Vietnam has recorded no community COVID-19 infections since April 16
The National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control said that since April 16, Vietnam has recorded no new cases of infection in the community. Since January 23, Vietnam has recorded a total of 270 cases of COVID-19.
On the afternoon of April 25, 5 patients were announced to be cured at the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, including: 1 Danish patient, 2 employees of Truong Sinh Company, 2 people in Me Linh (Hanoi).
The Treatment Subcommittee of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control said that of the remaining cases, 13 cases tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once. 3 cases tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 twice or more.
WHO and UK recognize Vietnam's COVID-19 test kit
On April 24, the World Health Organization (WHO) Medical Product Evaluation Agency sent a letter announcing the recognition of the SARS-CoV-2 virus test kit "LightPower iVA SARS-CoV-2 1st RT-rPCR" of Vietnam, jointly researched and produced by the Military Medical Academy and Viet A Company. Accordingly, the WHO evaluation agency officially recognized the test kit product manufactured in Vietnam according to the Emergency Use Listing (EUL) Procedure and issued the EUL code 0524-210-00, which has met international standards.
Previously, the UK Department of Health and Social Care also issued a certificate of European standards (CE) and a certificate of free sale (CFS) for the above-mentioned COVID-19 LightPower iVA SARS-CoV-2 1st RT-rPCR test kit.
Total COVID-19 deaths worldwide exceed 200,000
According to statistics from the siteWorldometersAs of the morning of April 26, the COVID-19 acute respiratory infection epidemic had claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people worldwide, with 90% of the deaths in Europe and the US.
Specifically, of the total 203,289 deaths, Europe is the continent with the highest number of deaths with 122,171. Meanwhile, the US has 54,265 deaths, followed by Italy with 26,384, Spain 22,902, France 22,614 and the UK 20,319.
More than 1,100 Philippine health workers have contracted COVID-19
Philippine Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the number of health workers infected with COVID-19 in the country has reached 1,101. Among the health workers infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus are 434 doctors, 400 nurses, 55 nursing assistants, 32 medical technicians, and 21 radiology technicians. Notably, 26 health workers have died from COVID-19, including 20 doctors and 6 nurses.
The Philippine government is urgently hiring doctors, nurses, technicians and other support staff to strengthen the medical team on the front lines of the epidemic.
The number of cases and deaths continues to rise in Southeast Asia.
In Singapore, on the same day, April 25, the Ministry of Health announced 618 more cases, bringing the total number of cases in the island nation to 12,693. With a population of 5.7 million, Singapore is one of the countries with the highest COVID-19 infection rates in Asia.
In the Philippines, the country's Ministry of Health confirmed 17 more deaths and 102 more cases on the same day. Thus, the Philippines has recorded a total of 7,294 cases, including 494 deaths; 30 more cases recovered and discharged from hospital.
In Indonesia, the Ministry of Health announced on the same day that it had recorded 396 new cases, bringing the total number of cases here to 8,607. Indonesia confirmed 31 more deaths, bringing the total number of deaths in this country to 720.
Thailand has recorded a rise in the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the past 24 hours, with 53 new cases confirmed on April 25, bringing the total number of COVID-19 patients in the Southeast Asian country to 2,907. Among the newly recorded infections, 42 are migrant workers in Songkhla province.
In Malaysia, authorities reported 51 new cases and two deaths, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 5,742, with 98 deaths, 3,762 recoveries and 36 in critical condition.
WHO warns of risk of reinfection from recovered people
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that there is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies cannot be reinfected. The WHO has advised governments not to issue “immunity passports” or “risk-free” certificates to people who have had COVID-19 because they cannot be guaranteed. The WHO believes that doing so could increase the risk of the disease spreading further because people who have recovered may ignore disease prevention recommendations.
The number of cases requiring intensive care in France and Italy continues to decrease.
The Italian Civil Protection Agency said that on April 25, the country recorded 2,357 new cases of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 195,351. Meanwhile, the number of deaths increased to 26,384 cases (an increase of 415 cases).
On April 25, France recorded 369 more deaths from the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), lower than the previous days. Since the outbreak began in March, the number of deaths from COVID-19 in France has reached 22,614, including 14,050 deaths in hospitals and 8,564 deaths in nursing homes and social health facilities. Meanwhile, health officials said the death rate in hospitals in the past 24 hours was the lowest in a month, with 198 cases.
Currently, 28,222 cases are hospitalized (down 436 cases compared to the previous day), of which 4,725 patients need special care (down 145 cases). Thus, the number of severe patients requiring intensive care has decreased continuously for 17 days now.
Venezuela and Russia strengthen cooperation to fight the COVID-19 pandemic
On April 25, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said that according to the agreement between the two countries' top leaders, the Venezuelan and Russian Health Ministries held an online meeting to promote cooperation strategies in preventing and combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
Venezuela's leader has expressed gratitude for Russia's aid shipment, which includes thousands of COVID-19 test kits, as the South American country struggles under pressure from US sanctions.
COVID-19 cases continue to rise sharply in Egypt, Algeria and UAE
On April 25, the Egyptian Ministry of Health detected 227 new cases of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The total number of COVID-19 cases in Egypt has now reached 4,319 and 307 deaths.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced on the same day that it also recorded 532 more cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, thereby bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases to 9,813.
As of the afternoon of April 25, Algeria recorded 129 new cases of COVID-19 and 4 deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 3,256 and 419 deaths. Currently, the COVID-19 epidemic has spread to 47 out of 48 provinces and cities in the country. Algeria is ranked 4th in Africa in terms of the total number of COVID-19 cases, after South Africa, Egypt and Morocco, but is the country with the highest number of deaths on the continent, with a rate of nearly 13%.
Some countries are starting to ease social distancing.
As the pandemic shows signs of easing, some parts of the world have begun implementing or planning to ease social distancing measures. India has eased its lockdown in an effort to gradually reopen its social and economic activities. Accordingly, all stores, except supermarkets and shopping malls, will be allowed to reopen, regardless of whether they sell essential or non-essential goods.
India has also asked that reopened venues be limited to 50% of their workforce. Workers must also wear masks, gloves and follow social distancing guidelines while working.
The Polish government also said it plans to reopen outdoor sports facilities from May 4 and will allow national football matches to be held from the end of April.
In the US, the states of Georgia, Oklahoma and Alaska have begun to ease lockdown restrictions on businesses. Accordingly, the states of Georgia and Oklahoma have allowed hair salons and beauty salons to reopen. Alaska has given the green light for restaurants to serve dine-in customers, while retail stores and other businesses are also allowed to reopen but with certain restrictions. However, some cities in the state of Alaska have decided to maintain the current strict lockdown measures.
Mexico identifies two strains of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the country
By successfully decoding the complete genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, Mexican scientists have identified two strains of the virus that are spreading in the country.
After analyzing samples from imported cases, scientists were able to determine and demonstrate that most of the SARS-CoV-2 strains in Mexico came from different parts of Europe. The samples analyzed showed local transmission between people traveling abroad and people residing in the same area in Mexico, possibly starting in the second week of March.
