Health workers sprayed disinfectant in Ha Loi village roads in the night of April 8

Sterilisation work in Ha Loi village in Hanoi’s outlying district of Me Linh was completed on the morning of April 9, according to the Military High Command in the capital.

A resident of the village was confirmed as infected with SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 on April 6, becoming the country’s 243rd patient. The source of his infection, however, remains unclear.

The Ministry of Health has issued an urgent notice to track all people who had close contact with the 47-year-old man.

His neighbour was confirmed as the country’s 250th patient on April 7, after testing positive for the virus.

The village started a 28-day quarantine period on April 8. It is home to 2,973 families with 10,872 people in total.

The Hanoi Centre for Disease Control and the Chemistry Corps began disinfecting the area on the night of April 8.

Vietnam had reported 251 COVID-19 cases as at the morning of April 9, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Of these, 156 entered Vietnam from overseas, accounting for 62 percent.

Two more COVID-19 patients recover, total at 128

Two more COVID-19 patients have recovered and been discharged from Cần Giờ COVID-19 Treatment Hospital in HCM City Thursday morning. — Photo courtesy of the hospital

Two more COVID-19 patients have recovered and been discharged from Cần Giờ COVID-19 Treatment Hospital in HCM City Thursday morning, bringing the country’s total of recovered patients to 128.

Patient numbers 203 and 234 recovered this morning.

Patient 203, a 35-year-old female Vietnamese national, returned from Greece to Việt Nam on March 17. She was admitted to the hospital on March 27.

During treatment, the patient tested negative twice for SARS-CoV-2 on April 5 and 6. She is currently in a stable condition and has no cough or fever.

Patient 234 is also a female, 69, Vietnamese nationality, living in Buôn Đôn District, the Central Highlands province of Đắk Lắk. She returned from Paris to HCM City on March 13 and was quarantined upon arrival. The patient tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on March 30, then was transferred to the Cần Giờ COVID-19 Treatment Hospital for treatment the same day.

During treatment, the patient had two tests and both test results were negative for SARS-CoV-2 on April 5 and 6.

The two patients will continue to be isolated and monitored for the next 14 days.

In HCM City, there are only 17 COVID-19 patients currently being treated in three treatment facilities, including the HCM City Tropical Diseases Hospital, Củ Chi Field Hospital and the Cần Giờ COVID-19 Treatment Hospital.

As of Thursday morning, the health ministry has confirmed 251 COVID-19 patients. No deaths have been recorded so far.

German institute lauds Vietnam’s prompt actions in tackling COVID-19 

German political institute Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) has posted an article praising Vietnam’s efforts in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the key to success lays in the prompt action and resolve of the Government, relevant agencies, and the Vietnamese people.

Peter Girke, Chief Representative of KAS in Vietnam, said the rate of COVID-19 infection in the country has remained quite low since the first local case was confirmed in late January.

He noted that the number of COVID-19 cases in Vietnam and Germany on February 17 was the same, at 16. Four weeks later, however, it was 61 in Vietnam and 7,272 in Germany. As of March 30, Vietnam had only 194 cases, while Germany had 66,885.

The National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control has also taken actions since the early stages of the crisis, he said, adding that the Vietnamese people have been aware of the battle since early February.

Vietnam closed its schools within the first few days, initially in major cities and then nationwide. Universities were shuttered soon after, and events of all types were suspended or cancelled.

He commended other measures taken by Vietnam in combating COVID-19, such as tightening border control, mobilising the army, suspending visa waivers for tourists from many European countries, quarantining passengers entering Vietnam for 14 days, restricting gatherings of more than 10 people, and closing restaurants and entertainment venues.

Vietnam has yet to impose a widespread curfew, Girke noted.

He also highlighted the degree of public support for the Government’s measures and the effective communications seen throughout the country.

He suggested Vietnam continue with measures introduced, saying they will help the country contain the epidemic until specific treatment drugs and vaccines are produced.

