A total of 123 laboratories nationwide have been licensed to conduct RT-PCR tests with a capacity of 46,000 samples per day, according to a statement by the Ministry of Health.

The period between July 23 and August 19 saw 390,490 samples taken for RT-PCR testing. This marks a huge increase in test numbers, with 426,718 samples being taken to check for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) from late January to July 22.

Upon the detection of the COVID-19 pandemic in the central Da Nang, roughly 5,500 samples were taken each day during the initial week.

Furthermore, the second week saw an average of 15,500 samples tested each day, a rate 2.7 times higher in comparison to the previous week. Following this 25,000 samples were taken on the third week.

Moreover, as of July 25 Da Nang has recorded the highest number of samples nationwide with 86,000, followed by Ho Chi Minh City and the central province of Quang Nam.

Leading experts leave Da Nang as COVID-19 under control

A group of leading experts led by Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son left Da Nang on August 21 after the country’s largest coronavirus outbreak in the locality is being put under control.

The ministry dispatched special working teams comprised of leading epidemiologists and doctors to Da Nang in late July to help the central city with contact tracing, epidemiological investigations and intensive tests after the first locally acquired coronavirus infection was detected.

The outbreak has since spread to 15 cities and provinces, with Da Nang alone being the hardest hit city, registering more than 300 cases. The outbreak has showed signs of abating, with the number of infections falling condiderably from dozens on a daily basis to less than 10 during the past few days. 

Meeting the leading experts on August 20, Da Nang People's Committee Chairman Huynh Duc Tho expressed the city’s sincere gratitude for the experts’ timely assistance during the fight against COVID-19.

Tho explained how they faced an unprecedented workload at the COVID-19 hotspot and were at high risk of infection, adding that their support made an important contribution to bringing the epidemic under control in the central city.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son noted that although the outbreak in Da Nang has been localized, local residents must remain highly vigilant as the virus is evolving in a complex manner. He proposed the city continue to implement a range of anti-epidemic measures to keep the virus at bay in the community.

The same day, the municipal People’s Committee released guidance concerning the organisation of funerals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This guidance sees the bodies of deceased people infected with COVID-19 cremated within 24 hours of their death. Deaths that are not linked to the virus must be left for no more than 24 hours.

These guidelines have been launched following the city recording nine COVID-19 cases that can be linked to two funerals.

Quang Ninh blocks vehicles from outbreak areas

The authorities in Quang Ninh Province have started denying entry for vehicles from areas hit by Covid-19 starting from August 18.

A checkpoint was set up in Mao Khe Ward which is the border ward between Quang Ninh and Hai Duong provinces. The authorities in Quang Ninh set up seven inspection teams in Dong Trieu Commune to work 24/7 to make sure that all travellers must fill in medical declaration forms. They also check body temperature and transfer people with body temperature over 37.5 degrees to quarantine centres.

A notice was also put up, announcing that people who have been to virus-hit wards in Hanoi, Hai Duong and Bac Giang will not be allowed to enter the province and must return.

The authorities also keep a record of the travellers' number plates and the number of passengers in order to prevent the spread of the virus in the community.

Vietnam reports 14 new COVID-19 cases, total count exceeds 1,000

Vietnam reported 14 new COVID-19 infections on August 20 evening, including 12 in central Da Nang city and nearby Quang Nam province, and two imported cases.

Among the new cases, 11 were recorded in Da Nang, including a medical worker, a patient at Da Nang Hospital and six caregivers of people who received treatment at Da Nang Hospital and Da Nang Oncology Hospital, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

The two imported cases are a 33-year-old Filipino expert flying in from the Republic of Korea and a 27-year-old Vietnamese man returning from Equatorial Guinea. Both were quarantined upon arrival in Vietnam.

The new cases raised the national count to 1,007, including 525 cases linked to Da Nang since the new coronovirus outbreak was detected in the city on July 25.

