Conducting quick COVID-19 tests for people (Source: VNA)

The Health Ministry on August 1 evening announced 28 more COVID-19 cases, 19 of them are related to Da Nang Hospital, seven in Da Nang and two imported ones.

The two imported patients arrived at Can Tho International Airport in Can Tho city from Indonesia on July 29 and were immediately quarantined at Tra Vinh Tuberculosis Hospital.

Those who caught the virus via community transmission are aged from nine to 86, and from Da Nang city, Quang Nam province, HCM City and Thai Binh province.

They were either patients at Da Nang Hospital, had close contact with COVID-19 patients, or were caring for family members at the hospital.

As of 6pm on August 1, Vietnam recorded a total of 586 cases, including 304 imported ones which have been quarantined following their arrivals.

Since July 25, there have been 142 cases related to Da Nang Hospital.

At present, 91,462 who had close contact with patients or entered from pandemic-hit areas are under quarantine, including 953 in hospitals, 18,063 in other concentrated facilities and 72,446 at homes.

Thailand tightens border security to deal with illegal trespassing

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on July 31 requested military commanders to step up security measures along the country's borderlines to keep out any suspected trespassers from neighbouring countries in the context that the COVID-19 pandemic continues developing complicatedly.

The PM made the order at a monthly meeting with high-ranking military commanders at the Ministry of Defence.

At the meeting, the ministry's spokesman Lt. Gen. Kongcheep Tantrawanich said that over the last several weeks, Thai authorities have detected many illegal border trespassing cases and arrested a number of Myanmar and Cambodian nationals.

The authorities have feared those suspected invaders might be infected with the coronavirus, Kongcheep said.

On July 29, Thailand extended its state of emergency to the end of August to curb the spread of the COVID-19, even though the country has not found any new community infections for about two months.

The country has so far reported a total of 3,298 COVID-19 cases and 58 deaths.

Vietnam records third Covid-19-related death

A 68-year-old woman with leukemia was confirmed dead on early August 1 at Da Nang Oncology Hospital in the central city of Da Nang, according to Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son.

The patient, known as Case 499 in Vietnam, died of blood cancer at final stage, severe pneumonia and COVID-19.

She was admitted to Da Nang Oncology Hospital on July 28. She also had hypertension and diabetes.

This is the third COVID-19 death in Vietnam.

On July 31, the country recorded its first-ever COVID-19-related deaths, a 61-year-old man and a 70-year-old man, both with underlying health conditions.

Fake medical masks seized in Hà Nội and HCM City

Thousands of medical facemasks that fall below standards have been seized by the authorities.

The masks were being sold without the necessary paperwork that proves their originality – a breach of intellectual property rights.  

In a joint operation between the Hà Nội’s Market Management Department and police, officers raided a house on Ngô Thì Sĩ Street and seized 300 boxes each containing 2,400 masks.       

On July 30, inspectors of the General Department of Market Management and the HCM City market management officials seized hundreds of thousands of fake 3M medical masks at Nam Anh Ltd. Co’s factory.

The Hà Nội Market Management Department has requested market management teams to intensify inspections of mask production, transportation and trading activities. 

A residential area is blocked for virus prevention in HCM City

On July 31, the centre announced that two newly found Covid-19 patients in the area all returned from Danang City on two flights QH0159 on July 24 and BL671 on July 25.

One of them, Patient 518 is a 61-year old woman in Tan Phu District. From July 19-23 she was a caregiver of Covid-19 Patient 436 at Danang General Hospital.

On July 24, she boarded Flight QH0159 with her husband to Ho Chi Minh City. They started to self-quarantine at home from July 26. On July 28, they came to Tan Phu District's Healthcare Centre for health declarations and were isolated there and given viral testing the next day.

Her sample was positive for SARS-CoV-2 on July 30.

The other, Patient 510 is a 57-year old woman residing in District 10. She took care of her parents in Danang Hospital, Danang Oncology Hospital and Danang Hoan My Hospital from July 1-20, 2020.

On July 25, she came to Ho Chi Minh City on Flight BL671 and self-isolated at her house in District 10.
She also tested positive for the virus on July 30.

Da Nang to test 3,000 high-risk individuals for coronavirus

Samples for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 tests will be taken from close to 3,000 people in high-risk areas near three hospitals in the central city of Da Nang that have links with dozens of new COVID-19 infections reported over the past week.

