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Vietnam ready for its first vaccination program on March 8

March 6, 2021 by hanoitimes.vn

The Hanoitimes – The MoH is working with the COVAX to arrange for another shipment of 1.3 million doses to arrive at Vietnam in March.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) would mobilize all resources to carry out Vietnam’s largest vaccination program yet with an estimated of 100 million doses.

Local volunteer vaccinated with domestic Covid-19 vaccine named Nanocovax in Hanoi. Photo: Ngoc Tu

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long made the statement at an online conference discussing plan for the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination program held today [March 6].

“With the country’s first Covid-19 vaccine doses set to be administered on March 8 in the northern province of Hai Duong, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, there would no doubt be side effects, but this is not the reason for Vietnam to stop the vaccination program,” stated Long.

According to Long, Covid-19 vaccines are developed and manufactured in the shortest time in the history of vaccine development, so the effective period of vaccines varies from six months to two years.

“In addition to importing vaccines, Vietnam would accelerate the R&D processes for domestic Covid-19 vaccines to ensure long-term public health security,” Long added.

The minister suggested any post-vaccination side effects is possible, as not any vaccine can be 100% safe.

“As the vaccine is new, so the vaccination program will be carried out in a cautious manner,” added Long, saying local health authorities have evaluated the safety of vaccines in Vietnam.

With the limited amount of vaccine doses, Long said the MoH would prioritize vaccination for 13 cities and provinces of high risk.

“The MoH is working with the COVAX to arrange for another shipment of 1.3 million doses to arrive at Vietnam in March,” he informed.

Vaccine passport

Under the government resolution NO.21 on the 11 priority groups, Long said the first doses of Covid-19 vaccines would be allocated for health workers at 21 health facilities with the highest level of risks, followed by front-line workers of the Covid-19 fight in Hai Duong, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

One of a key point in Vietnam’s vaccination program is that health officials would carry out health check-up for locals before vaccination to ensure safety.

Every people getting vaccinated will be added into a database for supervision.

“Vietnam’s vaccination system would later be integrated with other countries, which would serve as a basis for vaccine passport, and is managed via QR code,” Long noted.

Last month, Vietnam received more than 204,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca as part the WHO-led COVAX Facility vaccine-sharing scheme.

Vietnam has been negotiating with AstraZeneca to import 30 million doses for 2021 and another 33 million doses from COVAX.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are possible side effects after getting a Covid-19 vaccine including: pain, redness, swelling, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever and nausea.

Hai Duong hotspot records six more Covid-19 community transmissions

March 6, 2021 by e.vnexpress.net

All new patients, tagged from 2502-2507, are F1 of previously confirmed cases in Kim Thanh District and Kinh Mon Town in the northern province, around 60 kilometers to the east of Hanoi. They had already been isolated following contact tracing protocol and had tested positive for the novel coronavirus when in quarantine.

On Saturday alone, Vietnam has recorded 13 new infections, including 12 in hotspot Hai Duong and one imported case.

Vietnam, a country of 98 million people, has reported 891 community transmissions in 13 cities and provinces during the ongoing outbreak that returned to the country on Jan. 28 after a 55-day clean streak.

Prioritized groups will be injected with the first batch of 117,600 AstraZeneca vaccines next Monday after quality checks had been passed, Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said.

Long added the first vaccine shots would be reserved for the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, its counterpart in Ho Chi Minh City and northern Hai Duong Province.

The exact number of vaccine doses to be distributed to these locations has yet to be confirmed.

Vietnam has registered 2,507 Covid-19 cases and 35 deaths so far.

Phan Thiet airport to start construction in March

March 6, 2021 by e.vnexpress.net

The information was announced by Senior Lieutenant-General Tran Don, Deputy Minister of National Defense at a meeting with the south-central province’s authorities Friday.

In 2009, the government approved a plan to build Phan Thiet airport in beach town Phan Thiet of Binh Thuan, which lies more than four hours east of Ho Chi Minh City and currently has none.

The plan said the airport would span 543 hectares (1,340 acres) to serve both civilian and military purposes and invested under the build-operate-transfer format by Hanoi-based Rang Dong JSC.

It also said work would start in 2015 for the project to be finished in 2018. However, nothing had been carried out as scheduled.

In 2017, Binh Thuan proposed to upgrade the civil rating of the planned airport from 4C to 4E as regulated by International Civil Aviation Organization.

In specific, the province wanted to extend the airport’s runway from 2,400 meters to 3,050 meters in order to raise its capabilities toward the 4E rating. The increased rating would allow it to handle Airbus A320s or equivalent sized and advanced military aircraft.

The government agreed with the proposal within that year, which means the cost for the airport will stay at around VND10 trillion ($434 million).

The problem with investment capital had prevented the plan to be executed. Now, the problem has been solved, said Deputy Minister Don.

He said the Ministry of National Defense had previously relied on a plan to auction former Nha Trang airport in central Khanh Hoa Province to raise funds for building Phan Thiet airport.

However, the government has recently agreed to build Phan Thiet airport using the state budget in the form of public investment. “The government has allocated the fund for the ministry and work on the joint-use airport should be carried out soon.”

If everything is to happen as planned, construction should be finished in 20 months so the airport could start operation next year, Don noted.

