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Vietnam records 24 new COVID-19 cases returning from Russia.
The National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control announced that on the evening of May 14th, an additional 24 cases tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. All of these positive cases were passengers on flight VN0062 from Moscow (Russian Federation) which landed at Van Don Airport (Quang Ninh) at 4:40 AM on May 13th. They were immediately quarantined upon arrival and there is no risk of community transmission.
Vietnamese passengers in Russia are going through the procedures to return home.
Thus far, Vietnam has recorded a total of 312 cases, including 172 imported cases that were immediately quarantined.
On May 14th, eight more patients recovered and were discharged from the hospital, bringing the total number of recovered cases nationwide to 260.
Bringing nearly 200 Vietnamese citizens from the Philippines back to Vietnam.
On May 14th, following the directives of the Prime Minister, Vietnamese authorities, the Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines, and Bamboo Airways coordinated with Philippine authorities to safely bring nearly 200 Vietnamese citizens from the Philippines back to Vietnam.
The citizens returning home in this batch are those in particularly difficult circumstances, such as underage children, including infants, pregnant women, people with underlying health conditions, students without accommodation due to dormitory closures, and tourists stranded due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic...
After landing in Can Tho, all passengers on the flight underwent health checks and were placed in centralized quarantine in accordance with regulations.
Over 300,000 people have died; 1.6 million have recovered globally.
The number of deaths from Covid-19 surpassed 300,000 in the early hours of May 15th. The United States remains the country with the highest number of deaths in the world, with over 86,000 fatalities, accounting for more than a quarter of global deaths.
In addition, according to worldometers.info, another positive sign is the continuous increase in the number of people recovering from the disease. As of the morning of May 15th, 1,697,595 people had been discharged from hospitals worldwide. The number of people still testing positive is 2,510,858, of which 98% are mild cases.
Wuhan has tested one-third of its population.
On May 15, the Wuhan city government announced that it had tested more than 3 million people in the city for the coronavirus. Wuhan's goal is to test all 11 million of its residents.
In an announcement on the morning of May 15, China's National Health Commission stated that in the past 24 hours, four new cases of COVID-19 had been reported due to community transmission. The number of asymptomatic cases was 11 during the same period.
Japan will lift the state of emergency ahead of schedule in several prefectures.
On May 14, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that Japan would lift the state of emergency in 39 out of 47 prefectures before its expiration at the end of this month, as the spread of Covid-19 in those areas has been brought under control.
However, the state of emergency remains in effect in Tokyo and seven other prefectures on the special alert list, including three prefectures bordering the capital: Chiba, Kanagawa, and Saitama; three prefectures in the Kansai region: Osaka, Kyoto, and Hyogo; and the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido.
Japan's Economy Minister said the total number of infections had decreased in the 39 prefectures and that these areas had sufficient capacity to provide medical care.
Qatar imposes fines and imprisonment for not wearing face masks.
On May 14th, the Qatari Ministry of Interior announced that starting May 17th, Qatari citizens will be required to wear face masks when going outside. Those who violate this rule will face fines of up to 200,000 riyal (approximately $53,000) or three years in prison, among other penalties.
Those driving alone may be exempt from wearing masks, Qatari authorities added.
The testing kits used in the US may miss many positive cases.
According to research published on May 13 by scientists at New York University, the rapid COVID-19 test kit produced by Abbott Laboratories in the US, which can produce results within minutes, is likely to miss one-third to nearly half of positive cases of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Specifically, Abbott's ID NOW rapid test missed 48% of positive test results that were detected by the Xpert Xpress test produced by the American molecular diagnostics company Cepheid.
These results raise concerns about the use of the ID NOW test kit for diagnosing the disease within the White House.
Abbott's ID NOW test kit was approved for use in the US in late March. This is the second test kit to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for direct use in clinics and other healthcare facilities.
The epidemic in Italy is showing a tendency to flare up again.
On May 14th, the Italian Civil Protection Agency announced that the country had recorded 992 new cases of Covid-19, including 262 additional deaths – the highest number since May 7th. According to statistics, both the number of new Covid-19 cases and deaths on May 14th in Italy were higher than the increase of the previous day.
Italy currently has the third highest number of COVID-19 deaths in the world, after the US and the UK.
On the same day, speaking before Parliament, the head of the Government's Science Committee, Agostino Miozzo, said that the country would begin testing representative samples from 150,000 people in 2,000 cities next week to determine the extent of the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic.
The Russian government is providing $316 million in emergency aid to the aviation industry.
On May 14, the Russian government announced emergency aid of 23.4 billion rubles (316 million USD) for the country's airlines affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The government announcement stated that state support would help airlines overcome difficulties during the period of travel restrictions due to the complex development of the pandemic and help preserve the workforce in the civil aviation sector.
On the same day, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe also announced a package of measures totaling 18 billion euros (approximately 19.44 billion USD) to support the country's tourism industry, which is currently facing significant difficulties due to the impact of the pandemic.
Iceland will welcome international tourists from June.
While many European countries still have their borders closed and are only gradually easing domestic restrictions, Iceland – an island nation with a population of over 364,000 – is ready to welcome international tourists within a month.
Although everyone entering Iceland is required to quarantine for 14 days, travelers have an option to skip this inconvenient step: get tested for Covid-19 upon arrival, with results available the same day. Those with negative results do not need to quarantine and can continue their travels. Travelers can also provide a health certificate from their home country's authorities showing they are not infected with Covid-19.
Additionally, all visitors to Iceland will be required to download a Covid-19 contact tracing app called Rakning C-19 on their mobile phones to help authorities trace the source of infection. Further details will be announced later.
Currently, the provisional date set for welcoming international tourists is June 15th, but the Icelandic Prime Minister said that new regulations could be announced earlier if preparations go smoothly and the number of Covid-19 infections remains low.
EU: Will not use COVID-19 contact tracing apps to monitor citizens.
On May 14, European Union Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders announced that contact tracing apps for the Covid-19 pandemic should only be used during the pandemic and should be automatically deactivated once the crisis ends.
Mr. Reynders made the statement at a plenary session of EU parliamentarians to allay concerns about state surveillance, as MPs once again expressed worries about the risks these apps could pose to people's privacy.
Many countries are calling for free COVID-19 vaccines.
More than 140 heads of state, current and former leaders have signed a letter calling for the elimination of monopolies on Covid-19 vaccines and for their equitable and free distribution to all countries.
They suggested that once a safe and effective vaccine is successfully developed, governments should facilitate its rapid mass production and distribution to everyone, in all countries, completely free of charge.
The letter, published on May 14, also called for similar measures for treatments, testing methods, and any technology that could combat Covid-19.
WHO: The world must learn to live with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
On May 13, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes the acute respiratory disease Covid-19, will never disappear and people around the world will have to learn to live with it.
The WHO issued this warning as several countries around the world began gradually easing restrictions and lockdowns that had been imposed to prevent the spread of the disease.
Speaking at an online press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, the head of the WHO's emergency program, Michael Ryan, stated that it is difficult to predict when humans will be able to eradicate this newly emerged virus. He warned that over time, SARS-CoV-2 will become an endemic virus in the community and will never disappear.
However, WHO officials expressed confidence that countries can turn this disaster into an opportunity for the future, and called on countries to cooperate in addressing the issues with solidarity, trust, and a multilateral system that can bring real benefits to humanity.