Indonesia borrows 7 billion USD to support COVID-19 fight

Indonesia will receive loans worth about 7 billion USD from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to finance its fight against the raging COVID-19 pandemic.

Bank Indonesia (BI) Governor Perry Warjiyo has said that the funds will be spent on financing the country’s widening budget deficit of 5.07 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to prevent a greater health crisis and economic meltdown from the COVID-19 outbreak.

Perry told the House of Representatives Commission XI overseeing financial affairs that the three banks planned on around 7 billion USD in loans during an investor teleconference. He added that the Finance Ministry will also maximise the government’s budget.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo recently announced additional state spending worth 405.1 trillion Rp (25 billion USD) to finance the country’s battle against the pandemic. The new allocation will be used specifically for health care, the social welfare safety network and business-recovery programmes.

In funding the extra budget, the government has resorted to debt issuance, international institution loans and state budget reallocation./.

Police quarantined after contact with 243rd COVID-19 patient

The High Command of Chemicals together with the Hà Nội Capital High Command spray disinfectants in the lockdown village of Hạ Lôi, Hà Nội’s Mê Linh Commune on Wednesday night.

All 19 police officers of the Đông Ngạc Ward’s Police Station, Bắc Từ Liêm District, Hà Nội have been quarantined after it was discovered the station’s deputy head had eaten a meal with Việt Nam's 243rd COVID-19 patient.

Chairman of the People’s Committee of the district Trần Thế Cương announced on Wednesday afternoon at a meeting of the city’s Steering Committee for COVID-19 prevention and control that authorised agencies had sprayed disinfectants in appropriate areas and took samples of the officers for tests.

Cương said a total of eight people had close contact with the 243rd patient, including the deputy head of the police station and three flower sellers who live in the district. All samples of the closely-contacted people were sent to the city’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention for tests.

Cương also asked the centre to provide rapid testing for flower sellers in the market.

In a related move, the High Command of Chemicals under the Ministry of National Defence together with the Hà Nội Capital High Command sprayed disinfectants in the locked-down village of Hạ Lôi, Hà Nội’s Mê Linh Commune, Mê Linh District on Wednesday night.

The village, where the 243rd patient lives and contacted many people, was locked down on Tuesday afternoon.

The People’s Committee of the district will provide food for all 2,973 households in the village during the lockdown, which will run from April 8 to May 5.

The 243rd patient is a 47-year-old man, from Mê Linh Commune. He took his wife to Bạch Mai Hospital for a health examination on March 12 and returned home the same day. The couple had lunch at a restaurant opposite the hospital and did not return to the hospital.

Last Friday, he took his wife to the Hà Nội Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital for an examination without declaring that he and his wife had visited Bạch Mai Hospital on March 12 as per the requirements of the Ministry of Health.

This failure to declare resulted in 63 doctors and nurses from the Hà Nội Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital being put in quarantine at the hospital on Monday.

On Wednesday morning, a neighbour of the 243rd patient in Hạ Lôi Village was confirmed as the 250th patient after having tested positive for the disease.

Vietnam reports no new COVID-19 cases in past 24 hours

A medical worker sprays disinfectant in Ha Loi village, Me Linh district, Hanoi, after a resident tested positive for COVID-19.

Vietnam reported no new COVID-19 cases on April 9 morning, keeping the national count at 251 over the past 24 hours, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Of the cases, 156 entered Vietnam from overseas, accounting for 62 percent, while 95 others got infected from local patients.

Five patients are receiving oxygen support. Twenty-five tested negative for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 for the first time, while 17 others got negative results for their second tests.

On April 9, two patients are expected to be discharged from Can Gio hospital for COVID-19 treatment in Ho Chi Minh City.

As of 6:00 on the day, a total of 77,292 people have been quarantined in Vietnam, of whom 642 have been in concentrated quarantine areas in hospitals, 27,790 people have undergone concentrated quarantine in other establishments and the remainders have been self-quarantined at home.