On the same day, 10 more COVID-19 patients, nine in Da Nang and one in Quang Nam province, were given all-clear, bringing the total number of recoveries to 543. Across the country, 44 cases have tested negative for the coronavirus once, 39 twice and 28 three times.

As many as 83,644 people having close contact with confirmed cases or arriving from pandemic-hit regions are under quarantine at present.

Vietnam recorded no new COVID-19 cases over the past 12 hours, keeping the national tally at 1,007 in the morning of August 21, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

COVID-19 outbreak in Da Nang, Quang Nam under control: acting health minister

The COVID-19 outbreak in the central city of Da Nang and nearby Quang Nam province is brought under control with the decreasing number of new cases recorded in recent days, according to Acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long.

However, some new scattered infections are forecast to be recorded in the community, Long said at a meeting of the national steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control in Hanoi on August 20, asking the two localities continue to focus on tracing and detecting new cases so as to stamp out the outbreak in a timely and effective manner.

After nearly a month, the Da Nang health sector conducted almost 90,000 tests, and detected 356 cases positive for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 virus, he said.

He added that the situation in the northern province of Hai Duong has also been basically controlled with no new infections reported over the last two days.

On vaccine research, a representative from the Ministry of Health said four domestic producers are researching vaccine against COVID-19, namely the Company for Vaccine and Biological Production No.1 (VABIOTECH), the Centre for Research and Production of Vaccine and Biological Products (POLYVAC), the Institute for Vaccine and Biological Products (IVAC) and the NANOGEN company.

The ministry has been maintaining close connection with other countries such as Russia, the UK and the US that are conducting vaccine study and development.

Regarding the national high school graduation exam, the Deputy Minister of Education and Training said the first test of the exam was successfully organised with the participation of 870,000 students.

Another 26,000 students, most of them in Da Nang and Quang Nam, will attend the second test that is expected to be held at the end of August, he said, noting that the ministry will continue to coordinate with the localities to ensure a safe exam.

Two communes in Phu Tho province face up to social distancing order

The northern Phu Tho province has moved to impose social distancing on the communes of Khai Xuan and Vo Lao in Thanh Ba district as of 7am on August 20 following the detection of a fresh novel coronavirus (COVID-19) case in the locality.

In addition to these measures, the province has also set up 23 community supervision teams across the two communes in an attempt to deal with any violations and to ensure the enforcement of social distancing measures in the province.Simultaneously, the locality has also moved to zone off, blockade, and disinfect all affected areas, whilst also deploying five checkpoints around the clock at entrances to restricted areas that are the residence of 450 local people.

Following the detection of the latest case, a 87-year old patient from Khai Xuan commune of Thanh Ba district is now in isolation and undergoing medical surveillance at the Department of Tropical Diseases at the Hanoi-based Hospital E.

Furthermore, a total of 15 suspected cases who came into close contact with the patient have also been transferred to concentrated medical facilities to undergo a period of quarantine, with eight cases coming back negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus upon their first test.

The remaining cases have also been instructed to self-isolate at their respective residences in line with regulations imposed by the Ministry of Health.

Local workers yet to travel to Japan despite re-issuance of visas

A number of Vietnamese interns have yet to fly to Japan despite the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam beginning to receive applications for new visas.

Nguyen Van Toan of Nam Dan district of Nghe An province, a worker at a Japanese food factory in Chiba Prefecture, was forced to return home to work as a carpenter as a result the the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

He explained that upon hearing news about the Japanese side starting to issue new visas, he immediately contacted his company, upon which a representative from the firm explained that he would have to wait.

Although the policy is largely affecting Vietnamese trainees at present, enterprises involved in the export of labour are also concerned about the delay.

Vu Cong Binh, chairman of LOD Human Resource Development Corporation, said that despite 700 local workers in the field of construction, services, and medical services being granted Japanese visas and having flights scheduled, they have yet to arrive in the East Asian nation.

Binh went on the describe how the number of visas currently being issued for Vietnamese citizens is limited. Indeed, due to the COVID-19 situation domestically, it is unknown when Vietnamese interns will be able to leave for Japan.

