said the low ice values continued a string of below-average monthly extents observed since February 2022. The service said in its monthly bulletin the Southern Ocean saw "widespread areas of below-average sea ice concentration" last month. Arctic sea ice cover meanwhile was four percent lower than average, making it the 12th lowest July sea ice extent on record. In a month that saw temperature records broken across parts of northern Europe and Britain, C3S said July was drier … [Read more...] about Lowest July Antarctic sea ice on record: monitor