Health ministry urges more reliable COVID-19 test kits for mass production

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has urged domestic research institutes and producers to focus their resources on developing more reliable COVID-19 testing kits for mass production to meet the country’s increasing need.

The call was made at a meeting held by the ministry in Hanoi on April 8.

Vietnam has used different diagnostic testing kits, including those imported from foreign countries like Germany and the Republic of Korea.

As the pandemic has spread globally, Vietnam should not rely on foreign supplies but instead develop more test kits for its own use, according to the ministry. The country must also produce enough biological materials to test the products, it said.

The ministry said it welcomes all studies and efforts to produce testing kits and it is looking for a product that is fast, affordable, sensitive and convenient for an expanded response to the COVID-19.

The ministry has placed an order for 200,000 testing kits developed by the Military Medical University and Viet A Corporation which can detect the SARS-CoV-2 in specimens of droplets from the respiratory tract and blood samples. Its accuracy rate is over 90 percent.

A number of research institutes in Vietnam have also joined the race to develop COVID-19 test kits that are not only reliable but also suitable for the actual conditions in the country.

Some studies have shown quite promising results. For example, the rapid test kit developed by the School of Biotechnology and Food Technology at the Hanoi University of Science and Technology is in line to get approval for production.

The participating research institutes said they hope to successfully create new test kits this month.

Vietnam shows willingness to assist others in COVID-19 fight: The Diplomat

Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung (R) hands over the assistance to German Ambassador Guido Hildner

An article in the US-based magazine The Diplomat on April 8 highlighted Vietnam’s recent assistance to five European nations, saying it illustrates the “continued willingness to assist other countries on a bilateral and multilateral basis to the best of its abilities, even as the country continues to remain vigilant about managing its own challenge at home”.

Vietnam donated 550,000 face masks to five European countries on April 7 to support their fight against COVID-19. The masks, made of antimicrobial fabric, were handed to the ambassadors of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK in Hanoi.

“The development itself is in line with Vietnam’s broader diplomacy amid COVID-19 thus far, which has seen it make offers of assistance to other countries as well, including neighbouring countries Cambodia and Laos as well as individual European countries such as Italy,” the article said.

It also laid stress on Vietnam’s recognition that “strengthening international cooperation and unity” is an important factor in minimising the impact of COVID-19.

The author remarked that the country’s assistance put the spotlight on relations between Vietnam and key European nations during the global pandemic.

Both sides have also been working to share information on the security of their citizens and continuing with key developments such as the final steps in ratifying the EU-Vietnam free trade agreement, which is expected to receive approval by Vietnam’s lawmakers in May so it can go into effect this summer.

Thus far, Vietnam has reported over 200 COVID-19 cases but no deaths, and it has taken additional measures including restrictions on movement and stepping up the production of masks, the article noted.

Military Hospital 175 helps German counterpart in COVID-19 fight

Vietnam’s Military Hospital 175 sends an aid package to Saint Georg Hospital in Germany’s Leipzig city to assist its partner in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo: qdnd.vn)

Vietnam’s Military Hospital 175 on April 8 sent an aid package to Saint Georg Hospital in Germany’s Leipzig city to assist its partner in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The aid package, comprising 10,000 medical face masks, 500 face shields and 1,000 protective suits, was raised by staff at the Vietnamese hospital in support of their German colleagues.

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has offered free transportation of the package.

Leipzig’s mayor and the German Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City have sent letters of gratitude to Military Hospital 175 for the meaningful gifts.

No new cases of COVID-19 reported in Vietnam on April 8 evening

No new cases of COVID-19 infections were reported on April 8 evening in Vietnam, leaving the national total at 251, according to the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

The committee said two new COVID-19 patients were confirmed on the same day morning. One is a 50-year-old woman who lives in Ha Loi village, Me Linh commune, in Hanoi’s Me Linh outlying district. She is a neighbour of the 243rd patient, and the two had been in close contacts.