Furthermore, an additional factor in the delayed arrival of Vietnamese workers is that there are no commercial flights running from Vietnam to Japan at this time.

In an effort to boost the flow of labourers to the Far East nation, the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam announced plans to begin receiving applications for new visas from Vietnamese citizens as of July 29.

This comes as part of moves by the Japanese Government to implement considered measures aimed at stimulating their economy and reopening international travel.

Most notably, Vietnamese citizens based locally that take a direct flight to Japan will be granted a Japanese visa. This can be for a range of purposes, including labour, long-term stay for business, management, the internal transfer of engineers, nursing, highly-qualified forms of labour, and other relevant activities.

Upon entering Japan, workers will need to isolate themselves for a period of 14 days in accordance to relevant regulations aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

HCM City adds more provinces to caution list

HCM City Department of Health will ask travellers from six localities to file medical declaration forms. 

As of August 20, HCM City had no new community cases for 20 days. However, the city CDC warned that the threat is still high. In order to prevent community spread, HCM City will tighten monitoring process for people from other provinces and cities that are having an outbreak or implementing social distancing rules.

Besides Bac Giang and Quang Tri, people from Hanoi, Hai Duong, Danang and Quang Nam will have to fill medical declaration forms when they arrive in HCM City. The city CDC has sent directives to 24 medical facilities in HCM City on August 19 and has divided travellers into four groups.

People that have made contact with a confirmed case will fill in forms at district quarantine areas and will be sent to the city quarantine centres and tested. People that come from cities or provinces that are applying social distancing will fill in forms at the district quarantine areas and will be tested and quarantined there afterwards.

People that have been to the outbreak areas will fill in the form at medical stations and be home isolated. If they show symptoms, they will be tested. People that don't belong to any of those groups can fill the form online and will be guided to self-monitor their health.

Everyone will be quarantined and monitored for 14 days after arriving in HCM City.

The city authorities hope to quickly detect new sources of infections and apply preventive measures quickly with new regulations. They also asked the public to be truthful with their medical declaration, follow basic preventive measures like washing hands and wearing face masks. Having a healthy diet and exercise to boost the immune system has also been advised.

“Rice ATM” using AI helps the poor in Da Nang

A “Rice ATM” using artificial intelligence (AI) technology was set up in Da Nang on August 18 to help those facing difficulties due to social distancing measures amid the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in the central city.

Da Nang’s Red Cross Society partnered with the city-based VPBO JSC and donors to install the rice dispenser, which will help struggling local families and ensure no one is left behind at this difficult time.

Chairwoman of the municipal Red Cross Society Le Thi Nhu Hong said the ATM will provide about 20 tonnes of rice worth 300 million VND to about 3,000 disadvantaged local people.

The Rice ATM operates using AI. Personal information of recipients, including phone numbers and images of ID cards, are uploaded to VBPO JSC’s management system.

Appointments can be created and text messages sent to recipients informing them of times they can collect rice.

The Red Cross is calling on organisations, enterprises, and donors to join hands with municipal authorities in manufacturing more of these ATMs, to provide support to those in difficult circumstances.

Da Nang is home to 20,000 poor and near-poor households and over 30,000 social policy beneficiaries. The city’s Red Cross Society has actively carried out anti-pandemic measures and support programmes to help the disadvantaged, including the provision of 5,000 packages of necessities and medical supplies to poor households.

More than 340 Vietnamese citizens flown home from Australia

More than 340 Vietnamese citizens in Australia were brought home safely on a flight operated by the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines on August 20.

The flight was the joint efforts of Vietnamese authorities, representative offices in Australia and Vietnam Airlines, and competent Australian agencies.

The passengers included children under 18 years old, the elderly, sick people, students without accommodations due to university dormitory closures, and those in extremely difficult circumstances.

