Russia ranks 5th in the world for the number of infections, while Vietnam reports 0 new cases.

Vietnam reported no new community cases, with 17 new imported cases, but none are considered a cause for concern.

According to information from the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, as of the morning of May 8th, Vietnam recorded no new community-transmitted Covid-19 cases. Currently, only 34 cases still test positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and Vietnam has entered its 22nd consecutive day without new community transmissions.

To date, Vietnam has recorded a total of 148 cases detected upon entry into the country, all of whom have been immediately isolated to prevent the risk of community spread.

The most recent cases were detected on the afternoon of May 7th, with 17 individuals contracting Covid-19 who had returned from abroad and were immediately quarantined upon entry. Among the 17 passengers infected with Covid-19, there was a family of three who had lived with a positive patient in Dubai (United Arab Emirates).

Following the Prime Minister's directive on April 10, 2020, from April 14 to the present, Vietnam has organized the repatriation of 1,657 Vietnamese citizens by air. All of these citizens, upon entry, have been quarantined and their health monitored; those who tested positive have been taken for treatment.

Passenger transport services resumed normal operation from May 8th.

On the afternoon of May 7th, the Ministry of Transport announced to transport businesses the resumption of domestic passenger transport operations (buses, taxis, passenger vehicles, trains, airplanes, ships, etc.) back to normal.

The Ministry of Transport also instructed the aforementioned units, within their scope of management, to coordinate with the Departments of Transport of provinces and centrally-administered cities to monitor the passenger transport situation in their localities and promptly handle any arising situations; and to continue implementing measures to ensure COVID-19 prevention and control on passenger transport vehicles in the new situation in accordance with regulations.

Vietnam reopens non-essential services, no longer requiring students to wear masks.

During the Government's Standing Committee meeting on COVID-19 prevention and control on the morning of May 7th, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc allowed non-essential businesses to reopen normally, except for nightclubs and karaoke bars, as well as some sports activities and events with large gatherings, but with strict adherence to disease prevention and control measures. The Prime Minister also agreed to lift the capacity limit on public transport but mandated that passengers wear face masks.

At the same time, agreeing with the proposal regarding the education and training sector, the Prime Minister clarified that students are not required to wear masks in classrooms, but should maintain personal hygiene, wash their hands frequently, and periodically open windows and doors for ventilation. Schools should strengthen measures to disinfect surfaces, clean rooms, classrooms, and restrooms; social distancing is not mandatory in classrooms…

European "hotspots" are gradually cooling down.

As of the morning of May 8th (Vietnam time), the number of deaths due to Covid-19 in France increased by 178 cases, bringing the total to 25,987. The total number of positive cases of SARS-CoV-2 in France to date is 174,791, an increase of 600 cases compared to the previous day. On the same day, Health Minister Olivier Véran affirmed that France is ready to implement widespread testing. Initially, testing will focus on individuals at high risk of infection, those with symptoms, and those who have had close contact with Covid-19 patients.

In the UK, over the past 24 hours, the country recorded 5,614 new positive cases and 539 deaths from Covid-19, bringing the total number of cases and deaths from the SARS-CoV-2 virus to 206,715 and 30,615 respectively. On May 7th, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab stated that there would be no changes to the UK's lockdown before the government reviews the measures to be announced on May 10th.

The Italian Civil Protection Agency announced that the country recorded 1,401 new cases of Covid-19 in the past day, bringing the total number of SARS-CoV-2 infections to 215,858. The number of deaths from the pandemic in Italy also increased by 274, reaching a total of 29,958. Overall, the situation in the "hotspot" of Italy has been gradually improving in recent days. The Italian government and the Italian Bishops' Conference (CEI) have signed a protocol allowing the reopening of churches and religious sites nationwide starting May 18th. The protocol also stipulates that the reopening of religious sites will be carried out "in stages" to ensure adherence to pandemic prevention principles.

