Two more cases recovered, 96% of COVID-19 cases in Vietnam have recovered
On the morning of June 10, the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases announced that two more Covid-19 cases were declared cured, namely Patient 290 and Patient 319. To date, Vietnam has recorded 332 cases of Covid-19; of which 319 cases have been cured (accounting for 96%), and 9 cases tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 virus, with no deaths.
In addition, patient 91 - a British male pilot being treated at Cho Ray Hospital - continues to have more positive and surprising changes. The patient is awake, has good contact, and his mobility has improved a lot. His hands can perform delicate movements such as typing on the keyboard and sitting up; his lungs have gradually recovered, only needing low concentrations of oxygen. To date, patient 91 has undergone 84 days of treatment and has been off ECMO since the morning of June 3.
Two more Vietnamese COVID-19 test kits circulated in Europe
On the afternoon of June 5, Vietnam officially announced two more SARS-CoV-2 virus detection kits that have been licensed for widespread circulation in Europe and are on the World Health Organization (WHO)'s emergency use list, including a rapid test kit that can be tested in just 30 minutes. These are the two kits: One-step RT-PCR COVID-19 kit Thai Duong and RT-Lamp Covid-19 Kit Thai Duong, jointly produced by Sao Thai Duong Joint Stock Company.
This is the success of the research project to manufacture SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic kits by two groups of scientists in Vietnam from the National Institute for Control of Vaccines and Biologicals and Hanoi University of Science and Technology.
Vietnam resumes flights to destinations with 30 days of no infections
At the meeting of the Government Standing Committee on Covid-19 prevention and control on the morning of June 9, the Prime Minister discussed the reopening of international commercial flights and assigned the Steering Committee to announce safe areas to reopen flights to areas where no Covid-19 cases have been detected in the past 30 days.
Not only that, for Vietnamese businessmen, students, the elderly, etc. who need to return home but cannot, the Prime Minister also requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to set out specific criteria and open a registration channel for people, including Vietnamese and foreign experts.
Thailand prepares steps to restart tourism industry
The Thai government is considering easing entry restrictions for foreign visitors, possibly in the third or fourth quarter of 2020, with priority given to those coming from areas free of Covid-19.
Easing restrictions on visitors to Thailand is the first step to restart the tourism industry, but the government must be careful in screening visitors and applying an effective tracing system to reduce the risk of a second wave of infections, local media quoted Thai Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak as saying on June 9.
South Korea records new COVID-19 cases returning to 50
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said that as of the morning of June 10, Korea had 50 new cases of infection (43 cases of community infection), bringing the total number of Covid-19 cases nationwide to 11,902.
According to KCDC, the number of new infections recently is mainly related to religious activities, sports and entertainment centers... in the Seoul capital area and surrounding areas. KCDC said that infections tend to arise in places where it is difficult to implement epidemic prevention rules such as small-sized rented rooms, small-scale construction sites or early morning markets...
India surpasses Italy to become the world's 6th largest epidemic area
India has recorded a total of 9,887 new cases of Covid-19, surpassing Italy, the country that was once the epicenter of the European pandemic. Specifically, according to data released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India, the country continued to record the highest number of new cases ever with 9,887 cases on June 6. As of the morning of June 10, the total number of infected people nationwide has reached 275,413, including 7,719 deaths.
With the above figures, India currently ranks 6th in the world in terms of the number of cases, behind only the US, Brazil, Russia, Spain and the UK. Despite imposing a strict nationwide lockdown for more than two months, the number of Covid-19 cases in India is still increasing and the epidemic has not shown signs of peaking. Currently, India is gradually reopening the economy and allowing many social activities to resume.
Italy and Spain call on EU to open borders synchronously
On June 6, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, proposing that EU member states work together to reopen borders and restart the tourism industry, which has been severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The lifting of EU border restrictions must be done in a coordinated manner, based on common criteria and transparency,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said. The two leaders also wanted to dispel the idea that some countries were still “affected” by the pandemic and demonstrate that Europeans could now travel safely to Italy and Spain.
Spanish medical team wins prestigious award
Spanish health care workers have won the prestigious Princess of Asturias award, seen as the Spanish-speaking world's Nobel Prize.
The jury praised the “spirit of sacrifice” of the country’s medical staff on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic, making them a symbol of the fight against the disease in Spain, one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic.
Germany extends travel warning to more than 160 countries
Germany announced on June 9 that its government plans to extend travel warnings for more than 160 countries outside the European Union (EU) until August 31 due to concerns about the risk of infection with the Covid-19 acute respiratory disease. The plan has received consensus from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior. However, the German government will also consider and lift travel warnings earlier for some countries with low Covid-19 infection rates.
Previously, on June 3, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas announced that the German Government will lift the travel warning for EU member countries along with the UK, Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein and Switzerland from June 15 during the time these countries do not impose entry bans or large-scale lockdowns.
France opens Eiffel Tower
On June 9, the company that operates the Eiffel Tower, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Paris (France), announced that it will reopen to the public from June 25. The site has been closed for about three months due to lockdown measures to control the Covid-19 acute respiratory infection. This is the Eiffel Tower's longest closure since World War II.
The site is expected to initially only accept a limited number of visitors when it reopens, and face masks will be required for all visitors aged 11 and over.
UK forces quarantine of people entering the country
Since June 8, the British Government has required most people entering the country to self-isolate for 2 weeks to prevent the Covid-19 acute respiratory infection. The above regulation applies to both British citizens and foreigners to prevent the second wave of SARS-CoV-2 infection from abroad.
However, the airline and hotel industries are not in favour of this quarantine regulation because it will lose most of the business opportunities this summer. In a joint statement, the three airlines British Airways, EasyJet and Ryanair said that this move by the government was "inappropriate and unfair to British citizens and foreign visitors to the UK."
Russia plans to open tourist season from early July
On June 8, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced preparations for the opening of the tourist season in the country. He emphasized that despite the damage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, tourism remains one of the most promising sectors of the Russian economy. He said that tourism has great potential and in the current situation plays a strategic role in the Russian economy.
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, in charge of tourism development, said Russia plans to open the tourist season from July 1 between regions. Hotels are expected to open in about 50% of regions in the coming weeks, while the government plans to support those working legally to serve tourists in the private sector.
New York partially reopens after 2.5 months of lockdown
On June 8, New York City officially reopened part of its operations exactly 100 days after the first positive case of SARS-CoV-2 was detected there. About 400,000 workers were allowed to return to work at 32,000 construction sites, not to mention manufacturing companies and retail stores.
New York City has returned to its pre-pandemic normal. But now it will have to adapt to something completely new: stores and workplaces are stockpiling masks and gloves. New York City was the last region in the state to reopen after meeting seven criteria set by Governor Andrew Cuomo. Several other regions of New York State have entered phase 2 of the reopening roadmap.
Cuba declares successful control of COVID-19 pandemic
President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez declared the Covid-19 epidemic “under control” in Cuba, after more than a week without recording any new deaths.
The Cuban leader affirmed that the above results are the result of a drastic implementation policy and strict compliance with preventive measures and social distancing, and the efforts of medical staff, doctors, and scientists - who have conducted timely research to help reduce the mortality rate caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