Given the Australian Government’s imposition of travel restrictions and border closures between states in response to COVID-19, Vietnamese representative agencies worked with local authorities of Sydney and Melbourne to help the citizens travel to the airports. They also sent staff to assist the citizens with boarding procedures.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, disease prevention measures were carried out during the flight. Upon landing at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, the flight crew and all passengers were given heath examinations and quarantined in line with regulations.

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

On August 7, another batch of over 340 Vietnamese citizens in Australia were also flown home safely on a flight of the national flag carrier.

Campaign encourages children to find funs at home amid COVID-19

UNESCO and UNICEF, with support from the Australian Embassy in Vietnam, have launched a campaign called “Winning Indoors” for Vietnamese children and their families to find fun ways to stay happy and healthy while at home.

“Winning Indoors” is a collection of indoor game ideas created by children and young people and shared on a purpose-built website for children. The social media campaign encourages children to create indoor games and submit their ideas for games to be featured on the website.

The campaign aims to inspire Vietnamese youth to be physically active indoors with their families for their well-being while preventing the spread of COVID-19.

“No one does fun and games better than children. Winning Indoors provides a platform to showcase the imagination and creativity of children to foster a healthy lifestyle, even when stuck at home,” said Michael Croft, UNESCO Representative to Vietnam.

Playing outdoors is challenging for many children due to poor air quality, lack of facilities and bad weather. These challenges have been amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic with social distancing measures, movement restrictions, school closures and confinement. Winning Indoors aims to inspire children to be active through the pandemic and beyond by playing and creating fun, active and inclusive indoor games.

“Measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 have inadvertently caused stress and affected the emotional well-being of children,” said Rana Flowers, UNICEF Representative in Vietnam.

“Play is one of the most important ways by which young children cope with stress and gain essential knowledge and skills. All parents and caregivers are encouraged to spend time playing with children, encouraging them to be creative and to design their own games.”

Several celebrities and influencers including Chau Bui, H’Hen Nie, Quang Dang and Suboi are lending their voices to support the campaign by amplifying the messages to encourage children to participate in the “Winning Indoors”.

The campaign will run until September and hopes to gather hundreds of game ideas submissions through the website. People can follow UNICEF or UNESCO social media accounts in Vietnam, or visit the special website www.winningindoors.com to submit games or to try new games created by other users.

SCG presents four Covid-19 Mobile Positive Pressure Chambers to Da Nang

SCG Cement  –  Building Materials Vietnam LLC, a subsidiary of SCG in Vietnam has handed over four Covid-19 Mobile Positive Pressure Chambers to Da Nang Center for Disease Control (CDC), as the protection for medical workers at the peak of Covid-19 pandemic.

The concept was developed by SCG in Thailand, and has been sucessfully applied by Thai doctors to run massive sample collection.

The chambers are built on the positive pressure room principle, in which the inside air pressure is greater than the pressure outside the room. This status is achieved by pumping in filtered and sterilized, clean air. The purpose of positive pressure is to ensure that the outside airborne pathogens do not contaminate through inside that room. 

Operationally, the overall sample collection time, including changing latex gloves and disinfecting the booth will take five to seven minutes per person to accompany the large quantity of sample collected per day.

Operation procedure of the Mobile Positive Pressure Chamber.

Having tested through the high peak of Covid-19 in Thailand, the Mobile Positive Pressure Chamber concept is once again deployed by SCG in Vietnam to deal with the central outbreak. Initially, the company has built 04 chambers and installed immediately for usage at Da Nang Center for Disease Control (CDC).

SCG Cement – Building Materials has also made significant contribution to the national combat with Covid-19, with total value of 2.5 billion VND donated to Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Quang Binh, Covid-19 Prevention Fund of Danang City, and Quang Tri General Hospital. Besides, the company has also sponsored 400 tons of SCG Super Cement to build 45 playgrounds for children in Quang Binh province, as part of its commitment to enhance the community’s living quality.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson: Vietnamese in Uzbekistan to be flown home

Vietnamese authorities and the Embassy of Vietnam in Russia that is also in charge of Uzbekistan are working closely with host authorities to bring Vietnamese citizens in Uzbekistan home at the earliest possible time.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang made the statement in reply to queries from reporters during a regular press conference in Hanoi on August 20.

