A Vietnamese citizen in Russia preparing to board a repatriation fligth on July 8

Vietnam did not record new cases of coronavirus infection overnight, the national steering committee for anti-COVID-19 said in the morning of July 13, which is also the 88th straight day without community transmission of the virus in the country.

The COVID-19 tally in Vietnam stands at 372, including 232 imported cases quarantined upon their arrival.

As many as 350 patients or 94.1 percent have recovered from the disease, and there are no deaths.

Most of the remainders are in stable condition, with one negative for the coronavirus once and three others at least twice.

There are 11,256 people having close contact with confirmed cases or coming from pandemic-hit areas in quarantine at present, including 25 in hospitals, 10,816 in other quarantine sites, and 415 at home or accommodation facilities.

Over 340 Vietnamese citizens repatriated from UK

More than 340 Vietnamese citizens in the UK have been brought home on a flight arranged by Vietnamese agencies, the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK, Vietnam Airlines and UK agencies on July 12 and 13.

The passengers included under-18 children, the elderly, the ill, pregnant women, students and workers with expired visa and labour contracts and stranded tourists. Doctors and nurses who accompanied Patient 91 – a British pilot - on the trip home earlier also returned to Vietnam on this flight.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, disease prevention measures were carried out during the flight. After landing at Van Don International Airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh, crew members and all passengers had their body temperature checked and went under quarantine as regulated.

Under the Prime Minister’s direction, domestic authorities and Vietnam’s overseas representative offices are making plans to fly more Vietnamese citizens home, depending on the citizens’ need and the country’s quarantine capacity.

Thailand plans human testing for COVID-19 vaccine in November

Thai researchers plan to begin human trials of a vaccine for the COVID-19 this November, a local official said on July 12.

They are preparing 10,000 doses, aiming for a vaccine that could be ready for use by late next year, according to Kiat Ruxrungtham, director of the Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University vaccine development programme.

Following favourable results in trials on primates, the next step is to manufacture doses for human trials, he added.

Facilities in San Diego (the US) and Vancouver (Canada) will produce 10,000 doses for the trials for 5,000 people, he revealed.

The trials will not accept volunteers until receiving approval from the Thai Food and Drug Administration and relevant agencies.

Thai company BioNet-Asia is preparing its facilities for large-scale manufacturing if the trials prove successful, according to Kiat.

If everything goes according to plan, the vaccine will be ready for Thailand in the third or fourth quarter next year, he said.

As of July 12, Thailand recorded a total of 3,217 COVID-19 infections, including 58 deaths. The Southeast Asian country has reported no community transmissions over the past month.

Canadian media hails recovery of Case 91 as symbol of Vietnam’s pandemic success

Canada’s CBC.ca has highlighted Vietnam’s success in fighting COVID-19 pandemic through the impressive case of a UK pilot who is also known as “Case 91” in Vietnam.

The article entitled “Virus-free UK pilot, symbol of Vietnam's pandemic success, to return home” that was run by CBC.com on July 11 reported that the pilot is Vietnam's most seriously ill COVID-19 patient, who at one point seemed close to death, left hospital on July 11 on his way home after a dramatic recovery that attracted national attention.

It said that the case, a pilot for national carrier Vietnam Airlines, became a sensation in Vietnam, where a combination of targeted testing and an aggressive quarantine programme has kept its coronavirus tally to an impressively low 370 cases, and zero deaths.

The 43-year-old Scot, who arrived in the Southeast Asian country from Britain in early March, was hospitalized three days after his first flight for Vietnam Airlines, following a visit to a bar in Ho Chi Minh City that became linked to a cluster of coronavirus cases.

The article recalled that at one point, medical officials said that he had just 10 percent of his lung capacity and was in critical condition. By early April, Cameron was on a ventilator and life-support machine at Ho Chi Minh City's Hospital of Tropical Diseases. In May, medical officials were saying that he urgently needed a lung transplant. But under round-the clock care, Cameron improved. By June, he no longer required a lung transplant and was taken off life-support.

Earlier in late May, Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper also ran a story spotlighting Vietnam’s effective measures of preventing SARS CoV-2 virus from spreading in the community.

In a recent interview with Vietnam News Agency reporters, Thomas Alexander, a Canadian education expert working in Ho Chi Minh City said that he is impressed at the far vision of Vietnamese leaders in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

He held that Vietnamese officials understood the complicated nature of the virus right from the beginning and gave appropriate advice on preventive measures to the community.

Living in Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic time, he said that he find himself lucky to be in a right place at the right time.

Southeast Asian countries witness more COVID-19 cases

The Cambodian Ministry of Health on July 12 confirmed 15 more COVID-19 cases, who are Cambodian citizens returning home from Saudi Arabia on July 10.

So far, Cambodia has reported a total of 156 infections, including 133 recoveries.

Meanwhile, Thailand reported 14 new infections on July 11, the highest level in a single day over the past few weeks, taking the total number to 3,216.

The new patients were Thai citizens returning from abroad and all are being quarantined. Thailand has passed 50 consecutive days free from community transmission.

Also on July 11, Indonesia announced 1,671 new cases, bringing the tally to 74,018.

The death toll increased to 3,535 after 66 more deaths were confirmed on the day.

Indonesian Minister of Health Achmad Yurianto said more than 34,710 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospital.

The same day, the Philippine Ministry of Health confirmed 1,387 new infections and 12 deaths, raising the tallies to 54,222 and 1,372.

An additional 807 patients have been given the all-clear, raising the total number of recoveries to 14,037.

The Malaysian Ministry of Health said on July 11 that the country reported additional eight cases, including four imported ones. The total number of infections now stands at 8,704, including 8,515 recoveries.

Meanwhile, Laos recorded no new cases on July 11, making it 90 consecutive days without new local transmissions, according to the Lao national steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control.