Urges better measures

The Hanoitimes – Hanoi districts’ authorities are required to keep raising people’s awareness of the pandemic.

Hanoi’s districts need to strictly supervise people under quarantine at home as an indispensable measure to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, Kinh Te & Do Thi quoted Ngo Thi Thanh Hang, member of the Party Central Committee and Permanent Deputy Secretary of the municipal Party’s Committee, as saying.

Ngo Thi Thanh Hang, member of the Party Central Committee and Permanent Deputy Secretary of the municipal Party’s Committee works with Thanh Tri districts’ authorities. Photo: Cong Hung

At a recent meeting with Phu Xuyen and Thanh Tri districts’ authorities, Hang recognized that the two districts have been seriously and actively implementing guidelines on Covid-19 epidemic prevention and control.

Emphasizing that this work should be followed on, Hang requested the districts’ authorities to remain calm and ensure safety for people.

Besides, the districts’ authorities were asked to keep raising people’s awareness of the pandemic, so that people could take measures to keep themselves safe from the coronavirus.

She stressed that the districts strive for the double goal, Covid-19 pandemic prevention and socio-economic development, to ensure social security.

The districts also need to pay attention to supporting poor families and lonely elderly people to cope with the epidemic, ensuring that in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic “no one is left behind”.

As of March 26, Hanoi has 52 active coronavirus-infected cases, the largest number in Vietnam. The majority are Vietnamese nationals returning from Europe and the US, in addition to foreigners from epidemic-hit regions.

The Hanoitimes – The Hanoi Party Committee has urged the people and authorities of Hanoi to strengthen measures to prevent the Covid-19 pandemic in the capital city.

The Health Ministry confirmed four more Covid-19 cases in Hanoi on February 1, while the Covid-19 threat advisory was elevated.

The latest patients are two women residing in Nam Tu Liem and Cau Giay districts of Hanoi and a couple living in Me Linh district.

All of them got infected with the new coronavirus after having contact with people who were later confirmed Covid-19 infections in the northern province of Hai Duong, the biggest cluster of Covid-19 in Vietnam with 188 cases confirmed since Covid-19.

The new patients have raised Hanoi’s caseload of the Covid-19 resurgence to 19 and 242 nationwide.

Hanoi turns on high alert on Covid-19 prevention. Photo: Kinhtedothi.vn

The Hanoi Party Committee has urged the people and authorities of Hanoi to strengthen measures to prevent the Covid-19 pandemic in the capital city.

The whole city must review and tighten the anti-epidemic measures, especially in medical establishments, schools, industrial parks, factories, and areas of public gatherings.

Relevant agencies were urged to review procedures related to concentrated quarantine, as all citizens returning from abroad must be quarantined for two weeks and could only leave the facilities if they test negative for Covid-19 twice.

People are urged to further comply with Covid-19 prevention regulations and conduct precautionary measures of quick testing, contact tracing, masking up in public places, and washing hands.

The city’s agencies have to continue disseminating the “5K” message of the Ministry of Health since, they said, the good observance of the 5K is a “steel shield” to protect people from the Covid-19 pandemic. 5K means ” Khau trang ” (face mask) – ” Khu khuan ” (disinfection) – ” Khoang cach ” (distance) – ” Khong tu tap ” (no gatherings) – ” Khai bao y te ” (health declaration).

Besides, localities in Hanoi must tighten supervision of people arriving from abroad and the pandemic-hit areas, enforce Covid-19 prevention regulations at concentrated quarantine facilities.

Especially, the city’s Department of Health needs to keep close watch on the pandemic evolution by imposing five step protocol namely preventing, detecting, quarantining, zoning, and stamping out the outbreaks.

In addition, Hanoi authorities need to provide accurate, timely and transparent information for people; prevent and enforce regulations on fake news that causes confusion in public as well as actively detect and handle illegal entry.

Localities in Hanoi must proactively put in place the pandemic prevention and control measures, applying social distance or isolation based on the level of Covid-19 risk for each area in the locality.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 25: Lorraine Harvey, an in home care worker, receives her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from registered nurse Rudolfo Garcia at a clinic at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in South Los Angeles on February 25, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. African Americans and Latinos comprise a majority of the South LA community and are dying of COVID-19 at a rate significantly higher than whites. Vaccine equity has also lagged in South Los Angeles relative to some more wealthy areas. (Mario Tama/Getty Images/AFP)

Brazil hit 250,000 fatalities — the second-highest national death toll after the US — while the worldwide vaccine campaign received the royal endorsement of Queen Elizabeth II, 94, who urged people not to be wary of the injection.

President Joe Biden declared the US rollout is now “weeks ahead of schedule” as he celebrated 50 million vaccines administered since he took office on January 20, but he warned Americans to keep masking up.

“We’re moving in the right direction despite the mess we inherited,” Biden said, referring to the program under his predecessor Donald Trump.

The United States is the world’s hardest-hit country, with coronavirus deaths crossing the 500,000 mark earlier this week.

Biden said that there would be “enough supply” for all adult Americans by the end of July.

The EU announced Thursday it expected to vaccinate 70 percent of adults by the end of the summer, after months of problems and friction.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said fully vaccinating just under three-quarters of adults by late summer was a “goal that we’re confident with.”

But in Brazil, the grim quarter-million deaths milestone came one year after the first Covid-19 case was confirmed in the country, which is struggling with severe vaccine shortages and a devastating second wave.