The other is a 64-year-old man who lives in Binh Nghia commune, Binh Luc district in the northern province of Ha Nam. Since March 20, he has been treated at the Department of Gastroenterology in Ha Nam General Hospital where his son and daughter-in-law, who live in Hanoi, had been taking care of him.

The man tested positive for COVID-19 on April 7. The source of his infection is under investigation.

There are currently 74,626 people in quarantine.

Also on April 8, four more COVID-19 patients recovered and were discharged from hospitals, lifting the country’s total number of recoveries to 126.

Two of the discharged patients are South Africans, while the other two are Vietnamese nationals.

German, European media highlight Vietnam’s support in COVID-19 fight

Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung speaks at the ceremony to hand over 550,000 antibacterial face masks to the embassies of Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the UK in Hanoi

German and European media have reported high appreciation for Vietnam's donation of face masks to European countries to help them fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The German electronic newspaper DW ran an article, saying the Vietnamese Government had handed over 550,000 antibacterial face masks as gifts to the embassies of Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the UK in Hanoi.

Meanwhile, Euronews reported that in addition to the above-mentioned countries, Vietnam has also donated masks and medical equipment to Cambodia, Laos and China.

The German Embassy in Vietnam, through its facebook page, thanked the Vietnamese Government for giving the German Government 110,000 face masks.

According to Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung, Vietnam wants to support its European partners which have shown their solidarity and friendship with Vietnam in the past.

The German Embassy said that the Vietnamese community in Germany has also joined hands with local authorities in the fight against the pandemic.

Thousands of medical face masks, cloth masks, and protective gloves have been mobilised among overseas Vietnamese in Germany to present to local hospitals, nursing homes, health centres and police stations.

Many Vietnamese restaurants in the European country have offered thousands of free meals to doctors and nurses at COVID-19 treatment centres, the embassy added.

The German Embassy expressed its gratitude to the Vietnamese community’s determination to combat the disease, as well as the strength of the German-Vietnamese friendship.

It said that research institutions, scientists and the governments of the two countries are closely cooperating in the COVID-19 combat.

Accordingly, the Vietnamese-German Centre of Excellence in Medical Research (VG-CARE) in Hanoi recently delivered 6,000 test tubes to Germany for COVID-19 drug development research.

In an interview with Berlin-based daily newspaper Berliner Zeitung on April 7, Regine Hengge, a prestigious microbiology professor from Humbolt University, recommended that German authorities and people follow Vietnam’s face mask wearing rule to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Four more COVID-19 patients recover

Among the four patients, three were treated at the Can Gio hospital for COVID-19 in Ho Chi Minh City. Two of them are South African nationals, and one Vietnamese.

The fourth patient, a Vietnamese, was treated at the Cu Chi acute respiratory disease hospital, also in Ho Chi Minh City.

Those newly-cured patients will continue to stay in quarantine and have their health monitored for the next 14 days.

Vietnam had confirmed 251 Covid-19 cases as of 6pm on April 8.

Việt Nam must remain vigilant in face of COVID-19 community transmission risks

A man has his temperature taken at a quarantine checkpoint in Mỹ Lộc District, northern Nam Định Province.

Despite early, drastic measures to prevent COVID-19 from further spreading, community transmission had fueled the spread of the disease, Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam said on Wednesday, urging the whole system to remain on alert.

According to the Ministry of Health (MoH), as of Wednesday morning, 156 of 251 infections recorded nationwide had been imported cases, accounting for 62.6 per cent. The remaining 95 people contracted the disease from other patients in Việt Nam.

The national steering committee for COVID-19 control and prevention urged localities to keep a close watch on the disease, strengthen management over patients showing symptoms similar to COVID-19, and come up with solutions to trace people who had contact with carriers.

The committee said it would keep a tight control on the outbreak using a strategy of preventing, reporting, isolating, zoning and containing, especially with more infections expected in the coming days.

Trần Đắc Phu, former head of the General Department of Preventive Medicine, said the source of infection remained unclear for cases 243, 247 and 251.