With proactive and effective pandemic control measures and a robust healthcare system, Germany is cautiously reopening its economy. However, on May 7th, Lars Schaade, Vice President of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), warned that the country could face a resurgence of the disease before autumn (approximately September to November). By the morning of May 8th, Germany had recorded a total of 169,430 cases (an increase of 1,268) and 7,392 deaths, an increase of 117 compared to the previous day.

Spain extends national state of emergency.

Spain witnessed worrying signs on May 7th, with a resurgence in the number of deaths. According to worldometers.info, as of the morning of May 8th (Vietnam time), Spain had recorded a total of 256,855 COVID-19 cases, including 26,070 deaths, an increase of 213 compared to the previous day. Currently, Spain ranks second in the world, after the US, in the total number of COVID-19 cases, and fourth in the world in the number of deaths, after the US, UK, and Italy.

The Spanish Parliament has approved Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's proposal to extend the national state of emergency for another two weeks. Accordingly, the state of emergency, which expires on May 10th, will remain in effect until May 23rd. This marks the fourth time Spain has extended the state of emergency by two weeks to strengthen efforts and protect the gains made in combating the Covid-19 pandemic.

2-2.5% of Moscow's population is infected with COVID-19.

In Russia, on May 7th, the country recorded 11,231 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, a record daily increase, bringing the total number of Covid-19 cases in the country to 177,160 – second only to the US, Spain, Italy, and the UK worldwide.

Russia's Covid-19 task force reported 88 deaths in the past day, bringing the total number of Covid-19 fatalities in the country to 1,625. Moscow remains the hardest-hit region, with 6,703 new cases of the virus recorded.

Speaking on a live news program on the Russia 24 television channel, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin suggested that the actual number of Covid-19 infections in the Russian capital could reach 2-2.5% of the city's population, or approximately 300,000 cases.

The US offers medical aid to Russia.

The White House said on May 7 that U.S. President Donald Trump offered medical aid to Russia during a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that same day. The Kremlin later confirmed the offer.

"President Trump has stressed that while the United States is working to care for its people, it is also prepared to assist any nation in need, including Russia," the White House statement said.

The US reports 2,674 more deaths.

The US is the world's largest epicenter of the pandemic with 1,290,242 confirmed cases of Covid-19, an increase of 32,191 cases from the previous day. An additional 2,674 people have died from Covid-19, bringing the total number of fatalities to 76,864.

The pandemic in the US is still considered to pose a significant risk of spread, even as the country gradually eases lockdown measures to resume economic activities—a matter that is causing intense debate in American public opinion.

Meanwhile, the results of a recent study published on May 7th show that New York was the primary source of the Covid-19 pandemic in the US, as thousands of SARS-CoV-2 infections originated in the city and spread the disease to other states across the country.

With 610 more deaths, Brazil still wants to ease lockdown restrictions.

Brazil's Ministry of Health announced on May 7th that it had detected 9,942 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections in the South American country to 135,160. The total number of deaths from Covid-19 in Brazil also increased to 9,146 after 610 more people died.

More than 20 officials in President Jair Bolsonaro's administration have tested positive for COVID-19, including press secretary Fabio Wajngarten and Minister of National Security Augusto Heleno. Bolsonaro says he tested negative for the virus, but has not publicly released the results.

The Brazilian president viewed Covid-19 as merely a seasonal flu, claiming that its negative impact had been exaggerated for political reasons. He also frequently expressed impatience with restrictions imposed by state governors, condemning the "hysteria" surrounding Covid-19 and urging local leaders to restart the economy.

Brazil is currently the second-largest epicenter of the pandemic in the Americas and the largest in South America. This marks the second consecutive day of soaring infections and deaths in the country. However, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Economy Minister Paulo Guedes still want to ease lockdown measures. Bolsonaro called for "saving the economy because the economy is also life," while Guedes warned that the Brazilian economy would collapse "within 30 days" if lockdown restrictions are not eased.

Iran remains the largest outbreak area in the Middle East.

