Vietnam officially announced the epidemic
On the afternoon of April 1, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc officially signed a decision to declare the Covid-19 epidemic nationwide.
Accordingly, the outbreak began on January 23, 2020 - the day the first case was recorded. The location and scale of the outbreak were nationwide, caused by a new strain of coronavirus. The decision also clearly stated that the nature and danger level of this epidemic was in group A, with a risk of a global pandemic and transmission through the respiratory tract from person to person.
The Prime Minister's decision to declare a nationwide epidemic will promote the country's epidemic prevention and control work in a more drastic direction, and localities will have to invest properly in epidemic prevention and control activities.
China suddenly locked down 600,000 people
The 600,000 people of Giap district, Ha Nam province are currently under lockdown, after four positive cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in hospitals in the area.
According to the South China Morning Post, the curfew-like measures came into effect on March 31. Residents in the district must have special permits to leave their homes and must undergo temperature checks and wear masks before making the trip.
First case of infection detected in India's largest slum
According to India Today, this country of 1.3 billion people has recorded its first case of corona virus infection in Dharavi slum, in Mumbai city, Maharashtra state. The patient is a 56-year-old man, who has been hospitalized. About 8 to 10 members of this family are being quarantined.
India has so far recorded nearly 2,000 infections, including 59 deaths.
Dharavi, a 613-hectare slum with 1.5 million people, is the largest slum in India and also the largest in Asia. Mumbai is a hot spot for the spread of Covid-19 in India, accounting for more than 50% of the more than 320 infected people in Maharashtra state.
Singapore records 1,000 cases of Covid-19 infection
According to Reuters, Singapore on April 1 confirmed 74 more cases positive for SARS-CoV-2 virus, bringing the total number of infected patients in this Southeast Asian country to 1,000. This is also the highest number of new infections in a day in Singapore.
Singapore's Ministry of Health said that of the 74 patients, there were 20 "imported" cases and 54 locally infected cases.
121 COUNTRIES ASK KOREA FOR SUPPORT WITH COVID-19 TEST KITS
121 countries have asked South Korea for help in providing SARS-CoV-2 virus test kits, as world leaders are under great pressure from the increasingly complicated fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
South Korea's massive testing campaign has been credited with slowing the spread of the virus in the country, which had the second-highest outbreak after China. "We have received many requests from various countries as we have learned from the early stages of the outbreak. These requests are still increasing," a South Korean foreign ministry official said.
According to the official, South Korea has set up a task force to determine how it can help, either through exports or humanitarian aid. Currently, some companies that produce SARS-CoV-2 virus test kits in South Korea have also signed contracts to supply many US states and many other countries, including Italy.
US: first country with more than 200,000 infections
According to updated data on the morning of April 2, the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the US has reached 214,639 after increasing by 26,109 people compared to the previous day. Thus, the US has become the first country in the world with the number of Covid-19 infections exceeding 210,000 people.
The number of people who have died from Covid-19 in the US is now recorded at 5,099, an increase of 1,046 people in the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, the number of recoveries is 8,878 people, while the number of severe cases is 5,005 people.
On April 1, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a statewide curfew and ordered people to stay home to prevent the spread of the epidemic.
US evacuates thousands of sailors from aircraft carrier
AFP news agency reported on April 2 that the US Navy is evacuating thousands of sailors from the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in Guam, after the ship's captain warned that the Covid-19 epidemic was threatening the lives of crew members.
The ship, which carries 4,865 sailors, currently has 93 cases of Covid-19 on board, according to NPR.
Speaking from Washington, acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said nearly 1,000 sailors on the ship had been evacuated and the number would increase to 2,700 in the next few days.
However, they need to keep about 1,000 sailors on board to maintain operations. "We cannot and will not evacuate all sailors from the ship. This ship carries a lot of weapons, ammunition, expensive aircraft and a nuclear reactor," Mr. Modly said.
Brazil records first indigenous case of COVID-19
On April 1, the Brazilian Ministry of Health said the country had recorded the first indigenous case infected with SARS-CoV-2, out of a total of 5,717 positive cases in the country so far.
According to the official announcement, the patient is a 19-year-old Kokama man living in the Santo Antonio do Içá district, near the border with Colombia in Manaos state. The young man works in the medical field and passed through several indigenous villages in the area before returning home with symptoms of fever, sore throat and chest pain.
Previously, Brazilian health authorities also confirmed four positive cases of SARS-CoV-2 in the same district, including a doctor, and this is a sign that the virus may be starting to spread in indigenous communities living in remote areas.
Currently, Brazil has about 300 tribes with about 850,000 living in regions across the country.
Spain surpasses 100,000 infections
The country has the highest number of virus cases in the world, behind only Italy and the United States, according to official figures. Spain's death toll is now second in the world at 9,387.
In the past 24 hours, Spain also set a sad record with 923 new deaths. Up to this point, Spain has a total of 104,118 people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, of which 9,387 have died and 5,872 are in critical condition.
Spain has the highest number of infections and deaths in 24 hours in Europe
UK will increase testing
The British government said on April 1 that it would step up Covid-19 testing amid criticism that the country is testing too little, according to Reuters. While Germany tests about 500,000 people a week, the UK can currently only test 12,750 people a day. The British government said it aims to double that number by mid-April.
Testing in the UK is currently focused on suspected and hospitalised cases.
The UK recorded its highest daily death toll from Covid-19 on April 1, with 563 cases, bringing the total number of deaths to 2,352.
Germany extends strict measures
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany will extend "social distancing" measures until April 19 to slow the spread of the epidemic, and the government will reassess the situation after Easter on April 12.
"We are seeing some small effects from the current measures, but we are still far from where we need to be," Ms. Markel explained.
Germany has closed schools, shops, restaurants, playgrounds... and many companies have temporarily suspended production to deal with Covid-19, but the number of new infections and deaths in this country continues to increase.
Climate change summit postponed
The UK government has announced that the United Nations COP26 climate change summit scheduled to take place in Glasgow, UK in November 2020, has been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the original plan, about 30,000 people, including 200 world leaders, were to attend this 10-day conference to have important discussions on preventing global temperature rise.
The UK government said the date for the 2021 conference would be announced later.
WHO supports North Korea in preventing epidemic
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the World Health Organization (WHO) will provide $900,000 in aid to support North Korea's efforts to contain the Covid-19 outbreak.
Previously, WHO and other international organizations such as Doctors Without Borders and the International Red Cross have transferred medical equipment, virus test kits and other necessary related equipment to North Korea.
North Korea has not reported any cases of Covid-19 so far.
The UN calls on the international community to unite against the COVID-19 pandemic
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on April 1 called the Covid-19 pandemic “the most serious crisis” the world has faced since World War II, stressing that the deadly SARS-CoV-2 virus is “attacking the core of society”.
Mr. Guterres called on the international community to respond more decisively to the urgent situation of the current Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are facing a global health crisis unlike any other in the 75-year history of the United Nations. It is causing death, suffering and uncertainty in human life. But even more than that, the Covid-19 pandemic is striking at the core of human society,” he stressed.
Source: Government Information