Director of the municipal Department of Health Ngo Thi Kim Yen said on July 31 that health workers will complete the taking of samples from nearly 3,000 people now in lockdown in areas near the Da Nang Hospital, the Da Nang C Hospital, and the Da Nang Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Hospital on August 1.

By the morning of July 31, more than 2,700 residents had had samples collected.

The department has urged relevant units to promptly transfer patients on dialysis at the Da Nang Hospital to the general hospital of Hoa Vang district and requested all local medical clinics be ready to quarantine suspected cases and treat those infected with the virus.

The Ministry of Health has sent a group of specialists to provide training for nearly 400 health workers and medical students in Da Nang on how to take samples for testing and tracing people in close contact with confirmed cases.

Since July 25, the city has reported 80 new COVID-19 cases. More than 7,000 people have been identified as being in close contact with COVID-19 patients.

The city has put nearly 5,600 high-risk people in quarantine at the three hospitals while about 5,640 others have been sent to state-designated facilities and district medical centres or been self-quarantined.

VN confirms 12 more COVID-19 infection cases, another COVID-19 patient dies

Vietnam reported 12 more cases positive for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 on August 1 morning, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

The new locally transmitted infections bring the total amount of COVID-19 cases nationwide to 558.

All the new cases, including eight men and four women, were recorded in the central city of Da Nang.

Three of the new cases are patients at Da Nang Hospital. One is a 72-year-old woman being treated at the department of internal medicine, neurology and ophthalmology and the others are men aged 25 and 33.

Eight other cases are either relatives of patients being treated at Da Nang Hospital or came into close contact with the positive cases, including a two-year-old boy who was in contact with Patient 509.

Another patient is a 29-year-old man from Hoa Phuoc, Hoa Vang district, Da Nang city. It is not clear if he has any connections with the hospital and his previous whereabouts are being investigated.

Earlier, Vietnam recorded 37 more cases positive for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 on July 31 evening.

Of them, 26 are imported cases who have been put under quarantine following their arrival, three in Ho Chi Minh City and eight in the central province of Quang Nam.

Among the imported cases, six patients are Vietnamese crewmembers of a gas tanker that entered Vung Tau port on July 28 after travelling to Qatar, India and Singapore.

The remaining imported cases were flown from Equatorial Guinea on Vietnam Airlines’ flight VN6 which landed at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on July 29.

Of the 558 confirmed patients so far, 302 are imported cases, and 116 others related to the outbreak in central Da Nang city since July 25.

According to the steering committee’s Treatment Sub-committee, 373 cases have recovered fully, and 183 others are being treated at medical establishments nationwide, including six having tested negative for the virus once, and eight negative at least twice. On July 31, the country reported its two first COVID-19-related deaths.

As many as 91,462 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or entered from pandemic-hit areas are under quarantine, including 953 in hospitals, 18,063 in concentrated quarantine facilities and 72,446 at home.

Another COVID-19 patient in Vietnam dies

Another COVID-19 patient in Vietnam died on July 31, according to Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son.

The 61-year-old male resident of the central city of Da Nang died of septic shock on the basis of other serious illnesses and COVID-19, he said.

The patient had had chronic kidney failure, hypertension, diabetes and gout before he was found to have COVID-19 on July 27 at Da Nang Hospital.

Earlier the same day, a COVID-19 patient with multiple comorbidities died of myocardial infarction with chronic diseases of hypertension, heart failure, end-stage chronic renal failure, and complication of respiratory failure due to heart failure and COVID-19. This is the first COVID-19 patient to have died in Vietnam, according to the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control. 

Da Nang sets up more field hospital for COVID-19 treatment

The Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control of Da Nang central city on July 31 decided to set up one more field hospital in Hoa Vang district’s medical centre, aiming to serve the reception of and treatment for COVID-19 patients.

The 200-bed hospital will be used for quarantining and treating COVID-19 patients.

The committee ordered the municipal Department of Health to give advice and propose the city’s leaders to issue a decision related to the organisation of the hospital.

Previously, the municipal People’s Committee decided to establish a 1,000-bed field hospital in Tien Son Sport Centre. The municipal Department of Construction is working with relevant units to discuss a plan for building the hospital. 