The 243rd patient, a 47-year-old Vietnamese man from Mê Linh Commune, Mê Linh District in Hà Nội, took his wife to Bạch Mai Hospital for a health examination on March 12 and returned home the same day, but might not have contracted the disease at the hospital. Phu said his test results showed he had just recently contracted the virus. The patient was reported to have visited different places before testing positive for SARS-CoV-2.

“It is important we identify the sources of infection. However, in the case of community transmission, the priority is to implement quarantining, zoning and containing to prevent the disease from spreading,” Phu warned.

He also stressed that social distancing was an essential solution to stop small community outbreaks.

Nguyễn Văn Sơn, deputy minister of public security, said the police would continue working closely with the healthcare sector to trace people in contact with COVID-19 patients.

After a week of nationalwide social distancing since Prime Minister's order, people had started to go out again, he said.

Participants shared the view that although Việt Nam has introduced strong measures, COVID-19 continues to spread in the community, as before midnight on March 22, when the entry of foreigners into the country was suspended, hundreds of thousands of people, including many from coronavirus-hit nations, had already entered the country.

Deputy Health Minister Đỗ Xuân Tuyên asked to expand the list of people to be screened, including foreigners staying at hotels, expat communities, Vietnamese nationals working with foreigners who had been to epicentres, and foreign tourists.

The percentage of recoveries compared to infections had exceeded 50 per cent, said Lương Ngọc Khuê, head of MoH’s Department of Medical Examination and Treatment.

“Our current priority is to develop and complete the most efficient treatment regime to prevent patients with mild infections from becoming severely ill, while minimising deaths,” he said.

Khuê also urged medical facilities to upgrade mechanisms to protect their patients, staff and communities from the risk of infection.

Four more patients with COVID-19 had recovered and been discharged from two treatment facilities in the south as of Wednesday morning, lifting the country’s total number of recoveries to 126.

Health Ministry seeks people in contact with 243rd COVID-19 patient

The 243th COVID-19 patient's travel report from March 8 to April 4.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has issued an urgent notice to trace all people who had close contact with Viet Nam's 243rd COVID-19 patient, a 47-year-old man, from Hà Nội’s Mê Linh District.

The man went to Quảng Bá Flower Market in Hà Nội on many mornings, including 3.55-6.30am on March 8, 2.30-5am from March 14, 1-5am on March 22 and 23, 3-6am on March 25, 2-6am on March 26 and 2.30-6am on March 27.

He visited the Department of Allergology and Clinical Immunology of Bạch Mai Hospital from 8.30-10.30am and 11-12pm on March 12.

He had lunch at a restaurant at number 31 on Lane 75, Giải Phóng Street, opposite Bạch Mai Hospital, from 10.30-11am on March 12.

He went to Mê Linh Flower Market on National Highway 23 in Hà Nội from 3-5.41pm on March 12, 11am on March 15, 2.30-3pm on March 18, 10-10.30am and 3-4pm on March 22, 5-6pm on March 26, 11pm on March 27 and 11-12pm on March 30.

He visited Phúc Yên Obstetrics Hospital in Vĩnh Phúc Province’s Phúc Yên District at 8am on April 4.

He visited Hà Nội Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital at 929 La Thành Street in Ba Đình District at 11am on April 4.

The Ministry of Health requested all people who were at these areas during the mentioned time frames immediately contact local centres for disease control and prevention for guidance on health monitoring.

The patient was confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 on Monday and the source of his infection is still unclear.

He took his wife to Bạch Mai Hospital for a health examination on March 12 and returned home the same day. The couple had lunch at a restaurant opposite the hospital and did not return to the hospital.

Last Friday, he took his wife to the Hà Nội Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital for examination without declaring that he and his wife had visited Bạch Mai Hospital on March 12 as per the requirements of the Ministry of Health.

This failure to declare resulted in 63 doctors and nurses from the Hà Nội Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital being put in quarantine at the hospital on Monday.

On Wednesday morning, a neighbour of the 243rd patient in Hạ Lôi Village was confirmed as the 250th patient after having tested positive for the disease.

