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Vietnam emerges as one of new PPE suppliers globally: IFC

The Saigon Times

A woman works at a face mask manufacturing company. Vietnam’s PPE manufacturing capacity surged six-fold in 2020 – PHOTO: VNA

HCMC – Vietnam has emerged as one of the new personal protective equipment (PPE) suppliers globally and its PPE manufacturing capacity surged six-fold last year, according to the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group.

This ramped-up supply was initially driven by textile manufacturers shifting production in response to the health emergency during the Covid-19 pandemic and to mitigate losses caused by canceled orders for garments.

“Some textile manufacturers who started producing PPE products as an immediate response to the pandemic, are now considering the medium to longer-term business opportunity in this area,” said Vu Duc Giang, chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association.

“However, local manufacturers have struggled with insufficient input materials, technical skills and sector knowledge and the disparity between local and international standards to access the global market,” he added.

In response, as part of the global PPE advisory program supported by the UK Government, IFC is working with local garment manufacturers through the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association and national labs through the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality of Vietnam, IFC announced on June 9.

The aim is to improve PPE producers’ operations and reduce costs by removing unnecessary burdens related to PPE standards and conformity assessments.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has tested the resilience of supply chains to the limit, especially in terms of medical supplies, including PPE. The UK believes that the diversification of PPE manufacturing will make the global supply chain more adaptable and prevent future disruption,” said Gareth Ward, British Ambassador to Vietnam.

“I am very pleased that Vietnam has been chosen as a priority country for this UK government-funded program. Vietnamese companies have a lot of potential to succeed globally with a skilled labor force,” he added.

Over the next 18 months, the program will support select manufacturers to scale quality PPE production, access the reliable supply of materials and equipment and achieve PPE international standards and certification to expand exports.

According to Kyle Kelhofer, IFC country manager for Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, access to cost-effective and quality PPE products is vital to the national Covid-19 response, helping to contain and manage the spread of the coronavirus.

“Promoting the production of PPE products in compliance with international standards not only helps increase Vietnam’s resilience to the pandemic, but also presents a business case as the PPE global supply chain is diversifying with opportunities for new manufacturers from emerging markets including Vietnam,” he said.

Two more employees of frontline hospital in HCMC infected with Covid-19

The Saigon Times

The HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases has been locked down after detecting Covid-19 cases who are employees of the hospital – PHOTO: TNO

HCMC – The HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases tested 924 employees from June 11 to 13 and detected 55 Covid-19 infections, up two over the figure reported yesterday, June 13, said director of the HCMC Department of Health Nguyen Tan Binh.

At a meeting of the municipal steering committee for Covid-19 infection prevention and control held today, June 14, Binh said the 55 cases were employees of 13 units of the hospital, such as IT, administrative, general planning, personnel organization and pharmacy, the local media reported.

Especially, all of them have got two shots of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

Among the cases, one is residing in a Covid-19 hotspot of the city—Ehome 3 apartment building in Binh Tan District, Binh said.

Binh added that the coronavirus volume in the 55 cases was extremely low, which was a positive signal, proving the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Therefore, the risk that they will get worse is lower than that of unvaccinated people and their transmission possibility is also lower than those linked to the Revival Ekklesia Mission in Go Vap District.

In addition, two employees of Gia Dinh Hospital’s Microbiology Department were also found to be infected with Covid-19, with one being the wife of an IT staff of the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

Binh said the department had asked the Cu Chi District Hospital to get prepared to receive Covid-19 patients with a capacity of 500 beds and a recuperation area for critical patients. Medical workers from leading hospitals in the city will be mobilized to support the treatment of Covid-19 patients at this hospital.

The department will also establish emergency and recuperation units at the Cu Chi Field Hospital and the Can Gio Covid-19 Treatment Hospital and mobilize resources from general and specialized hospitals in the city.

Hospitals in the city should enhance their support for the Covid-19 treatment. General hospitals having the department of infection control were asked to receive patients from the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases so that the hospital can focus on treating Covid-19 patients.

Number of Covid-19 patients at HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases rises to 53

The Saigon Times

Employees of the HCMC Hospital of Tropical Diseases come to the hospital for quarantine. As many as 53 employees of the hospital have tested positive for Covid-19 – PHOTO: TNO

HCMC – The HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases today completed testing 887 employees, using the real-time RT-PCR method, and 53 of them tested positive for Covid-19, including 22 cases reported yesterday.