As of 10:am on July 31, Vietnam had reported 509 COVID-19 cases, with 80 in Da Nang city, including eight medical workers, 44 patients, 26 family members of patients, and two detected in the community. A COVID-19 patient with multiple comorbidities was confirmed to die on the same day.  

On July 31 alone, the country confirmed 45 cases, all of whom had been quarantined at medical facilities and tested for the virus. 

Thirteen cases were also reported in the central provinces of Quang Nam (seven) and Quang Ngai (one), Ho Chi Minh City (two), Hanoi (two), and the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak (one). All of them are linked to the Da Nang outbreak.

Health Ministry finds people who may have close contact with COVID-19 cases

The Ministry of Health has issued an urgent notice calling on anyone who has visited, taken care of family members or had health check-ups and treatment at Da Nang Hospital from July 1 to come forward and seek medical help as soon as possible.

The ministry also asked all passengers onboard Vietnam Airlines flight VN166 from Da Nang to Hanoi departing at 8.30am on July 25 to contact nearest medical establishments to get COVID-19 consultancy and testing.

All of these people need to call the hotlines 1900.9095 (Ministry of Health), 0905.108.844 (Da Nang City’s Centre for Disease Control), 0969.082.115 or 0949.396.115 (Hanoi Centre for Disease Control) to provide details of those who have close contacts with them; and fill in the medical declaration forms at https://tokhaiyte.vn or download the NCOVI app from https://ncovi.vn and regularly update their health status as well as install the Bluezone app to get regular alerts about transmission risks at http://www.bluezone.gov.vn.

Deputy PM: Top priority placed on wiping out COVID-19 hotbed in Da Nang

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has requested authorities to give the top priority to localising and soon wiping out the COVID-19 hotbed in the central city of Da Nang.

Chairing a meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control in Hanoi on July 31, Dam, who is also head of the committee, lauded the Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of National Defence and Ministry of Health for sending more experts and staff to join in the fight against the pandemic in Da Nang.

As new infection cases are mostly related to three hospitals in the city, he asked localities, especially major cities, to strengthen countermeasures.

Amid the rapid and complicated developments of the pandemic worldwide, members of the committee agreed to suggest the PM issue a document ordering preparedness in the new normal period in case of outbreaks like in Da Nang.

The Ministry of Education and Training was also required to prepare plans for the upcoming high school graduation examination in line with the Prime Minister’s Directive 16/CT-TTg.

At the event, Director of the Health Ministry’s Department of Preventive Medicine Dang Quang Tan said as of 7pm on July 31, Vietnam recorded 546 infection cases, including one death, a 70-year-old man residing in Hoi An city in the central province of Quang Nam.

Acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said the pandemic in Da Nang is relatively complicated because infection source remains unknown.

As many patients there also suffer other severe diseases, the Health Ministry has deployed the best equipment and staff to the locality, he said, adding that testing capacity has also been raised to 10,000 samples per day.

According to him, the ministry established a special permanent unit in charge of COVID-19 combat in the city, continued tracing down those travelling to and from Da Nang and its hospitals, as well as collecting samples for testing. Over 451,400 Realtime RT-PCR tests have been carried out nationwide so far.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Van Phuc said the 2020 high school graduation examination is still on schedule for August 8-10.

He added that the Ministry of Education and Training will continue working closely with the Health Ministry and localities to ensure the exam amid the pandemic.

About the repatriation of Vietnamese citizens from abroad, Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung said the Foreign Ministry coordinated with representative Vietnamese agencies abroad and domestic authorities to arrange flights for prioritised citizens, including 219 from Equatorial Guinea on July 29 who were immediately sent to the second branch of the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi’s outlying district of Dong Anh for testing and treatment.

Other flights also carried home 212 citizens from Indonesia on July 29, 170 others from Brunei on July 29, about 290 from the US on July 3, and 240 from Myanmar on July 30.

German media: Vietnam determined to fight ongoing COVID-19 outbreak

German media has highlighted the measures taken by the Vietnamese Government and its determination to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the context of complicated developments from a new outbreak in the country.

The Handelsblatt (Commerce) newspaper ran an article on July 30 reporting that after 99 consecutive days with no cases of community infection, the country then confirmed its 416th patient in central Da Nang city, marking the return of the disease.

It also looked at Vietnam’s efforts and the strong measures taken to control the pandemic since the first outbreak in January.

Vietnam closed schools in February and conducted systematic testing of all persons having contact with COVID-19 patients, the article noted.

