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The Prime Minister agrees to declare a nationwide COVID-19 epidemic.
Presiding over the Government's Standing Committee meeting on COVID-19 prevention and control on the afternoon of March 30, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc agreed to the proposal to declare a nationwide epidemic. According to the Prime Minister, this is a decisive moment in the fight against COVID-19, therefore all levels of government and relevant agencies must focus intensely on this matter.
Photo: VGP
The Prime Minister also emphasized that the government has not considered locking down Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City like many countries have done in major cities, but all citizens must stay at home and not go out unless absolutely necessary, in order to limit the spread of the disease.
Hanoi establishes 10 rapid Covid-19 testing stations.
The city has set up 10 mobile testing stations and put into use rapid test kits from South Korea since the morning of March 31, according to information announced by the Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, Nguyen Duc Chung, at a meeting of the city's Covid-19 prevention and control steering committee on March 30.
Hanoi has invited a team of South Korean experts to design 10 mobile testing stations according to WHO standards. Each station measures 3x3 meters and has electricity and Wi-Fi to operate 24/7.
Initially, Hanoi is renting these 10 stations at a cost of 6 to 7 million VND per month to serve the purpose of collecting samples for testing from residents in the wards surrounding Bach Mai Hospital. Later, the city will expand testing to other hospitals and crowded areas. Ten task forces comprising military personnel, police, and medical staff have also been established to support this effort.
Taking body temperature at Bach Mai Hospital - Photo: Tuoi Tre
Minimize inter-provincial travel.
According to the Ministry of Transport's request, from March 30th, people's travel - especially between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and other localities - will be severely restricted to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the community.
On the same day, the Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Thanh Phong, approved the proposal of the Department of Transport to temporarily suspend all public bus services in the city from April 1 to 15.
47 MORE COVID-19 PATIENTS TEST NEGATIVE
According to statistics from the Ministry of Health, as of the morning of March 31st, out of 149 COVID-19 patients being treated at 22 medical facilities, 47 patients have tested negative, and among these, 31 patients have tested negative two or more times.
Also today, two cases are expected to be declared recovered and transferred to other facilities for health monitoring: patient number 49, currently being treated at Hue Central Hospital, and patient number 54 at Can Gio Hospital (Ho Chi Minh City).
Israeli Prime Minister is in isolation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several of his key advisers have self-isolated after an aide tested positive for Covid-19.The GuardianThis is merely a precautionary measure, and Israeli officials say it is highly unlikely that the country's 70-year-old leader has contracted the disease.
He was previously tested on March 15th and the result was negative.
Israel currently has 4,300 confirmed cases and 15 deaths.
The number of infections in the US military has surged.
According to the announcement, the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the US military surged over the weekend, from 652 infected individuals on March 27th. Of the total number of infections, 569 were active-duty military personnel, 220 were civilian employees, 190 were dependents, and 64 were contract workers.
The United States currently leads the world in the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections with over 164,000 recorded cases. New York City is urgently building a field hospital in Central Park to accommodate the growing number of patients. According to the mayor of New York, the hospital will begin operations on March 31st with an increased number of doctors, staff, and medical equipment.
A field hospital in Central Park, New York.
Many US states have ordered residents to stay home.
On March 30, the DMV (Detention, Monitoring, and Control) region, comprising the states of Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., and Arizona, issued a stay-at-home order requiring residents to remain indoors except for essential purposes to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Previously, several states, such as California and Michigan, also issued similar orders to prevent the spread of the disease.
New York Governor issues urgent appeal
"Come help us in New York now," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on March 30, urgently appealing for medical volunteers amid a continuing "horrific" number of coronavirus deaths.
New York State recorded over 250 additional deaths in a single day.
Cuomo and health officials warn that the crisis unfolding in New York City is a harbinger of what other communities across the United States may soon face, according to AP.
He said the state would need an additional 1 million healthcare workers.
The US is providing aid to countries to combat the pandemic, including Vietnam.