Regarding a recent joint Vietnam - US investigation that led to the arrest of several Vietnamese citizens for trade fraud, Hang said police in Hanoi and departments of the Ministry of Public Security detained and launched legal proceedings against four persons on charges of asset appropriation, based on information provided by the US.

Vietnamese authorities are expanding investigations and dealing with the case in line with Vietnamese law, she said.

She added that the Government advocates the prevention of trade fraud and imposes strict penalties. It appreciates the cooperation of US authorities in the case.

Health sector’s COVID-19 testing capacity improves considerably

The testing capacity of the health sector has improved considerably during the latest COVID-19 outbreak, figures from the Ministry of Health (MoH) show.

Facing the resurgence of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in central Da Nang city and some localities in late July, the MoH ordered the enhancement of testing capacity across the entire health sector.

In less than a month, from July 23 to August 19, the sector tested 390,490 samples, or 47.8 percent of the total handled since late January, when the disease first appeared in Vietnam. The figure was 426,718 between late January and July 24.

In particular, 3,094 samples were tested from January 22 to March 5, or 70 samples per day on average. The number increased to 182,109 between March 6 and April 22 (3,874 per day) and 237,815 between April 23 and July 22 (2,631 per day). The average reached 14,470 between July 23 and 1pm on August 19.

Since July 25, when the new outbreak began in Da Nang, the city has handled the largest number of samples, of about 86,000, followed by Ho Chi Minh City and central Quang Nam province.

There are currently 123 facilities capable of conducting RT-PCR tests nationwide, with a maximum capacity of some 46,000 samples a day. They include 71 establishments carrying out confirmatory tests, with total capacity of more than 36,000 samples a day.

The MoH has set up testing support systems to help localities promote testing capacity when necessary.

Pasteur Institute helps Da Nang improve COVID-19 testing capacity

The Pasteur Institute in HCM City has helped Hospital 199 of the Ministry of Public Security and the Đà Nẵng C Hospital in Đà Nẵng City, the epicentre of the new outbreak, to set up two laboratories that conduct tests to detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The two laboratories that meet the national standard were set up and run within one week as hospitals were struggling to meet surging demand for tests, said Hoàng Quốc Cường, deputy head of the Pasteur Institute.

Under the Ministry of Health’s request, the Pasteur Institute has dispatched a medical team to assist the two hospitals to develop infrastructure and provide training on technical procedures and criteria for confirmation of positive results with PCR tests.

The institute also sent essential equipment and machines, and testing materials to the laboratories from HCM City to Đà Nẵng.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyễn Trường Sơn conducted an examination of the two laboratories, which are certified for performing tests to detect SARS-CoV-2.

The Đà Nẵng C Hospital last Saturday (August 15) opened its SARS-CoV-2 detection laboratory which will help ease the overload of testing at the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in Đà Nẵng.

Đà Nẵng has six medical establishments that are certified for SARS-CoV-2 detection testing under the criteria issued by the Ministry of Health, with combined capacity of more than 15,000 tests a day. 

HCM City tourism industry urged to adopt COVID-19 safety measures

Travel firms, hotels and lodgings, restaurants, shopping centres, and tourist sites need to follow evaluation indicators for assessment of COVID-19 infection risk amid the ongoing outbreak in the country, the HCM City Department of Tourism has said.

The indicators were issued by the Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control during the first wave, and have been revised slightly since, it said in a statement.

Guests who recently travelled to Đà Nẵng and other destinations are required to fill in a health declaration and contact information.

The two-meter physical distancing requirement has been halved.

Others such as provision of hand sanitisers and disinfectants, wearing of masks by employees and guests and temperature screening remain unchanged.

The evaluation indicators are useful for businesses to ensure the safety of staff, guests and the community, the department said.

It also said workers in the tourism industry should download the Bluezone app to identify people with potential risk of COVID-19 infection.