Vietnam had no new COVID-19 cases in the community to report on October 9 morning for the straight 37th day, announced the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Doctors at Hoa Vang Hospital in Da Nang city for COVID-19 treatment bid goodbye to the last COVID-19 patient of the hospital (Photo: VNA)

The new patient returned from Russia on flight QH9495 which landed at Can Tho airport in the Mekong Delta on September 26. He had close contact with patients 1094, 1091, 1092, and 1093. He tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 while staying in quarantine in Bac Lieu province.

The country has gone through 36 straight days without community transmission of the coronavirus in the country.

As of 6pm on October 8, the total number of recoveries was 1,023, while the number of fatalities remains at 35.

Among patients still under treatment, five have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, eight negative twice and five negative thrice.

A total 14,250 people are being quarantined nationwide, with 276 at hospitals, 11,817 at designated facilities and 2,425 at home or accommodations.

The national count remained at 1,100, including 409 imported cases quarantined upon their arrival and 691 locally transmitted ones.

As many as 1,023 patients have recovered while most of the 35 related deaths were elderly people with serious underlying health conditions.

Among those still under treatment, five have tested negative once for the SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19, eight others twice, and five thrice. No patients are in critical conditions at present, the treatment sub-committee noted.

There are 14,250 people having close contact with confirmed cases or coming from pandemic-hit regions under quarantine now./.

German press praises Vietnam’s anti-pandemic model

German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has spoken highly of Vietnam’s achievements in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the country should be taken as a model in the fight.  

Analysing anti-pandemic models between developed and developing countries, the article on October 6 said Vietnam has acted as a positive role model for controlling and preventing the novel virus.

Creativeness and effective preventive measures, not wealth or higher education ground, play the decisive role in the battle against the coronavirus outbreak, it said, highlighting while the number of COVID-19 cases are increasing in most of the European countries, Vietnam, Mongolia and Thailand virtually wipe out the virus.

The pooled testing initiative really works for countries which have small capacity in testing, it said.

Germany, which has announced nearly 10,000 deaths associated with COVID-19 should learn experience from Vietnam – a country with a population of some 100 million people that has seen only 35 fatalities./.

Close to 250 Vietnamese citizens return home from Malaysia

Nearly 250 Vietnamese citizens were flown home safely on October 8 thanks to joint efforts by Vietnamese authorities, the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia, and budget carrier Vietjet.

Passengers on board included children under 18 years old, the elderly, pregnant women, people with illnesses, workers whose labour contracts expired, students without accommodation due to dormitory closure, and others in difficult circumstances.

The Vietnamese Embassy sent its staff to the airport to help the citizens with check-in procedures.

Security, safety and hygiene measures were rigorously taken during the flight to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Upon landing at Can Tho International Airport in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, all the crew members and passengers were given medical check-ups and put under quarantine in line with current regulations.

In the time to come, more repatriation flights will be arranged to bring Vietnamese citizens home, depending on their demand and domestic quarantine capacity./.

Indonesia sees record daily number of COVID-19 cases on October 8

Indonesia reported 4,850 new cases of COVID-19 on October 8, a record daily number so far, raising the total to 320,564.

The same day, 108 people in the country died due to the coronavirus disease, raising the death toll to 11,580, the highest in Southeast Asia.

To help Indonesia curb the spread of the epidemic and mitigate its impact, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on October 7 signed an MoU on support to Indonesia.

Under the document, KOICA will grant 200,000 USD for the ICRC regional delegation to Indonesia and Timor Leste so that ICRC can expand its technical assistance for 67 prisons in six provinces and cities of Indonesia, benefiting more than 57,600 inmates.

Earliers, the ICRC delegation in Jakarta distributed hygiene material to 73 prisons in seven provinces and cities in Indonesia.

Also on October 8, the Philippines recorded 2,363 new COVID-19 cases and 144 deaths. The country so far counted 331,869 cases, the highest in Southeast Asia, and 6,069 fatalities./.

Patients given comprehensive care at Da Nang Hospital

In order to prevent Covid-19 infections at medical facilities now it has resumed normal operations, Da Nang Hospital has introduced a comprehensive care process for patients. Family members will be limited from entering the hospital as staff take full care of patients during inpatient treatment.

Patients hospitalised during the Covid-19 pandemic could not receive any care from family members but were given comprehensive care from the hospital’s medical staff, from dental hygiene to bathing and nutrition.

Providing comprehensive care to inpatients is an effort to limit family visits and prevent epidemics in medical facilities. To facilitate information exchange between patients, family members, and medical staff, the hospital has special phone lines for updates on patients’ health status and care.

All hospitalised patients are screened for the coronavirus. All departments have also set up a temporary isolation area to prevent cross-contamination. 

The hospital is hoping to change the habits of family members visiting and caring for patients, among other things. Da Nang is taking the initiative to prevent risks from Covid-19 at medical facilities./.