Vancomycin 500 mg is among 37 medicines that are allowed to resume exports by the Drug Administration of Vietnam. — Photo bidiphar.com

The Drug Administration of Vietnam (DAV) under the Ministry of Health (MoH) has decided to allow enterprises to export drugs used to treat COVID-19 after a month-long suspension.

The disease situation has improved so the export of the drugs can be resumed, it said.

Earlier, on April 16, the DAV issued a document requesting enterprises engaged in manufacturing and exporting of medicines to suspend the export of 37 items to ensure there would be enough for domestic use.

The drugs were considered by the MoH as necessary for isolation and treatment of COVID-19.

They include antibiotics, fluids, dialysis solutions and antipyretic namely Immunoglobulin 5 per cent, Vancomycin 500 mg, ceftriaxone, levotloxacin 250mg/50 ml, and ceftazidime. 

COVID-19 testing machine price jacked up by three times in Hanoi: public security ministry

Seven officials from Hà Nội’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and related companies confessed to the police they had jacked up the price of the COVID-19 testing machines by a factor of three, the Ministry of Public Security has said.

Deputy Minister of Public Security Lương Tam Quang said the defendants had promised to return the money.

On April 22, the police detained and launched criminal proceedings against Nguyễn Nhật Cảm, director of Hà Nội CDC and six others for jacking up prices of Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) machines used in testing the new coronavirus.

“Initial investigation showed the defendants had colluded with companies to jack up the prices of a COVID-19 testing equipment bidding package by three times,” Quang told media at a Government press meeting this week.

After the case at Hà Nội CDC was revealed to the public, the police department for corruption, economic crimes and smuggling discovered abnormal signs in purchasing testing equipment in some other localities.

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc ordered the health ministry and local people’s committees to inspect the purchase of medical equipment and medicine for the pandemic, especially bidding packages of testing machines, ventilators, chemicals and face masks.

Media reported each RT-PCR machine costs VNĐ2.3 billion (US$100,000). Hà Nội CDC purchased them at prices of up to VNĐ7 billion ($304,000).

RoK calls for policy coordination among East Asian nations to minimise COVID-19 economic impact

The Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Korea (RoK) on May 7 urged East Asian nations to step up policy coordination to minimise the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, reported Yonhap news agency.

Han Kyeong-ho, a senior ministry official who is a co-chairman of the Public Expenditure Management Network in Asia (PEMNA), made the remarks during a videoconference with senior economic officials from 14 nations in the region.

Han said fiscal policy has played a key role for the RoK to navigate the economic slowdown triggered by the pandemic.

He added that nations in the region must boost policy coordination to revive economic growth.

PEMNA has 14 members, including 10 from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, along with the RoK, China, Timor Leste and Mongolia./.

Southeast Asia: Laos has no new COVID-19 case for 25 consecutive days

A COVID-19 patient in Laos receives treatment

Laos’ Health Ministry said the country had not recorded any new case of COVID-19 for 25 days in a row as of late May 6, with the total cases remaining at 19 with 10 having recovered.

Despite the optimistic outcomes, Lao authorities remain cautious and continue to keep strict prevention measures in place, with special attention paid to those who enter the country. All people entering Laos, including Lao citizens, have to be tested for coronavirus and quarantined for 14 days.

On May 7 afternoon, the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos announced that a large number of Vietnamese citizens had registered with the embassy and Lao diplomatic agencies to return to Vietnam after the Lao Government agreed to allow foreign citizens to exit via border gates.

During three days from May 4 to 6, around 1,600 Vietnamese citizens returned to Vietnam through international border gates on the Vietnam-Laos border.

Meanwhile, Thailand continued to report only few new COVID-19 cases, with three confirmed on May 7 and no new death. The country had a total 2,992 infections and 55 deaths.

Thailand has mapped out a timetable for phase two of relaxing restrictions measures which were imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19. Spokesman of the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) Taweesilp Visanuyothin said the second phase for easing of restrictions would begin on May 17 if the number of new cases does not increase. The Thai Government has planned four phases for easing of restrictions over two months.

The spokesman also said all Thais returning from overseas must be quarantined for 14 days. Since April 4, Thailand has repatriated 4,637 citizens from 27 countries, and is preparing to bring 7,000 more citizens home.

Meanwhile, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines recorded many more new infections on May 7.

Malaysia confirmed 39 new cases, bringing the total to 6,467 but the number of fatalities remained at 107 with no new death.

