4 Covid-19 patients in Vietnam have tested negative for the 4th time
As of 7 p.m. on March 26, 37 patients being treated at many medical facilities had tested negative for SARS-CoV-2, including 27 patients with the first negative result; 2 patients with the second negative result; 4 patients with the third negative result; 4 patients who tested negative 4 times were patients 29, 45, 53 and 66.
Among these patients, 3 have recovered and are expected to be transferred to other medical facilities for health monitoring on March 27, namely patients 45, 53 and 66.
Ho Chi Minh City will fine people who do not wear masks.
According to the Government, from March 27, people in Ho Chi Minh City must wear masks when going out, and those who do not will be severely punished. Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan has directed the Department of Health to monitor establishments registered to sell masks. Any establishment selling masks that do not meet standards will be severely punished.
“In the current situation, the first solution to prevent the rapid spread of Covid-19 is to wear a mask. This is no longer mandatory but must be enforced,” Mr. Nguyen Thien Nhan emphasized in a meeting on the afternoon of March 26.
The US leads the world with more than 85,000 nCoV infections
The US recorded more than 17,000 new positive cases of nCoV in the past 24 hours, bringing the number of infected people nationwide to 85,377 (as of 9:00 a.m. this morning, March 27), with a total of 1,295 deaths.
With the newly released figures, the US has completely surpassed China and Italy to become the largest epidemic area in the world. China currently records more than 81,000 infections, while Italy records more than 80,500 infections.
New York, Washington and California are the three states hardest hit, while cases in other states and cities are also rising rapidly. New York is the epicenter of the pandemic in the country with more than 37,000 cases and nearly 400 deaths. The state government is focusing on helping hospitals increase capacity by at least 50% as more than 5,000 Covid-19 patients have been hospitalized.
On March 26, US President Donald Trump declared that a major disaster was taking place in the state of Illinois, one of the states most affected by the Covid-19 epidemic in the US.
President Trump's proclamation paves the way for additional federal assistance to Illinois, supporting affected individuals in all areas of the state.
AFP news agency cited a new study on March 26 by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) predicting that Covid-19 could lead to about 81,000 deaths in the US in the next four months and overload US hospitals by early April.
China bans foreigners from entering the country
China will temporarily ban entry to foreigners with valid visas and residence permits from March 28.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the measure was being taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Exemptions will be for diplomatic missions, officials and C-level visa holders. C-level visas are given to foreigners working in the international transport service industry.
China recorded 55 new infections as of the end of March 26, of which 54 were "imported" from abroad.
Statement by Britain and Russia at the G20 summit
Britain has pledged $253 million to help international efforts to find a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, the statement said, following a video conference of G20 leaders on March 26.
“I am calling on all G20 countries and governments around the world to stand up and help each other defeat this virus,” said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The UK increased by more than 2,100 new infections yesterday, the current total number of infections is 11,658 cases.
Also at the G20 online meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for sanctions relief for countries during the Covid-19 pandemic. He said this was a matter of "life and death". "Ideally, we should propose a moratorium on imposing restrictions on basic goods as well as financial transactions to buy them," Putin said.
Russia is still subject to Western sanctions since its annexation of Crimea.
The EU wants to keep borders open for the movement of goods.
On March 26, after an online meeting of European Union (EU) leaders, European Council President Charles Michel said the EU supports keeping borders open to allow goods to continue to circulate and support research on vaccines against the SARS-Cov-2 virus.
At the press conference, Mr. Charle Michel emphasized that Europe prioritizes limiting unnecessary travel of people, but at the same time makes efforts to ensure the flow of goods, because this is very important to avoid shortages and help protect the European common market as much as possible.
EU leaders agreed to do everything possible to support research, coordinate efforts and seek cooperation within the scientific community to maximize research potential across the EU, he said.
Many countries increase epidemic control measures
Lebanon will impose a lockdown from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. to prevent the spread of the virus, Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad said on March 26. Mr. Samad said specific information about the restriction will be announced later.
The Kazakh government has announced that residents of the country's two largest cities, Almaty and Nur-Sultan, will be banned from leaving their homes - except to go to work and buy food and medicine. The ban will come into effect from 28 March.
Kazakhstan will close all intercity transport links and public places in Shymkent, the country's third-largest city. Kazakhstan currently has 100 cases of the virus.
The Swiss health ministry said it had asked state-owned Swisscom to provide citizens' mobile phone data within a day to assess the effectiveness of travel restrictions and contain the spread of the virus.
Source: Government Information