In March, Vietnam banned the entry of all foreigners, while Vietnamese citizens returning home were quarantined for 14 days, it added.

With such stringent measures, Vietnam has managed to limit the number of infections to only a few hundred and achieved remarkable results in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

According to the article, in this second outbreak, Vietnam took the decision quickly to stop air and rail travel to and from Da Nang, close beaches, and ban large gatherings. Bars and festivities in Hanoi and HCM City have also been suspended.

The paper said foreign observers are concerned about the development of COVID-19 in Vietnam, because it serves as an example of how difficult it is to prevent the pandemic, even when the strictest of immigration controls are in place.

The article noted that the Vietnamese Government is very much determined to respond to the new outbreak, quoting Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc as saying it is necessary to act more quickly and decisively to control the disease.

The German newspaper also cited Fitch Ratings as saying that the strength of Vietnam’s growth momentum owes much to the country’s success in curbing the pandemic.

Meanwhile, German national television news channel Tagesschau (ARD) reported on the fact that Vietnam has detected new cases in the community after nearly 100 days and has quickly adopted measures to prevent the outbreak.

Other German newspapers such as DW and TAZ also reported on Vietnam’s fight against the outbreak.

Thailand permits medical tourists to return, but under strict control

The Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) recently relaxed measures allowing four groups of foreigners to return to Thailand, including patients returning for a medical follow-up or those who have joined the government’s Medical and Wellness programme.

Patients wishing to come to Thailand for treatment must first test negative to COVID-19, and then quarantined in hospital for 14 days along with the people accompanying them. They will also be tested for COVID-19 while under quarantine.

Each patient is allowed to bring along only three relatives and friends, who will only be allowed to travel around Thailand after quarantine.

Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, Chief of the Disease Control Department, said foreigners requiring immediate medical treatment will be allowed into the country at all times.

Private hospitals are required to provide names of patients and coordinate with the Foreign Ministry,he said.

Dr Akom Pradittasuwan, Director of the Department of Health Service Support, said the agency has verified 98 hospitals and 26 clinics as alternative hospital quarantine sites, and they will be open to both Thais and foreigners.

Last year, foreign patients spent 15,000 baht (480 USD) per session on anti-ageing and rehabilitation, 140,000 baht on cardiovascular care, 300,000 baht on treatment of bones, joints, ligaments and muscles, 29,000 baht on dentistry, almost 500,000 baht on infertility treatments, 700,000 baht on cancer treatments, more than 2 million baht on organ transplants, over 26,000 baht on health examination, up to 50,000 baht on other conditions, 550,000 baht on heart surgery and 350,000 baht on gastric balloon surgery.

This year, it is expected that foreign and Thai expat patients are expected to hold up to 160,000 treatment sessions within three months and bring the country up to 18 billion baht (580 million USD) in revenue.

Philippines reports highest single-day rise in COVID-19 cases

The number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines rose to 93,354 after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 4,063 new cases on July 31, the highest single-day increase in confirmed cases since the highly-infectious disease emerged in the country in January.

The death toll also increased to 2,023 after 40 more patients have succumbed to the viral disease, the DOH said.

It added that the number of recoveries further rose to 65,178 after it reported 165 patients have survived the disease.

In a pre-recorded public address aired on July 31, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Metro Manila, which has the bulk of COVID-19 cases in the country, will remain under general community quarantine until August 15 due to the steady rise of cases, while other areas in the country are put under varying degrees of quarantine.

Metro Manila is home to about 15 million people. It has so far logged more than 50,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Four more COVID-19 patients fully recover

Four more COVID-19 patients have recovered and were released from the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases on July 31, lifting the total cases being given the all-clear to 373.

They include two Vietnamese men and two Burmese men who are sailors on the Ipanema ship.

Two Vietnamese men, Patient 356 and Patient 359, were admitted to the hospital on July 5. During treatment, they all had two tests and all tests came back negative for SARS-CoV-2 on July 28 and 30.

The two Burmese patients, Patient 383 and Patient 413, were admitted to the hospital on July 19. During treatment, they passed two tests and results were negative for SARS-CoV-2 on July 27 and 30.

At present, the four patients have no fever, no cough, no shortness of breath and are in a stable condition.

