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The Ministry of Health has distributed 200,000 tablets of the antiviral drug Molnupiravir in Hà Nội as the number of infections in the capital city continue to increase.
The city has treated more than 30,000 COVID-19 patients, half of whom have recovered.
There are about 15,700 patients being treated in the capital at the moment; of these, 5,900 are monitoring their health at home and around 8,000 are being treated at mobile healthcare centres and treatment facilities.
The city Department of Health asked Đống Đa General Hospital to contact the drug supplier, receive and store the 200mg tablets correctly.
Directors and healthcare centres and hospitals will distribute Molnupiravir to COVID-19 patients.
PM orders completion of COVID-19 vaccine second dose by year’s end
Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has asked localities to speed up COVID-19 vaccinations as the pandemic rages on across the nation and infections continue to rise.
All citizens over the age of 18 must be fully vaccinated by December 31 (with exceptions to contraindications), especially people over 50 and people with medical conditions. Youngsters aged 12-18 must be fully vaccinated by January 2022, and people over 18 will receive a booster shot within the first quarter of 2022.
As for concerns over Omicron, the Prime Minister ordered the Ministries of Health, Transport, Public Security, Defense, and Foreign Affairs to ramp up the monitoring of people who came from countries that have registered cases of the Omicron variant, in all air, land, and sea traffic, to “stop the penetration and spread of this variant in our country”.
Protecting high-risk COVID patients should be a priority
As COVID cases rise nationwide and worldwide, the Ministry of Health ordered hospitals and medical facilities to continue protecting patients with high risk, to reduce fatalities.
The Ministry of Health ordered localities to review and reflect, as well as fix problems in the management and treatment of COVID patients. Medicines and equipment, especially protective equipment and oxygen must be ready in all stages and levels of health facilities.
The MOH also launched a campaign called “Protecting the ones at risk”, by executing multiple measures. The campaign includes searching and vaccinating people that are not fully vaccinated against COVID, especially people over the age of 50, people with health conditions, and immunodeficiencies.
Trial opens into Dong Do University's offering of counterfeit English diplomas
A trial has begun of 10 employees of a private university accused of issuing counterfeit English certificates to hundreds of people.
The defendants are all former officials and executives of Đông Đô University. They are all charged with forgery and appeared before Hà Nội People’s Court on Thursday for the beginning of a three-day trial.
According to the indictment, during the enrollment process, Trần Khắc Hùng, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Đông Đô University – who has absconded and is not present at the trial – noticed individuals who wanted to obtain a second degree in English for higher studies or to get considered for promotions.
He then utilised his position and authority as the university’s chair, directing the Board of Directors, the Institute of Education and Training, and related units to grant fake diplomas.
Between April 2018 and March 2019, Hùng and accomplices issued counterfeit English diplomas for 431 people, taking in VNĐ7.1 billion (US$309,908). The trial is set to last for three days.
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National forum discusses plastic waste management for sustainable fishery development
A national forum on marine plastic waste management for sustainable fishery development took place on December 23, offering opportunities for sides involved to discuss activities in implementing the sector’s action plan for such management during the 2020-2030 period.
Related challenges and difficulties as well as proposals for the implementation of the plan next year were tabled at the event, which was co-organised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and the Directorate of Fisheries.
At the forum, representatives of participating organisations also shared practical experiences from their pilot projects and proposed new initiatives related to natural forest management and the promotion of the implementation of the action plan.
National Press Conference 2021 opens
The National Press Conference opened in Hanoi on December 24, both online and in-person, to review the performance of the press circle this year, and set out tasks for 2022.
According to a report presented by deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education Tran Thanh Lam, as of November 30, Vietnam counted 816 press agencies with 40,000 employees, of whom 17,161 have been granted with press cards.
The report said in 2022, more efforts will be made to accelerate the implementation of the national planning scheme on press development and management by 2025.
Press agencies should further propose measures to deal with obstacles to the implementation of relevant laws to improve operational efficiency and complete their assigned tasks.
Strong cold front to hit northern and central Vietnam
A strong cold spell is forecast to enter Vietnam on December 25, bringing showers and low temperatures across the northern and central regions, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
The regions will be struck by rain and thunderstorms, with whirlwinds, lightning, hail and strong winds expected in some locations.
Northern and north-central Vietnam will start experiencing biting cold weather between December 26 and 28.
For most part of the north, including Hanoi, temperatures will range from 10 – 13 degrees Celsius at the lowest and even drop to below zero degree Celsius in high mountains where frost and sleet are also expected. The lowest mercury in the north-central region is likely to stay between 11 – 14 degrees Celsius.
Northeastern monsoon winds of level 6 – 7 will hit the Gulf of Tonkin and the waters from Quang Tri to Ca Mau from December 25 – 26, with gusts reaching level 9, bringing high waves of 2 – 4 metres.