Rang Dong JSC will continue to work as investor for the civilian part of the airport. As assigned by the ministry, the company has to soon complete adjustments to the re-feasibility study report for the project so work on the civilian side could be carried out at the same time as that for its military equivalent.

Vietnam currently has 22 airports, including eight in the northern and north-central regions.

The master plan for airport development the Ministry of Transport is drafting envisages building five new airports, all in the north, by 2030.

It is now in the process of collecting feedback from other government agencies and local administrations before submitting the plan to the government for approval.

Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh meets with Long An voters

March 6, 2021 by en.nhandan.org.vn

At the meeting, the delegation of NA deputies of Long An Province summarised its activities during the 14th tenure (2016-2021).

Specifically, the delegation collected comments and suggestions for 83 bills and one resolution to submit to the National Assembly for approval; and promptly informed voters on the legal guidelines and policies passed by the NA.

The delegation also organised thematic seminars and sent petitions to the NA, the Government, ministries, branches, and central and local agencies, contributing positively to the implementation of the NA’s annual monitoring programme.

The delegation also organised 308 meetings, with the attendance of nearly 35,000 voters, and six conferences to collect opinions of leaders of the province and related departments and agencies.

Notably, the delegation of NA deputies of Long An Province received and handled over 1,200 complaints, denunciations and petitions from citizens according to the regulations, through which the authorities considered and resolved many urgent complaints, protecting the legitimate rights and interests of citizens, as well as contributing to ensuring political security, social order and safety in the locality.

At the meeting, Deputy PM Binh and the deputies also informed the voters on the draft agenda of the 11th session of the 14th NA as well as listened to their ideas, aspirations and requests.

PM Phuc calls on combined strength for stronger national development

March 6, 2021 by vov.vn

These remarks were made by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at an event known as “Dialogue 2045” with various business representatives and intellectuals at the Thong Nhat Conference Hall in Ho Chi Minh City on March 6, featuring the participation of many senior leaders.

The Government leader reviewed the achievements following nearly 35 years of pursuing the renewal process under the leadership of the Community Party of Vietnam (CPV), with the national economy enjoying positive growth. The lives of local people have been greatly improved, with the life expectancy increasing compared with advanced countries such as Japan and Singapore, with greater attention being given to a range of social and cultural issues.

PM Phuc therefore highlighted the contributions made by the local the business community to the nation over the past 35 years of Doi Moi (Renewal), expressing hope that firms can learn new ideas to transform the nation into a developed and high-income country.

The nation must be home to business giants capable of competing both regionally and globally by unlocking the potential and making use of the strengths of citizens living and working inside and outside of the country, he emphasized.

The nation must also strive to lure and promote external resources in terms of technology, knowledge, and innovation, along with building a brighter future.

Dialogue 2045 was held as part of efforts to chart a course of actions to translate the development goals through to 2045.

In line with the Resolution adopted at the 13th National Party Congress, the country expects to move out of its low middle-income status by 2025.

According to the schedule, the nation will become an upper-middle income country by 2030 and gain developed and high-income nation status by 2045.

These are the key time milestones as the country prepares to mark the 50th anniversary of liberation of the South and national reunification in 2025, the 100th founding anniversary of the CPV in 2030, followed by the 100th founding anniversary of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam, now known as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, in 2045.

PM Phuc also stated that “Dialogue 2045” will be held periodically, both via direct and online platforms, thereby covering many topics from socio-economy, the environment, culture, education, science and technology, and international integration, including national security and defence.

Local infection count rises to 1,584 after six further cases found in Hai Duong

March 6, 2021 by vov.vn

All of the fresh patients in Hai Duong are F1 contacts who previously came into close contact with confirmed cases and they had already been placed into quarantine at concentrated isolation facilities.

The detection of the latest patients lifts the national infection tally to 2,507, including 1,584 domestically-transmitted cases, along with 923 imported cases.

With regard to the COVID-19 vaccination programme, the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases along, the Hospital for Tropical Diseases of Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Duong province, the nation’s current biggest epicenter are set to start inoculation on March 8.

Moving forward, vaccination plans will be based on the principle of ensuring maximum safety for citizens.

“It can be affirmed that 100% of vaccinated people who contract the disease will be milder and not lead to death. This is a very important factor in deploying a large-scale vaccination plan. People need to get a better understanding of the benefits of vaccines as well as unwanted reactions in order to have confidence in vaccination as the best way to protect themselves from the virus,” Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said.

According to the official, priority will be given to those on the front line in the fight against COVID-19, including health workers, army personnel, police forces, along with customs and immigration officers. In addition, those working in sectors which offer essential services such as aviation, transport, tourism, and education will also be prioritised. This is along with people suffering from chronic illnesses, those above 65 years old, people living in pandemic-hit areas, the poor, and beneficiaries of social welfare.

Due to the complicated nature of developments relating to the pandemic, the People’s Committee of Kinh Mon town in the northern province of Hai Duong has recently issued a decision to continue implementing social distancing measures in line with Government Directive No16 for 10 communes and wards in Kinh Mon.

At present Hai Duong has recorded 707 cases of local transmission, along with 321 recoveries and 2,642 F1 contacts who are currently undergoing concentrated isolation.