In an announcement on March 27th, the U.S. State Department stated that the country will allocate $274 million for humanitarian and emergency medical assistance to countries combating the pandemic. Specifically, $210 million will be provided through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) fund, and $64 million will be allocated by the State Department to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Specifically, Vietnam will receive nearly $3 million to prepare laboratory systems, activate surveillance systems for detecting suspected cases and events, support experts in response and preparedness, communicate about risks, and prevent and control infection…
In Southeast Asia, several countries also received support, including Cambodia ($2 million), Indonesia ($2.3 million), Laos ($2 million), the Philippines ($4 million), and Thailand ($1.2 million). African countries will receive between $470,000 and $7 million to cope with the pandemic.
Mexico declares a health emergency.
On March 30, in response to the rising number of COVID-19 cases and deaths, the Mexican federal government declared a national health emergency.
Mexico's Ministry of Health stated that the declaration of a health emergency aims to raise public awareness about the disease and the importance of staying home and avoiding unnecessary outings, in order to slow the spread of the disease and prevent the healthcare system from being overwhelmed.
Mexico's Ministry of Health announced that the number of confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 in the country has risen to 1,094, including 28 deaths and 2,752 suspected cases.
According to Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell, a series of measures were immediately implemented to prevent the spread of Covid-19, including the immediate suspension of non-essential activities in the public and private sectors until April 30, prohibiting meetings or conferences of more than 50 people, and strictly adhering to social distancing measures.
Italy continues its nationwide lockdown until Easter.
Speaking at a press conference on March 30, Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza announced that the government would soon extend the nationwide lockdown "until Easter this year." Speranza did not specify a date, but Easter falls on April 12.
The number of new infections in Italy continued to decline on March 30, marking the fifth consecutive day of decrease. The total number of infections in Italy is now over 101,000, after 4,050 new cases were reported yesterday. The number of new deaths was 812, bringing the total death toll to 11,591.
The World Health Organization believes the epidemic is gradually stabilizing in Italy, but warns that the next two weeks will be crucial in determining the success or failure of the country's stringent anti-epidemic measures.
The head of Spain's COVID-19 campaign has contracted the disease.
Fernando Simon, who heads Spain's Covid-19 response, has tested positive for the disease. Simon has been in frequent contact with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez recently.
Maria Jose Sierra, who replaced Simon, said on March 30 that the trend of the epidemic in the country continues to decline. In the past 24 hours, Spain recorded an additional 812 deaths, bringing the total to 7,340. The number of cases also increased by 8% to 85,195, officially surpassing the 82,198 cases reported by China.
On March 30, the Spanish government banned elaborate funeral ceremonies during the pandemic, including prayer services at home, and limited the number of attendees to a maximum of three people for burial or cremation.
Czech Republic launches trial of smart quarantine measures.
To more effectively curb the spread of the disease, on March 30, the Czech government began piloting a "smart quarantine" plan in the Moravia region of southern Czech Republic before deciding whether to implement it nationwide.
This plan is being implemented with the help of banks and mobile phone network operators to identify a list of people who have been in contact with someone who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the previous five days. Those on this list will be tested and quarantined until a conclusion is reached regarding their infection status.
The Czech Republic has so far recorded 3,001 cases of Covid-19.
Also on March 30, the Czech government decided to extend restrictions on freedom of movement and business until April 11. In addition, all Czech citizens returning from abroad are required to quarantine.
The FDA has approved limited use of an antimalarial drug in the treatment of COVID-19.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the limited use of two antimalarial drugs, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, in the emergency treatment of COVID-19 patients, according to AFP.
Last week, US President Donald Trump said the two malaria drugs were "a gift from God," even though scientists have warned of the risks of using treatments that have not been proven effective in clinical trials.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, America's top infectious disease expert, also urged the public to remain cautious until larger clinical trials confirm the results of smaller studies on the effectiveness of these drugs.