NA Council tasked to evaluate COVID-19 impacts on ethnic minority communities
Politburo member and Standing Vice Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Tran Thanh Man has asked the NA Council for Ethnic Affairs to evaluate the impacts of COVID-19 on ethnic minority communities and report to the NA so as to take timely solutions to control the pandemic, promote socio-economic development and effectively implement ethnic policies at the same time.
He urged the council to continue focusing on implementing the master plan on boosting socio-economic development in ethnic minority-inhabited areas in the 2021-2025 period. Particularly, the council should work closely with relevant agencies and localities to ensure a warm and safe Lunar New Year for ethnic minority communities, he asked.
The Standing NA Vice Chairman required the council to organise more conferences, seminars to gather ideas from experts, scientists, management officials, prestigious people from ethnic minority villages and localities on ways to better implement plans and projects related to ethnic minority people.
Record rice aid of over 253,300 tonnes distributed in 2021
More than 253,300 tonnes of rice aid worth over 2.9 trillion VND (126.35 million USD) had been allocated to help people alleviate the impacts of natural disasters and diseases this year, said the General Department of State Reserves at a press conference held on December 23.
This is the biggest volume of rice aid taken from the national reserves in recent years, Nguyen Thi Pho Giang, deputy head of the general department, said, adding that the year 2021 saw complicated and widespread infections of the COVID-19 across the nation, particularly the fourth wave begging in April 27 and spreading fast in the South and Ho Chi Minh City.
Also in response to the epidemic this year, the general department allocated materials and equipment worth about 17.6 billion VND.
Female martial artist rakes in triple golds at Asian Karate Championships
Hoang Thi My Tam has claimed three gold medals for Vietnam at the 2021 Asian Karate Championships, in the Kumite events of the senior, U21, and team divisions.
On December 20, My Tam clinched her inaugural gold medal in the tournament following her 55kg (U21 division) victory over Thailand’s Namkhao Penpisut.
She was later crowned the 55kg champion (senior division), thus becoming the first female Vietnamese fighter to claim gold in the same weight category of both the senior and U21 divisions at the Asian Karate Championships
My Tam also teamed up with Nguyen Thi Ngoan and Ho Thi Thu Hien to beat the United Arab Emirates (UAE) opponents 2-1 on December 22 to rack up the women’s team Kumite title.
Mindset in external information service needs reform: official
A national conference was held in Hanoi on December 23 to review the external information service and communications about seas, islands, border demarcation, marker planting, and land border management in 2021.
On this occasion, the commission commended the collectives and individuals with outstanding performance in the external information service and communications about seas, islands, border demarcation, marker planting, and land border management in 2021.
VN completes procedures to receive 100,000 doses of Russian-donated COVID-19 vaccine
Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh has tasked the Ministry of Health with collaborating with relevant Vietnamese and Russian agencies to complete procedures for receiving and storing 100,000 doses of the Sputnik Light COVID-19 vaccine donated to Vietnam by the Russian Government.
The ministry will organise a ceremony to receive the vaccine and work with the Russian side regarding paperwork to grant permission for the Sputnik Light vaccine. The vaccine is only put into use once obtaining the permission.
The Ministry of Finance is assigned to finance the vaccine receiving and direct the General Department of Vietnam Customs to facilitate related customs procedures related to the vaccine batch.
Workshop looks to better policies on education, health for disabled people
The Vietnam Blind Association on December 23 held a workshop collecting ideas to serve the supplementation and adjustment of policies and laws on health and education for people with disabilities (PWDs).
The event is part of a project on raising legal awareness and aid on labour, employment, enforcement of administrative procedures in health and education for PWDs funded by the European Union through the Justice Initiatives Facilitation Fund (JIFF) whose governing body is the Ministry of Justice.
The Vietnam Blind Association suggested issuing a policy on supporting health insurance for people with mild disabilities to help them access better health care, while health insurance for people with severe and especially severe disabilities should cover more high-tech treatment and functional rehabilitation equipment.
Top legislator talks reform of NA committees
National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue emphasised the professionalism and standards of deputies as well as the structure of full-time deputies while speaking at a working session on improving the legislature’s operational quality in Hanoi on December 23.
The working session aimed to implement the scheme to develop a strategy for building and perfecting a rule-of-law socialist State till 2030 with orientations to 2045.
The top legislator laid stress on the structure of the Council for Ethnic Affairs and other committees of the NA.
For the NA Standing Committee, he agreed with the proposals raised by the compiling board of the scheme that the committee should gradually take over some functions of the legislature.
Regarding election campaigns and meetings with voters, Hue said more attention should be paid to socialist democracy in activities of NA deputies as well as democracy in the legislative body’s operation.
Labour Order presented to public security’s press agencies
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc presented Labour Order to the Ministry of Public Security’s press agencies during a ceremony in Hanoi on December 23.
The event marked the 75th anniversary of the first issue of the Public Security newspaper (November 1), the 40th anniversary of the Public Security Publishing House (February 10) and the 10th anniversary of the Public Security Television (December 11).
HCM City hosts Polish Film Festival 2021
The CineStar Cinema in Ho Chi Minh City hosted the launch of a Polish Film Festival on December 23 with a showing of the movie “Taxing love”.