The village was subsequently quarantined.

HCM City offers financial relief to the poor, unemployed

Lê Minh Tấn, director of the HCM City Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs speaks at a meeting on a relief package for the poor on Tuesday. Photo laodong.vn

As many as 9,000 poor and near-poor households in HCM City that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic will receive monthly relief payments of VNĐ1 million (US$42) per household for three months, starting in April, according to the municipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

A total of 15,000 families who have made great contributions to the nation will receive monthly cash payments of VNĐ500,000 ($21) per household for three months to overcome difficulties due to the pandemic, said Lê Minh Tấn, director of the department.

A total of 600,000 workers who were laid off or put on leave without pay due to the direct impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will be provided VNĐ1 million a person a month, Tấn said at a meeting on Tuesday.

The city is home to 32,000 poor and near-poor households and 43,000 families who have made great contributions to the nation, he said.

Around 3.2 million workers are employed by 415,000 enterprises in the city.

About 75 per cent of enterprises have cut capacity or suspended production, resulting in 600,000 workers laid off or put on leave without pay.

Nearly 12,000 lottery ticket sellers have been affected as the issuance of lottery tickets was halted for 15 days starting April 1. They will receive financial aid of VNĐ750,000 ($32) a person.

Cambodia thanks Vietnam for medical support in COVID-19 fight

At the hand-over ceremony

Vietnam handed over medical supplies to Cambodia on April 8 to help the country fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The hand-over ceremony in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh was attended by Minister of Health Mam Bunheng, other ministry officials, and Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Vu Quang Minh, among others.

In his remarks, Mam Bunheng thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for their regular support and stressed that cooperation between the Vietnamese and Cambodian health ministries has been fruitful.

For his part, Ambassador Minh said the aid is a result of recent phone talks between Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Cambodian counterpart Samdech Techo Hun Sen, who committed to enhancing cooperation in the fight.

He described the aid as a symbol of the heartfelt sentiment among Vietnamese towards Cambodia, adding that some Vietnamese firms in the neighboring country are also assisting its health ministry.

On April 3, on behalf of PM Phuc, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung presented the token of the medical equipment from the Vietnamese Government and people to Lao and Cambodian officials.

Worth 7 billion VND (297,140 USD), the equipment included protective gear, face masks, and COVID-19 test kits.

Vietnamese, Lao provinces enhance coordination in fighting COVID-19

Leaders of central Quang Tri province and the Lao province of Salavan attended a working session on April 8 to discuss coordination in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Vice Chairman of the Quang Tri Provincial People’s Committee Hoang Nam, it has quarantined 12,000 Vietnamese citizens returning from Laos and Thailand in Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue provinces.

Authorities in Quang Tri, nestled on the Vietnam-Laos border, have deployed more than 80 border guard posts, of which 25 are located along the border with Salavan province.

They have strictly controlled entry and exit through border gates, trails, and paths, while organising campaigns calling on people on both sides to not pass through, Nam said.

The province has also facilitated import and export activities between the two sides in line with strict regulations on disease control, he stressed, adding that all the 120 Lao students pursuing studies in Quang Tri have received support and health care.

Nam expressed his hope that authorities in Salavan will continue to provide health care to Quang Tri locals in particular and Vietnamese citizens in general who are working and living in Laos.

For his part, Salavan's Deputy Governor Phuthong Khammanivong said it has taken drastic measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including coordinating with the Vietnamese side in controlling entry and exit at the La Lay International Border Gate and managing the import and export of goods at all border areas.

He thanked Quang Tri for the assistance given to Lao students, pledging to support and ensure health care is provided to Vietnamese workers still in Salavan.

The two sides agreed to further strengthen cooperation to effectively combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quang Tri authorities also presented medical supplies and equipment to Salavan on the same day.

Vietnamese in Egypt stay united amid COVID-19 pandemic: ambassador

A quiet street in Cairo, Egypt

The Vietnamese community in Egypt has shown strong unity and provided mutual support to overcome difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ambassador Tran Thanh Cong has said.