They will continue to be quarantined and monitored at the hospital for the next 14 days, according to the Sub-Committee for Treatment of the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Vietnamese in Ukraine shows solidarity to cope with COVID-19

The Vietnamese Embassy in Ukraine held a videoconference on July 30 to encourage Vietnamese citizens in the country to strengthen solidarity to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participants consider the prevention of COVID-19 an urgent task and shared their experience in preventing the spread of the disease.

They also discussed online business models and the establishment of a centre to support the online business community.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Ukraine Nguyen Anh Tuan praised sponsors who have provided material and spiritual support for COVID-19 patients and their family members.

The embassy’s staff also updated the participants on the pandemic situation at home.

Vietnam, Cuba highlight cooperation, friendship amid COVID-19 fight

The friendship and sound cooperation exhibited between Vietnam and Cuba in times of hardship, particularly in battling the COVID-19 pandemic, were honoured at a ceremony for the presentation of gifts from Vietnam to Cuba on July 30 in Havana.

First Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment Ana Teresita González Fraga said the achievements of the two countries in fighting the pandemic and upholding their solidarity and international cooperation manifest the preeminence of socialism in protecting the health, life, and rights of the people.

She also underlined the mutual aid between the countries during the year they celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties (December 2, 1960-2020), and re-affirmed a wish to further bolster cooperation and diversify economic relations. 

Vietnam is Cuba’s leading investor from Asia and Oceania and second largest trade partner. 

Vietnamese Charge d’Affaires Do Dinh Truong expressed his gratitude to Cuba for sending medicine and health experts to share their experience in the control of the new strain of the coronavirus and in vaccine research.

He said this is symbolic of the special friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and mutual trust between the two countries and their people.

Urgent notice to find people who may have come into contact with COVID-19 cases

The Ministry of Health has issued an urgent notice calling on anyone who has visited, taken care of family members or had health check-ups and treatment at Đà Nẵng Hospital from July 1 to come forward and seek medical help as soon as possible.

The ministry also asked all passengers onboard Vietnam Airlines flight VN166 from Đà Nẵng to Hà Nội at 8.30am on July 25 to contact nearest medical establishments to get COVID-19 consultancy and testing.

All of these people need to call the hotlines 1900.9095 (Ministry of Health), 0905.108.844 (Đà Nẵng City’s Centre for Disease Control), 0969.082.115/0949.396.115 (Hà Nội Centre for Disease Control) to provide details of those who have close contacts with them; and fill in the medical declaration forms at https://tokhaiyte.vn or download the NCOVI app from https://ncovi.vn and regularly update their health status as well as install the Bluezone app to get regular alerts about transmission risks at http://www.bluezone.gov.vn. 

One more hospital locked down in Đà Nẵng, Hội An begins social distancing

Authorities in Đà Nẵng have ordered the closure of restaurants, cafes and online shopping from 1pm on Thursday (July 30) to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The city issued a statement early this morning, stressing that only traditional markets and supermarkets can open to supply food, as well as petrol stations, pharmacies, banks and health centres.

According to the city’s health department, 12,000 medical samples have been taken, with 11,986 testing negative as of Thursday morning, and the city would expand testing for all residents.

It said the two patients in a serious condition (No 416 and 418) have gradually recovered, while the other COVID-19 patients are stable. 

The city's health department also confirmed that an 85-year-old patient who died at the General Hospital on July 28 had tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. The patient had been at the hospital for kidney failure, diabetes and pneumonia.

The man is the father of COVID-19 patient No 418, but he was not infected with the virus, the department said in an official statement on July 29. 

The city also locked down private Hoàn Mỹ Đà Nẵng hospital on Nguyễn Văn Linh Street from July 29 as patient No 449 had been treated for pneumonia at the hospital from June 26 to July 6. The hospital and surrounding streets were disinfected on the night of July 29.

All staff and doctors at the hospital will be tested for SARS-CoV-2 as well as those in close contact with patients.

More than 800 students from medical and pharmaceutical colleges have been called upon to help COVID-19 patients.

Hội An also began social distancing measures from July 31 after a COVID-19 patient visited the town and some surrounding sites.

The city has taken 22 medical samples from people who had close contact with the COVID-19 patient. Ten people have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 according to results released on July 30.

It said 444 people have been quarantined at health centres.  

Quảng Nam Province said 8,043 out of 8,595 medical samples at quarantine centres have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2.  