The film festival will also be used as a platform to introduce four other movies to Vietnamese audience, including “The in-laws”, “Solid gold”, “Panic attack”, and “Perfect strangers”.
Among the four, “The in-laws” by director Kuba Michalczuk won the “People's Choice Award” at the 2021 Vancouver International Film Festival. Free tickets will be available at the CineStar Cinema. The event is scheduled to last through to December 27.
Legal framework for management of HCM City architecture, land space approved
The HCM City People’s Council has approved a legal framework for the management of urban architecture, with a focus on public land in the city centre, especially near the first metro line’s Bến Thành station.
Under the framework, the city aims to ensure sustainable growth amid urbanisation, including the fast pace of construction, high population density, and environmental pollution.
The number of high-rise buildings must be controlled according to current regulations. The city will have preferential policies for conservation of land and architectural spaces in the city’s central areas.
With natural landscapes and major cultural and historical spaces, covering 930ha, the central area, including districts 1, 3, 4 and part of Bình Thạnh District, will limit high-rise developments to minimise the adverse impact on the landscape and architectural heritage.
HCM City issues guidelines for pandemic level assessment in all districts
The HCM City Department of Health’s new guidelines for pandemic assessment in all districts and Thủ Đức City will be based on the rate of new cases in the community, vaccine coverage, and medical facilities’ treatment capacity.
The number of weekly cases confirmed by RT-PCR test results (recorded between Friday and next Thursday) will be sent by the city Centre for Disease Control (HCDC) to its health centre and announced by the Ministry of Health.
The health centre will verify information about the cases such as address, phone number and test results and immediately respond to any data errors within 24 hours.
For vaccine coverage, the rate is based on the number of vaccinated people in a district (both permanent and temporary residents) regardless of vaccination location.
Tet support given to struggling workers, people in need
Several groups of people, including more than 200 children, the middle-aged and elderly, as well as 38 disadvantaged students and families, from the Cơ Tu ethnic group in Quảng Nam Province's Tây Giang District have received warm clothes and blankets from the Lifestart Foundation.
The donation, worth over VNĐ62 million (US$2,700), will help the Cơ Tu community stay warm in the mountainous district this winter.
In neighbouring Quảng Ngãi Province, nearly 3,000 employees of heavy industry's Doosan Vina and needy local people have benefited from a Tết bonus and gifts.
A total of 100 gifts have been given to poor people living in Bình Thuận and Bình Trị communes in Bình Sơn District.
COVID-19 cases surpass 1.6 million on Thursday
The total number of coronavirus cases in the country since the start of the pandemic has surpassed 1.6 million, with 16,377 new infections detected on Thursday.
It was fourth consecutive day that Hà Nội registered the largest number of transmissions nationwide with 1,774, the highest number for the city in a single update.
The capital has now registered a city-wide record number of infections in seven of the last 10 days.
Among the new cases across the country, 10,152 were detected in the community, with 10 imported and quarantined upon arrival. Viet Nam’s total COVID death toll now stands at 30,531.
A total of 10,944 recoveries were reported, taking the total number of patients given the all-clear nationwide to more than 1,184,428.
There are currently 7,493 people in the county being treated in healthcare facilities with the virus, including 18 on life support.
Hundreds of health workers infected with Covid-19 at HCM City hospital
As many as 300 staff members at a hospital in HCM City have been infected with Covid-19.
Speaking at a conference on the pandemic held in HCM City on Thursday, director of Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital, Vo Duc Chien, revealed that 327 staff members had been infected with Covid-19 during work between January and September, 2021.
Ho Chi Minh City has been the hardest-hit locality since the fourth virus wave hit Vietnam in late April, with over 500,000 cases.
Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have asked the Ministry of Health to send 3,000 health workers to local hospitals amid rising numbers of seriously-ill patients in recent months.
Three children die in Tuyen Quang landslide
Three children have died and one other injured in a landslide which occurred near a barite mine in the northern province of Tuyen Quang.
Head of Son Duong District Office, Vu Van Thu, said that the tragic incident occurred at 4pm on December 23 when the children were playing on a hill behind their house in Dong Ben 2 Village.
"The area is next to a barite mine," the official said. "The victims included two boys aged 11 and 10 and a six-year-old girl. They are children of workers at the mine."
Local authorities are further investigating the cause of the accident.
3,000 white canes presented in aid of blind people
The Ministry of Planning and Investment presented 3,000 white canes to the Vietnam Blind Association (VBA) at a ceremony on December 23, as part of the ministry’s initiative on supporting blind and visually impaired people.
The canes are expected to benefit members and blind people at the association’s centres for rehabilitation training for the blind across 17 provinces and cities nationwide, including Thai Nguyen, Phu Tho, Bac Giang, Nghe An, Thua Thien-Hue, Can Tho, and Ho Chi Minh City.
Source: Dtinews/VOV/VNA/VNS/SGT
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