According to the diplomat, no Vietnamese in Egypt have been infected with the COVID-19.

Amid the complicated and unpredictable developments of the disease in the host country, the embassy has actively given relevant recommendations and instructions to those Vietnamese living and working there.

It has also regularly disseminated medical regulations and guidelines of the host country to the community. A hotline was established to support Vietnamese citizens in case of need, Cong said.

For those still stuck in Egypt, the embassy has also regularly exchanged information and worked with local authorities to ensure visa extension for them while they wait for flights to return home.

The embassy has organised charitable activities to help the Vietnamese community in the country, he added.

So far, Egypt has reported 1,450 cases of COVID-19 infections, including 94 deaths./.

Singapore reports 142 new COVID-19 infections in biggest daily jump

The Singaporean Ministry of Health confirmed 142 new COVID-19 infections on April 8 for a total of 1,623, the biggest daily increase yet, and said a seventh person had died after testing positive for the disease.

Forty of the new cases were linked to foreign worker dormitories. The Southeast Asian country has quarantined workers in three dormitories after they were linked to several cases of the COVID-19 respiratory disease, Reuters reported.

The city state also announced that a 32-year-old male had died in his home after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

Singapore was one of the worst-hit countries when the virus first spread from China in January, but a strict surveillance and quarantine regime helped stem the tide. Recent spikes in locally transmitted cases have, however, raised fresh concerns.

Bangladesh media laud Vietnam’s COVID-19 fight

An American patient is discharged from hospital in Da Nang city on April 3.

Bangladesh’s dhakatribune.com has published an article on Vietnam’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the country could offer valuable lessons on how to curb the disease’s spread amid a poor healthcare system and low budget funds.

Vietnam has reported only more than 250 COVID-19 cases and no fatalities. More than half of those infected have recovered.

During Tet - the lunar new year and the most important celebration in Vietnamese culture, held at the end of January this year - Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended a government meeting “declaring war” on the coronavirus, the article stated.

Rather than embarking on mass testing, Vietnam focused on quarantining infected people and tracking down those they had been in contact with.

Apart from this aggressive tracing, other measures adopted include compulsory quarantine and the conscription of medical students and retired doctors and nurses.

And from very early on, anyone arriving in Vietnam from a high-risk area was quarantined for 14 days. All schools and universities were closed at the beginning of February.

Vietnam’s success in containing COVID-19 depends in part on the mobilisation of medical and military personnel, and surveillance, according to the article.

Security officials can be found on every street, every neighborhood, and every village. The military is also deploying soldiers and material in the fight against the coronavirus, it said. About 800 people found sharing “fake news” on the virus have been fined.

The article also quoted Carl Thayer, a professor at the University of New South Wales Canberra, as saying that Vietnam is a mobilisation society and the Vietnamese Government is good at responding to natural disasters.

Thailand: Bangkok offers SARS-CoV-2 testing at home

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is offering testing at home for people who suspect they may have caught the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes the acute respiratory disease (COVID-19).

As of April 8, Bangkok has reported the highest number of COVID-19 infections in Thailand, with 1,223 patients out of 2,369 confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country.

Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang said on April 8 that the BMA, together with staff from the Mor Lab Panda Facebook page, have been sending mobile teams to conduct COVID-19 testing at the residences of people who had completed an online questionnaire and were at-risk.

Those who tested positive would be taken to treatment facilities. This would quickly contain the disease and relieve the worries of people living nearby, the governor said.

The units would go to see people who completed an online screening questionnaire, which is in Thai, at bkkcovid19.bangkok.go.th and learned they were at risk of having caught the disease, Aswin said.

The website was launched on April 3 and more than 20,000 people had completed the form by April 8 afternoon.

The governor asked people in Bangkok to try their best to stay home, regularly wash their hands, practise social distancing, wear face masks and refrain from sharing personal items, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19./.