– Mass graves –

The coronavirus has hit especially hard in Brazil’s impoverished “favelas,” among indigenous communities and in the Amazon rainforest city of Manaus, where there have been haunting scenes of mass graves and patients suffocating to death with no oxygen.

President Jair Bolsonaro has flouted expert advice on managing the pandemic, railing against lockdowns and face masks and instead touting the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, despite studies showing it is ineffective against Covid-19.

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth said in a video message Thursday that her coronavirus jab “didn’t hurt at all” and encouraged those reluctant about receiving the vaccine to “think about other people.”

The monarch was vaccinated along with her husband Prince Philip in January.

In total, 2,500,172 deaths and 112,618,488 cases have been reported, with almost half of the fatalities occurring in just five countries: the United States, Brazil, Mexico, India and Britain, according to an AFP count based on official figures.

Vaccine rollouts have been patchy so far, and most of the 217 million vaccine doses administered globally have gone to wealthier countries.

In China, where the virus first emerged in late 2019, the national drug authority approved two more vaccines made by domestic companies for public use, bringing the number of Chinese vaccines to four.

Two Cuban vaccines will undergo advanced clinical trials from March after they reportedly elicited a “powerful immune response” in early tests, one of the scientists in charge of the project said Thursday.

– Focus on long-term symptoms –

In further vaccine developments, frozen vials of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine may be stored at temperatures commonly found in pharmaceutical freezers for up to two weeks, the US Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.

The move loosens a previous requirement that the vaccine should be stored at ultra-low temperatures, between -112 and -76 degrees Fahrenheit (-80 to -60 degrees Celsius).

The World Health Organization (WHO), meanwhile, urged governments to try to better understand the long-term consequences of coronavirus on some sufferers who have prolonged symptoms such as tiredness, brain fog, and cardiac and neurological disorders.

“It’s a clear priority for WHO, and of the utmost importance. It should be for every health authority,” said Hans Kluge, regional director for WHO Europe.

Britain, which has forged ahead with its vaccine drive, said Thursday it was lowering its alert level from the highest tier, citing a dip in cases.

In France, hopes of a return to normal on the sports front were dashed after more than a dozen rugby players and staff tested positive, forcing Sunday’s Six Nations match against Scotland to be scrapped.

In another sign of the toll the pandemic is taking on populations, the number of babies born in France in January also fell by 13 percent, the biggest drop in 45 years.

And in Japan, organisers of the delayed Olympic torch relay said fans could line the route when it kicks off next month, but cheering is strictly banned and social distancing will be enforced.

Some sex workers in Bangladesh’s largest brothel started getting their vaccines, a health official said Thursday.

Beauty, 40, who goes by one name, said she was initially hesitant about getting the shot.

“But the health officials reassured us. Now we understand it is important as we meet many people every day,” she said.

Syria will start giving coronavirus vaccines to its healthcare workers across the war-ravaged country from next week.

The Hanoitimes – Many businesses are in shortage of workforce after a long-break Tet holiday, as travel remains restricted between different localities.

A prolonged Covid-19 in a number of provinces and cities is putting local businesses under serious stress to avoid disruption of operations.

A Covid-19 checkpoint at An Duong district, Hai Phong city. Source: Phapluatxahoi.vn

The Private Economic Development Research Board (Board IV) revealed the information following its quick survey with 12 business associations from February 19-22.

In the survey, the majority of respondents said they forecast the Covid-19 pandemic to stay in long-term and have adjusted their operations to better cope with the situation.

However, businesses are facing some common problems, including shortage of workers after a long-break Tet holiday as travel remains restricted between different localities.

The Covid-19 pandemic also causes severe impacts on the transportation sector, in which many transport companies are operating at 20-30% of their capacity.

In recent days, movements of goods from and out of Hai Duong province, the country’s pandemic hotspot, to other localities have been stalled, impacting supply and production chains of various industrial parks.

This came at the fact that drivers from Hai Duong are not allowed to leave the province, while those from outside do not want to enter on fear of Covid-19, or some Covid-19 checkpoints stop drivers from Hai Duong to go through.

Strict anti-Covid-19 measures adopted by Hai Duong’s neighboring cities/provinces, especially in Hai Phong, have led to a stagnation of sale and distribution of farm produce from Hai Duong, including the transportation of such products to Hai Phong port for exports.

A report from Hai Duong Automobile Transportation Association noted in case hurdles for transportation of Hai Duong farm produce are not removed until early March 2021, the financial damage would be around VND400 billion (US$17.3 million).

“Transportation firms not allowed to enter Hai Phong are forced to seek different routes and thus it incurs additional costs, making it harder for enterprises as they are still struggling with Covid-19 impacts,” noted the Board IV.

Chairman of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s Advisory Council for Administrative Procedure Reform Truong Gia Binh said while social distancing and other safety measures have affected demand for farm produce, the lack of empty containers for exports remain the biggest concern for local traders.

“The business community seeks greater support from local authorities in working with shipping  firms to resolve the situation and prevent unreasonable surge of container shipping rates,” Binh added.

To resolves these issues, Board IV cited recommendations from business associations calling for authorities in Hai Phong and Hai Duong to set up a “buffer zone” to apply safety measures for drivers, trucks and goods; change truck drivers upon entering certain province/city.

“Regarding the transportation of goods from Hai Duong to Hai Phong port, the government could set up a specialized transport corridor to avoid disruption of supply chains,” Board IV stated.

According to Board IV, the government could consider lowering transportation fees on expressways as transport firms are forced to change their routes.