Vietnam has had no community transmission cases for 28 days.
At 6am on May 14, the Ministry of Health recorded no new positive cases of Covid-19, marking the 28th day without community transmission. To date, out of a total of 288 patients, 252 have recovered. 36 patients are being treated, most of whom are in stable health, of which 6 tested negative once, 11 tested negative twice or more.
Nearly 14,000 people in close contact with and entering from epidemic areas are quarantined for health monitoring, of which 326 are quarantined at hospitals, more than 7,000 at centralized facilities, and the rest at home or at their place of residence.
Officially lifting the blockade of the last Covid-19 outbreak in Hanoi
By the end of May 13, the medical quarantine area in Dong Cuu village, Dung Tien commune (Thuong Tin, Hanoi) had met all the requirements to be removed from quarantine according to the regulations of the Ministry of Health. This is where case number 266 was discovered, with factors related to Bach Mai Hospital. At exactly 0:00 on May 14, after the leader of Thuong Tin district People's Committee announced the decision to end the medical quarantine for Dong Cuu village, all the barriers were removed. From today (May 14), the daily life and production activities of the people of Dong Cuu village will return to normal.
Following the direction of the People's Committee of Thuong Tin district, immediately after the end of the quarantine, along with restoring and focusing on boosting production, Dung Tien commune continues to maintain the work of preventing and fighting the Covid-19 epidemic, not being negligent or subjective; regularly cleaning the environment, ensuring the highest efficiency in epidemic prevention and control work.
The epidemic cools down, Europe begins to loosen borders
A total of 33,186 people have died from Covid-19 in the UK, up by 494 in the past 24 hours, the Department of Health said. Britain has begun easing lockdown restrictions in some areas, with some people who cannot work from home returning to work.
In France, as of 6 a.m. on May 14, Vietnam time, the number of deaths due to the Covid-19 epidemic was 27,074 people (an increase of 83 cases in 24 hours). The Curie Research Institute of this country has just launched an investigation into the presence or absence of antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, for about 2,500 volunteers.
In Spain, preliminary results from a nationwide coronavirus antibody study suggest that about 5% of the total Spanish population has been infected with the virus – about 10 times more than the total number of diagnosed cases suggests.
In Italy, figures from the Civil Protection Agency showed that on May 13, the Southern European country recorded 888 new infections, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 222,104 cases. Meanwhile, the number of deaths increased to 31,106 cases (up 195 cases). The Italian government has approved a long-delayed 55 billion EUR (equivalent to 59.6 billion USD) stimulus package aimed at helping businesses affected by the Covid-19 epidemic and families struggling in the corona virus crisis in the country.
German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer announced on May 13 that Germany will begin easing some border controls imposed to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic on May 16. However, he warned that the controls could be reimposed if a new outbreak occurs.
Russia tests antiviral drug favipiravir
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) announced on May 13 that favipiravir, a drug believed to be able to treat acute respiratory infections caused by Covid-19, has shown promising results in initial clinical trials in the country. The clinical trial with 330 patients infected with Covid-19 is scheduled to end by the end of May.
Russia is also testing a prototype vaccine on animals, while RDIF is increasing investment to produce domestic test kits. RDIF is also providing $2 million in funding for the favipiravir clinical trial in Russia.
Russia is currently the country with the second highest number of infections in the world, after the United States. The Russian Covid-19 Prevention and Control Committee said that as of May 13, the country recorded 10,028 more cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in 83 states, bringing the total number of cases to 242,271. The capital Moscow is still the locality with the highest number of SARS-CoV-2 infections per day, but the number has decreased slightly with 4,703 cases.
The number of new cases and deaths in the US increased sharply
In the past 24 hours, the US recorded 19,103 cases of SARS-CoV2 virus infection and 1,616 deaths, thereby raising the total number of Covid-19 cases and deaths to this point to 1,427,739 and 85,041 cases, respectively.
Many states in the US are currently preparing to reopen economic and social activities. However, the Director of the Department of Public Health of Los Angeles County, California (USA), Ms. Barbara Ferrer, said that social distancing regulations in this county, including the city of Los Angeles, could be extended for another 3 months. Ms. Ferrer warned that lifting restrictions too quickly could lead to an increase in the number of deaths and a stricter lockdown.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser also announced that the stay-at-home order, which was set to expire on May 15, will be extended until June 8, as the number of nCoV cases in the US capital does not decrease. Bowser said the number of infections and deaths due to nCoV in the US capital was predicted in advance, "however, the special district has not yet met the criteria to reopen."
Earlier, on May 12, the US House of Representatives controlled by the Democratic Party announced a bill to minimize the impact of the Covid-19 acute respiratory infection worth more than 3,000 billion USD to fund states, businesses, food assistance, families and epidemiologists currently monitoring the extent of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Covid-19 pandemic escalates in South America
Mexico's Ministry of Health announced that in the past 24 hours, the country recorded the highest number of infections and deaths in a single day, with 1,997 and 353 cases, respectively. The death rate in this country remains the highest in the Americas, at more than 10.2%, because over 70% of the population has underlying diseases such as diabetes, blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, overweight and obesity.
The total number of infections in Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador has also reached over 13,600 cases, including over 416 deaths, an increase of 398 infections and 14 deaths in the past 24 hours.
