Vietnam records 24 new COVID-19 cases returning from Russia
The National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control said that on the evening of May 14, 24 more cases were recorded positive for SARS-CoV-2. All of these positive cases were passengers on flight VN0062 from Moscow (Russian Federation) landing at Van Don airport (Quang Ninh) at 4:40 am on May 13, were quarantined immediately after entering the country and had no possibility of spreading the infection to the community.
Vietnamese passengers in Russia are completing procedures to return home.
So far, Vietnam has recorded a total of 312 cases, of which 172 imported cases were quarantined immediately.
On May 14, 8 more cases recovered and were discharged from the hospital, bringing the total number of recovered cases nationwide to 260.
Bringing nearly 200 Vietnamese citizens back home from the Philippines
On May 14, following the direction of the Prime Minister, Vietnamese authorities, the Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines, and Bamboo Airways coordinated with Philippine authorities to conduct a flight to bring nearly 200 Vietnamese citizens from the Philippines back home safely.
Citizens returning home this time are in particularly difficult cases such as minors, including newborns, pregnant women, people with underlying medical conditions, students without a place to live due to dormitory closures, and tourists stranded due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
After landing in Can Tho, all flight participants were checked for health and quarantined according to regulations.
More than 300,000 deaths; 1.6 million recoveries globally
The number of deaths from Covid-19 surpassed the 300,000 mark in the early morning of May 15. The US is still the country with the most deaths in the world with over 86,000 people, accounting for more than a quarter of the global death toll.
In addition, according to worldometers.info, another positive sign is that the number of people who have recovered from the disease has continuously increased. As of the morning of May 15, 1,697,595 people were discharged from hospitals worldwide. The number of people who are still 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 said it had tested more than 3 million people in the locality for the coronavirus. Wuhan's goal is to test all 11 million people in the city.
In a statement on the morning of May 15, China's National Health Commission said that in the past 24 hours, four new cases of Covid-19 were recorded in the community. The number of positive cases but asymptomatic was 11 people in the same period.
Japan to lift state of emergency ahead of schedule in many provinces
On May 14, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that Japan will lift the state of emergency for 39 out of 47 prefectures before it expires at the end of this month, in the context that the spread of Covid-19 in the above areas has been controlled.
However, the state of emergency remains in effect in the capital Tokyo and seven other provinces and cities on the special warning list, including three provinces bordering the capital: Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama; three provinces in the Kansai region: Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo; and the northernmost province of Hokkaido.
Japan's economy minister said the total number of infections has decreased in the 39 prefectures and these localities have enough capacity to provide medical care.
Qatar fines and jails those who do not wear masks
On May 14, the Qatari Ministry of Interior announced that from May 17, Qatari citizens will be required to wear masks when going out. Those who violate will be fined up to 200,000 riyals (about 53,000 USD) or 3 years in prison and some other forms of punishment.
Drivers who go out alone may be exempt from wearing masks, Qatari authorities added.
The test kit used by the US may miss many positive cases.
A study by scientists at New York University published on May 13 said that the rapid Covid-19 test kit that can give results within minutes, produced by the US Abbott laboratory, 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 kit missed 48% of positive test samples that the Xpert Xpress test kit produced by US-based Cepheid Molecular Diagnostics detected.
This result raises concerns about the ID NOW test kit being used to diagnose diseases in the White House.
Abbott's ID NOW test kit was approved for use in the US at the end of March. This is the second test kit to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is used directly in clinics and other healthcare facilities.
The epidemic in Italy tends to flare up again
On May 14, the Italian Civil Protection Agency announced that the country had recorded 992 new cases of Covid-19, including 262 new deaths - the highest level since May 7. According to statistics, the number of new cases and deaths due to Covid-19 on May 14 in Italy was higher than the increase of the previous day.
Italy is currently the country with the third highest number of Covid-19 deaths in the world, after the US and UK.
On the same day, speaking before the National Assembly, the head of the Government's Scientific Committee, Mr. Agostino Miozzo, said that the country will start testing representative samples of 150,000 people in 2,000 cities next week to find out the extent of the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic.
Russian government provides emergency aid to aviation industry with 316 million USD
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's announcement stated that state support will help airlines overcome difficulties during the period of travel restrictions due to the complicated developments of the pandemic and help preserve labor resources in the civil aviation sector.
On the same day, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe also announced a package of measures worth a total of 18 billion euros (about 19.44 billion USD) to support the country's tourism industry, which is currently facing many difficulties due to the impact of the epidemic.
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 more than 364,000 people - is getting ready to welcome international tourists within a month.
While anyone entering the country is required to quarantine for 14 days, visitors have an option to skip this inconvenience: get tested for Covid-19 upon arrival in Iceland, with results available the same day. Those who test negative do not need to quarantine and can continue their trip. Visitors can also provide a medical certificate from their home country showing they are free of Covid-19.
Additionally, all visitors to Iceland will be required to download the Rakning C-19 mobile phone tracing app to help authorities trace the source of infection. Further details will be announced.
Currently, the provisional date set for welcoming international tourists is June 15, but Iceland's Prime Minister said new regulations could be announced earlier, if preparations go smoothly and Covid-19 infections remain low.
EU: will not use COVID-19 tracing app to monitor citizens
On May 14, European Union (EU) Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders announced that Covid-19 contact tracing applications should only be used during the pandemic and will have to be automatically deactivated as soon as the crisis ends.
Mr Reynders made the remarks at a plenary session of EU MEPs aimed at allaying concerns over state surveillance, as lawmakers once again expressed concern about the risks these apps could pose to people's privacy.
Many countries call for free COVID-19 vaccine
More than 140 heads of state, leaders and former leaders of countries have signed a letter calling for non-monopoly of Covid-19 vaccines and free and equitable distribution of vaccines to all countries.
They suggest 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 calls for the same for treatments, testing methods and any technology that can fight 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 that causes Covid-19 will never disappear and people around the world will have to learn to live with this virus.
The WHO issued the warning as some countries around the world began to gradually ease restrictions and lockdowns imposed to prevent the spread of the disease.
Speaking at an online press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, the head of the WHO's emergencies program, Michael Ryan, said it was difficult to predict when humans would be able to eradicate this new 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, calling on countries to work together to solve problems with solidarity, trust and a multilateral system that can bring real benefits to humanity.
