Metro north to new haven

All the five cases in Hai Duong are those who had already been put into centralized quarantine zones before being confirmed infected with the coronavirus. They are being treated at the northern province’s field hospitals.

The five imported cases are those entering Vietnam through Ha Tien international border gate in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang last Thursday and Friday, and were quarantined upon arrival. Sunday test results confirmed they were postivive for the virus.

Vietnam declared 16 patients free of Covid-19 on Monday, bringing the number of active cases down to 530.

The country has recorded 857 community transmissions in 13 localities since the third wave began on January 28 after a 55-day clean streak.

Hai Duong remains the biggest hotspot with 673 cases, followed by Quang Ninh (61) and HCMC (36). Ten of the 13 localities haven’t recorded any new community transmissions in the past 15 days.

With the latest cases, the nation’s Covid-19 tally has increased to 2,461 with 1,892 recoveries.

All the eight cases in Hai Duong are people who had already been quarantined. They are being treated at field hospitals in the northern province.

The five imported cases are those entered Vietnam through the Ha Tien international border gate in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang last Thursday and Friday, and were quarantined on entry. Sunday test results confirmed they were positive for the virus.

With 16 patients declared free of Covid-19 Monday, the number of active cases stands at 530.

The country has recorded 857 community transmissions in 13 localities since the third Covid-19 outbreak began on January 28 after a 55-day clean streak.

Hai Duong remains the biggest hotspot with 673 cases, followed by Quang Ninh (61) and HCMC (36). Ten of the 13 localities haven’t recorded any new community transmissions in the past 15 days.

With the latest cases, the nation’s Covid-19 tally has increased to 2,461with 1,892 recoveries and 35 deaths.

BHUBANESWAR — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was inoculated with the first dose of a home-grown coronavirus vaccine on Monday, kicking off an expansion of the country’s immunisation campaign as infections rise in some big states.

People above 60, and those who are 45 or more and suffering from certain medical conditions, are now eligible for the vaccinations. But some inoculation centres reported issues with the government’s Co-Win portal used to coordinate the drive, which could slow its progress.

India, which has reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases after the United States, has so far vaccinated 12 million health and front-line workers since starting its immunisation programme in mid-January. It wants to cover 300 million of its 1.35 billion people by August.

“I appeal to all those who are eligible to take the vaccine,” 70-year-old Modi said on Twitter, posting a picture of him getting the shot at a government hospital in New Delhi. “Together, let us make India COVID-19 free!”

The government said last week it would let people choose their vaccination centres, effectively letting beneficiaries pick either the home-grown COVAXIN shot or the AstraZeneca vaccine, unlike earlier.

The inoculation campaign has run slower than expected due to a reluctance of health and front-line workers to take COVAXIN, which was approved without late-stage efficacy data. Only about 11% of vaccinated people have opted for the product developed by Bharat Biotech and the state-run Indian Council of Medical Research.

Bharat Biotech has said efficacy data from a late-stage trial on nearly 26,000 volunteers who took COVAXIN will be out soon. The company, along with India’s drug regulator, says COVAXIN is safe and effective, based on early and intermediate studies.

“Inspired and humbled by Hon’ble PM’s remarkable commitment to build an Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” Bharat Biotech said in reply to Modi’s tweet, referring to his self-reliance pitch to back local products.

“Yes, we all shall fight COVID-19 together and emerge victorious.”

Online, offline?

Initial glitches in the Co-Win portal had hampered vaccination, and some of the troubles resurfaced on Monday in states such as Odisha in the east and Maharashtra in the west, officials said.

Modi’s home state of Gujarat, however, said the roll-out was progressing fine.

“We haven’t faced any glitches,” said Jaiprakash Shivahare, Gujarat’s commissioner of health. “The government of India has assured us that there is no issue of vaccine availability and asked us to use the vaccines as early as possible.”

India has reported more than 11 million coronavirus infections and over 157,000 deaths. Of the 15,510 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours, Maharashtra state accounted for 8,293 followed by Kerala’s 3,254 infections.

The health ministry reported 106 deaths in the past 24 hours, with no fatalities recorded in 20 of India’s three dozen states and federal territories.

Pham Xuan Thang, member of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the Hai Duong provincial Party Committee, speaks at the meeting on March 1 (Photo: VNA)

It will shift to a new status, both drastically fighting the coronavirus and taking action to conduct socio-economic development tasks.

This was decided by the Standing Board of the provincial Party Committee at a meeting on March 1 reviewing anti-COVID-19 efforts.

The coronavirus broke out in Hai Duong province on January 27.

The hotspot in Chi Linh has now been eliminated, while the one in Cam Giang district is under control. Relevant forces are also ramping up efforts to address a cluster in Kim Thanh district, which has been sealed off, as soon as possible.

Applauding the province’s sense of responsibility, Tran Nhu Duong, Deputy Director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and head of the Ministry of Health’s working group, pointed out that its greatest success is that there haven’t been any related fatalities, testing capacity has increased dozens of times, and nearly 11,000 groups for COVID-19 monitoring, prevention, and control were set up in the community with the participation of over 25,000 people.

He also warned, however, about a possible resurgence of the virus, and asked the province to view fighting COVID-19 as a regular and ongoing task in the “new normal”.

Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Pham Xuan Thang said that, from March 3, Hai Duong will carry out 10 groups of anti-COVID-19 solutions and five groups of socio-economic development solutions.

As the outbreak may return, the entire local political system will not lower its guard and will remain on alert and be stringent in the fight, he stated.

As of the afternoon of February 28, Hai Duong had recorded 665 cases of COVID-19 in this new outbreak, with 297 recoveries. More than 16,000 people were sent to concentrated quarantine sites.

Authorities have also strictly dealt with violations of rules on disease prevention and control, imposing fines totalling over 3.4 billion VND (147,000 USD).