All the 53 cases have got two shots of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine and 52 of them reported no symptoms of Covid-19. The 53 cases are employees of the IT, administrative, general planning, personnel organization and pharmacy departments.

They are being treated at the hospital’s departments of infection control A and D.

Three days ago, the hospital tested its employees who have directly contacted Covid-19 patients treated at the hospital and all of them tested negative.

According to an investigation jointly conducted by the hospital and the HCMC Center for Disease Control, the sources of infection of the cases may come from outside the hospital.

The hospital has also tested 88 critical patients treated for tetanus, encephalitis, HIV/AIDS and chronic liver diseases at the hospital and the result of all of them was negative.

The HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases is treating 94 coronavirus patients, 35 of whom are in critical condition.

This morning, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son came to the hospital to direct the fight against the pandemic. Accordingly, the hospital will stop receiving new Covid-19 patients for a week.

The municipal Department of Health will assign other Covid-19 treatment hospitals in the city to admit Covid-19 patients. The treatment of critical patients will be supported by Cho Ray Hospital.

On the same day, two employees of Gia Dinh Hospital’s Microbiology Department were also found to be infected with Covid-19, with one being the wife of an IT staff of the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

The couple are residing in the Ehome 3 apartment building in Binh Tan District.

After her husband was infected with the coronavirus, she informed Gia Dinh Hospital and underwent a Covid-19 test on June 12.

The hospital on the same day tested all employees of the Microbiology Department and detected another Covid-19 case.

A hospital leader said the hospital would operate as normal.

Truong Dinh Nhan, director of the medical center of Binh Tan District, said the entire Ehome 3 apartment building with 14 blocks had been put under lockdown, starting from 10 a.m. on June 13.

All 7,600 residents in the apartment building have had their samples taken for Covid-19 testing.

The Ministry of Health tonight confirmed 103 Covid-19 cases, with HCMC accounting for the most, at 44, while Bac Giang had 33 cases, and Bac Ninh 16. Meanwhile, nine were reported in Ha Tinh and one in Binh Duong.

Thus, Vietnam’s Covid-19 tally today was 297 cases.

In addition, 171 patients were announced to have recovered from Covid-19, raising the total number of recovered patients in the country to 3,998.

As for the new cases in HCMC, 36 were linked to the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases and eight had close contact with other Covid-19 patients.

Thus, 95 cases were reported in HCMC today, the highest for a day since early this year. Especially, all districts in the city have reported Covid-19 patients.

Vietnam reports 92 more Covid-19 cases

The Saigon Times

A local man in Ha Tinh Province has his samples collected for Covid-19 testing. Vietnam’s Covid-19 tally reached 10,630 with 92 fresh cases reported this morning, June 14 – PHOTO: VNA

HCMC – Vietnam’s Covid-19 tally reached 10,630 with 92 fresh cases reported this morning, June 14. Of the new infections, there was one imported case who was quarantined upon arrival in the country, while 91 others were locally-transmitted, the Ministry of Health confirmed.

Among the fresh locally-infected cases, HCMC accounted for the most at 30 cases, followed by Bac Giang with 23 cases. Tien Giang had 14 cases, Ha Tinh recorded 10, while nine were reported in Bac Ninh and four in Binh Duong.

Especially, Bac Kan reported its first case in the latest coronavirus wave, raising the number of virus-hit localities in the country to 40 up to now.

Yesterday afternoon, a working team led by Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son had a Covid-19-related meeting with the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases, which has seen 52 cases among its staff in the past two days. Son said that the ministry would set up a taskforce to assist the city as well as the hospital with the Covid-19 fight.

To soon bring the outbreak at the hospital under control, Deputy Minister Son suggested the hospital increase its frequency of collecting samples of employees for Covid-19 testing to at least 3-5 times per day. The hospital, the HCMC Pasteur Institute, the HCMC Center for Disease Control were told to jointly deploy multiple measures to serve the test-and-trace works.

The hospital has to ensure the safety of patients and medical workers to continue offering treatment and care to patients, Son stressed.

Also, he requested the whole hospital be put under lockdown for a week.

Speaking at the meeting, Nguyen Van Vinh Chau, director of the hospital, suggested the hospital temporarily stop receiving new Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms in the next week while it still handles coronavirus patients who are in severe condition and need ECMO support.

Covid-19 testing activities at the hospital would remain as normal, Chau added.