The number of cases in Indonesia rose to 12,776 and fatalities to 930 with 338 new infections and 35 new deaths.

The Philippines had 339 more cases and 27 new deaths, taking the total number of cases to 10,343 and fatalities to 685./.

One more patient with COVID-19 recovers in central Hà Tinh Province

Medical workers conduct COVID-19 tests. — Photo baohatinh.vn

Another Vietnamese patient with COVID-19 has recovered and was released from the Cầu Treo International Border Gate’s General Hospital in central Hà Tĩnh Province on Thursday afternoon.

The recovered man has brought the country’s total patients being given the all-clear to 233, making up 85.6 per cent of total COVID-19 confirmed cases in Việt Nam.

The 26-year-old man, Patient 265, returned to Việt Nam from Thailand through Cha Lo border gate in Quảng Bình Province. On April 12, the patient tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 when he was in isolation at a facility in Thạch Hà District, Hà Tĩnh Province. Then he was sent to the Cầu Treo International Border Gate’s General Hospital for isolation and treatment on April 13.

During treatment, the patient’s two latest tests were negative for SARS-CoV-2 on May 5 and 6. Currently, the patient has no fever, no cough, no breathing difficulties and is in a stable condition.

He is also the last patient out of a total of four patients so far treated at the hospital. The patient will continue to be isolated and monitored for the next 14 days, according to the Sub-Committee for Treatment of the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

As of Thursday afternoon, Việt Nam still reported no new COVID-19 infection case in the community over the past 21 days. The number of patients with the novel coronavirus stands at 271 and no fatalities have been reported. 

 Vietnam donates face masks to associations in France

Vietnamese Embassy in France presents over 15,000 face masks to both Vietnamese and French associations (Source: VNA)

The Vietnamese Embassy in France on May 7 presented over 15,000 face masks to both Vietnamese and French associations as the country continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.

The face masks were sent to the Overseas Vietnamese Association, the Vietnamese Students’ Association, the France-Vietnam Friendship Association, the France-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Groups in the French Senate and National Assembly, the Communist Party of France and the City Halls of Paris, Montreuil and Choisy le Roi.

Ambassador Nguyen Thiep said the French friends were touched by Vietnam’s gifts.

Stéphanie Do, President of the France-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group in the National Assembly, expressed her gratitude for the timely support.

She pledged to distribute the face masks to elderly locals.

France is one of the Western European nations hardest hit by the disease. As of May 7, it had reported 137,779 confirmed cases and 25,987 fatalities./.

Vietnam records no new COVID-19 cases on May 8 morning

As of May 8 morning, 233 out of the 288 patients in Vietnam have recovered.

Vietnam recorded no new cases of COVID-19 on May 8  morning, marking 22 consecutive days without a single infection in the community.

The announcement from the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control came the day after 17 passengers returning to Vietnam on a flight from overseas tested positive for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

The total number of people in Vietnam who have been infected remains at 288 with zero fatalities.

All of the new patients reported on May 7 evening are Vietnamese nationals returning from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on a Vietnam Airlines flight. They include a new born baby.

All 17 are being treated and in stable conditions at the General Hospital in southern Bac Lieu province.

There were 297 people on board the flight which landed at the Can Tho International Airport on May 3.

All the passengers along with cabin crew were immediately taken in quarantine after landing.

As of May 8 morning, 233 out of a total of 288 patients in Vietnam have recovered.

The remainders have been treated at health establishments nationwide, of whom 14 tested negative for the virus once and seven tested negative twice or more./. 

ASEAN military medical forces discuss COVID-19 fight

At the event (Photo: qdnd.vn)

The ASEAN Centre of Military Medicine (ACMM) held a teleconference in Hanoi on May 7 to discuss a joint drill on COVID-19 prevention and control mechanisms.

The event was presided over by Director of the General Department of Logistics’s Military Medical Department Maj. Gen. Nguyen Xuan Kien, who is also head of the ACMM Board of Directors.

Participants shared the view that the complicated developments of the pandemic around the world and in ASEAN member states require their medical forces to exert efforts to contain it.

They agreed on scenarios and activities for the drill to review ASEAN military medical forces’ experience in coping with the pandemic. They also looked into the building of an action plan to improve their readiness based on the World Health Organisation’s advice.

Delegates also discussed ways to enhance cooperation in scientific research and expertise sharing, thus determining collaboration mechanisms between ASEAN military medical forces and other organisations in the field./.