Public bus routes connecting the province with neighbouring Quảng Ngãi Province were closed from July 29. All passengers from the two provinces have to provide health declarations. 

Quảng Ngãi Province has isolated 298 people who were in close contact with COVID-19 patients for testing. Medical samples of 38 cases are negative for SARS-CoV-2, including a 10-month-old baby.

Thừa Thiên-Huế also announced that four students who returned from the General Hospital of Đà Nẵng have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 for the first time. The quarantine centre in the mountainous A Lưới district has isolated 94 people that had visited the COVID-19 hotspots in Đà Nẵng. 

Military strives to fight COVID-19  pandemic

Defence agencies, military units and all soldiers should strictly comply with government resolutions and directives take drastic measures to fight COVID-19.

The request was made by Senior Lieutenant General Trần Đơn, Deputy Defence Minister and Head of the ministry’s Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

He was speaking during a meeting of the committee held on Friday to introduce urgent measures in response to the pandemic’s development.

He asked all military units to review the number of people who have visited Đà Nẵng from July 1 or places with high risk of infections and requested them to fill in health declarations.

Based on the risk, the units would implement prevention and control measures while effectively carrying out military and defence missions.

According to Military Medicine Department under the Ministry of National Defence, the pandemic situation in the world is still complicated with an average of more than 200,000 new infections per day.

In Việt Nam, there have been 93 new infection cases in the community since July 25, bringing the total number of infected people to 509.

It was necessary to have resolute solutions, joint efforts and responsibility in prevention, tracking the source, quarantine and treatment to protect the health of soldiers and people while ensuring the country’s socio-economic development at the same time.

Military units stationed in Đà Nẵng City should exercise social distancing in line with Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc ’s Directive 16 which required people to stay at home unless for justified reasons and all non-essential businesses to close down.

Other units at pandemic-hit areas were asked to strictly embrace instructions and directions of the steering committee while preparing equipment and personnel to be ready in any circumstances.

To prevent the spread of the disease in military units, they should have their body temperature checked while spraying disinfectants on vehicles, wearing face masks, and detecting and quarantining infected cases in a timely manner.

The Border Guards were requested to work closely with localities to manage border gates and prevent illegal entry and criminal activities, maintaining social and security order in border regions.

Army quarantine areas should be ready to receive people in accordance with State regulations. Attention should be paid to prevent cross-transmission in these areas as well making sure staff on duty are protected.

Military medical establishment should cooperate with international partners, boost research on vaccines, preventive medicine. It was necessary to assure that there’s enough equipment for the pandemic prevention and control work.

Agencies and units in the army should review their disease containment work and push up production to ensure troops’ health. 

Businesses support Da Nang combat COVID-19

The Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the central city of Da Nang on July 31 received donations from domestic enterprises in support of the fight against COVID-19.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Huynh Duc Tho said the local people and authorities are grateful to businesses, philanthropists and people nationwide for supporting the city over the past time.

Many businesses handed over a big amount of cash and donations like Vingroup with 100 VFS-510 ventilators worth 18.5 billion VND (804,000 USD), Tuan Chau Group 2 billion VND, Vietnam Electricity 1 billion VND, Heineken Vietnam Brewery – Da Nang Co.Ltd 1 billion VND, the Central Power Corporation 500 million VND, among others.

A Vingroup representative said the group is ready to lend medical equipment and deploy medical staff from its Vinmec hospital system to assist the field hospital which is being built in Da Nang. The Vinmec Da Nang general hospital is also willing to receive patients in need of special treatment like bone and brain injury at the expense of health insurance or those charged by public hospitals./

230 Vietnamese citizens brought home from RoK

A total of 230 Vietnamese citizens were flown home from the Republic of Korea by a flight of budget carrier Vietjet Air on August 1.

Passengers include children aged under 18, the elderly, pregnant women, those with illness, workers with expired visas and labour contracts, students without accommodations, and those in extremely disadvantaged circumstances.

The Embassy of Vietnam in the RoK sent its staff to assist these people to complete all required procedures before boarding the flight.

Strict security, safety and hygiene measures were enforced by the carrier during the flight to protect the passengers’ health and prevent COVID-19 transmission.

Upon arrival at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport, all passengers and crew members were given health check and quarantined in line with regulations.

Vietnamese authorities and overseas missions plan to arrange more flights to fly more Vietnamese citizens home, depending on their need and quarantine capacity at home.