Iran currently reports 103,135 infections, an increase of 1,485 in the last 24 hours, and 6,486 deaths, an increase of 146. Iran has reopened mosques in some areas considered low-risk, after approving a phased plan to resume business activities starting April 11. However, the city of Qom, the epicenter of the outbreak, continues to show an "increasing trend" in new infections.

Saudi Arabia reported an additional 1,793 infections and 10 deaths, bringing the total to 33,731 and 219 respectively.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported 502 new infections and eight additional deaths, bringing the total to 16,240 and 165 respectively.

On May 7th, the Egyptian Ministry of Health announced that the country had detected 393 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, marking a record daily increase and bringing the total number of cases to 7,981. In addition, the number of deaths from this dangerous disease also increased by 13, bringing the total to 482.

South Africa reports record increase in infections.

The South African Ministry of Health announced on May 8th that the country had recorded 424 new SARS-CoV-2 infections in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases to 8,232, including 161 deaths.

In the past 24 hours, South Africa also tested 12,774 people for SARS-CoV-2, bringing the total number of people tested in the country of 56 million to 292,153. To date, 3,153 COVID-19 patients in South Africa have recovered.

The South African government was forced to temporarily close schools seven weeks ago to prevent the spread of COVID-19, simultaneously disrupting the national nutrition program that provides meals to 9 million students from impoverished families.

More than 100 people are dying each day from COVID-19 in India.

India reported 3,364 new SARS-CoV-2 infections, bringing the total to 56,351. An additional 104 people died, raising the total death toll to 1,889.

India imposed a strict nationwide lockdown from March 25, when it had only recorded 60 cases and 10 deaths from Covid-19. However, new infections and deaths continue to rise in the world's second-largest country. Some experts fear that the actual figures in India may be much higher than the statistics, due to many people lacking access to healthcare and testing.

Japan authorizes the antiviral drug remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19.

The Japanese Ministry of Health announced that the government has authorized the antiviral drug remdesivir, manufactured by the US pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. This is the first drug in Japan to be approved for treating this dangerous disease.

Thus, Japan becomes the second country to authorize the use of remdesivir to treat COVID-19 patients, following the US last week. The US government made this decision after a large clinical trial showed that the drug helped shorten recovery time by one-third in some patients.

The number of COVID-19 cases in South Korea has surged again.

On May 8th, South Korea recorded a return to double digits in new infections. The highest number of infections recorded in South Korea was on February 29th with 909 cases.

According to statistics from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), as of 10:00 AM (local time) on May 8th, after three consecutive days without new community infections, the country recorded 12 new cases (including 11 imported cases), bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in South Korea to 10,822.

All regions of China are at low risk.

Mei Feng, spokesperson for China's National Health Commission (NHC), said on May 7 that all localities (at the county level) in mainland China have been classified as low-risk for Covid-19. As of the end of May 7, China had only one new domestic case in Jilin province. In addition, there were three suspected cases of imported infections, all in Shanghai. The NHC representative confirmed that mainland China had not recorded any Covid-19 deaths in the past 22 days.

1,805 people have died from COVID-19 in Southeast Asia.

Southeast Asia recorded an additional 1,494 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, bringing the total across the region to 54,287, including 1,805 deaths and 13,834 recoveries. In the past 24 hours, only Indonesia and the Philippines reported deaths from the acute respiratory illness, but eight countries in the region also reported positive cases of SARS-CoV-2.

Indonesia is the ASEAN country that recorded a worryingly high number of deaths in the past 24 hours, with 35 cases. This is one of the days with the highest number of deaths from Covid-19 in the country. As of May 7th, Indonesia also has the highest total number of Covid-19 deaths in Southeast Asia, with 930 cases, and ranks second in the region in the number of infections, with 12,776 cases.

Singapore's Ministry of Health announced on the same day that the country had recorded 741 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the total number of Covid-19 cases nationwide to 20,939, the highest in ASEAN.

The Philippines, the third-largest outbreak area, has recorded 10,343 SARS-CoV-2 infections and 685 deaths.

Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and East Timor are the only countries in the region that have not recorded any deaths due to Covid-19.

Ha Le