Venezuela extends lockdown measures until May 24
While Argentina has begun to implement plans to lift some restrictions, Venezuela has extended its lockdown measures until May 24. Brazil is becoming a major epidemic center in the region and the world. In the past 24 hours, Brazil recorded 11,372 cases of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection and 745 deaths, bringing the total number of cases and deaths due to Covid-19 in Brazil to 188,974 and 13,149 cases, respectively.
New Zealand lifts national state of emergency from May 13
The move comes ahead of New Zealand moving into Alert Level 2 restrictions, a relaxation of the country's month-long lockdown at Alert Level 4, which began in late March. Under the relaxed restrictions, venues including restaurants, cinemas, playgrounds and gyms can reopen from May 14, schools from May 18 and bars from May 21.
The Covid-19 epidemic situation has not cooled down in the Middle East
The Turkish Ministry of Health on May 13 confirmed 1,639 new Covid-19 cases (up to 143,114 cases) and 58 deaths (up to 3,952 cases). On the same day, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said Turkey is ready to test foreign tourists, as the country plans to resume international flights at the end of May.
Egypt announced on May 13 that it had detected 338 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 10,431. In addition, the number of patients who died from this dangerous disease is now 556, after 12 more deaths were recorded during the day.
In Iraq, the country's Ministry of Health announced 119 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the past 24 hours, marking a record increase since the Covid-19 outbreak began in Iraq and bringing the total number of cases to 3,032. Iraqi officials said that the increase in the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in recent days was due to the country's people not strictly following disease control measures, and warned that a "medical disaster" could occur in the capital Baghdad and Basra province.
Disinfection of Kufa Mosque, Najaf city, Iraq
On the same day, Saudi Arabia announced that the number of cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the country had increased by 1,905 to a total of 44,830. The number of patients who died in the past 24 hours due to Covid-19 also increased by 9 cases to 273. Previously, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defense deployed aircraft to assist the Ministry of Health in transferring seriously ill patients to specialized hospitals for treatment.
Qatar also confirmed 1,390 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection on May 13, bringing the total number of Covid-19 cases in the country to 26,539. Most of the new cases in Qatar are foreign workers who have been in contact with previous positive cases. The current number of deaths from Covid-19 in Qatar is 14.
China at risk of second wave of Covid-19 outbreak
On May 13, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (China) announced the first two cases of infection in the community after 3 weeks of no new cases. Notably, both cases were not related to people returning from abroad. Currently, the government is trying to trace the source of the new cases. The discovery of new infections raises concerns about the risk of a resurgence of infections in the community, in the context that Hong Kong has reopened bars, gyms, and cinemas since last week.
Meanwhile, authorities in northeastern China's Jilin city on May 13 imposed new restrictions on people's travel to prevent a resurgence of the virus, after the locality recorded six new cases on May 12. As the second largest city in Jilin province, which borders North Korea and Russia, Jilin is seen as the source of the new wave of the epidemic, with neighboring Shulan city in the same province also forced to raise its risk warning level from "medium" to "high" last weekend.
The Jilin Municipal Health Commission said in a statement on the same day that five of the six new cases were likely directly related to a confirmed case in Shulan. "The current epidemic situation is quite complicated and severe, and there is a great risk that the virus will spread further," Jilin Vice Mayor Li Keqiang said at a press conference on May 13.
Japanese people use "chilled masks" to fight the epidemic in the summer.
Reusable cloth masks are refrigerated at 4 degrees.oC and sold in vending machines are popular in Yamagata prefecture, northeastern Japan, as summer temperatures here reach over 30 degrees.oC. According to medical experts, wearing a mask in hot weather can make it difficult for cool air to reach the lungs, activating the respiratory muscles and leading to difficulty breathing, while also making the body hotter.
Knitwear maker Knit Waizu, based in Yamanobe, Yamagata Prefecture, has been making cold masks with the aim of "creating something that brings smiles to people in gloomy times." The company began producing the masks in mid-March after a shortage of masks occurred due to the spread of the virus across Japan.
Seoul could become South Korea's new epidemic hotbed
South Korea reported 26 new cases in the 24 hours ending on the morning of May 14 as authorities scrambled to contain a new outbreak linked to bars and clubs in Seoul. For the second consecutive day, the number of new cases outnumbered recoveries and remained in double digits, raising concerns about a possible second wave of infections in the country.
Faced with the risk that the capital Seoul could become the second outbreak center after Daegu, the Korean Government has announced revised guidelines on how to deal with the pandemic, applying regulations requiring the wearing of masks when using public transport.
Following the capital Seoul, on May 12, Gyeongi province also issued an administrative order to close all bars, nightclubs, clubs, and crowded entertainment activities for two weeks.
Southeast Asia records a total of over 62,790 Covid-19 cases
As of the morning of May 14, Southeast Asia recorded a total of 62,793 Covid-19 cases, an increase of 1,675 cases compared to the previous day, and 1,989 deaths, an increase of 44 cases. In the past 24 hours, Indonesia was the country with the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the region with 689 cases; the Philippines and Indonesia both recorded 21 deaths in the day.
The Royal Government of Cambodia has allowed rice exporting companies to resume this activity starting next week after more than a month of banning the activity to ensure food security amid the Covid-19 outbreak. The decision was made on May 13 at the request of the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) after the country detected no new Covid-19 cases in the past month. As of the morning of May 14, Cambodia recorded 122 Covid-19 cases and 121 had recovered.
