Prime Minister agrees to declare COVID-19 epidemic nationwide
Chairing the Government 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, so authorities at all levels and functional agencies must focus highly on this.
Photo: VGP
The Prime Minister also emphasized that the Government has not yet considered locking down Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City like many countries have done in big cities, but all people must stay at home and not go out unless absolutely necessary to limit the spread of the disease.
Hanoi sets up 10 rapid Covid-19 testing stations
The city set up 10 field testing stations and put into use rapid test kits from South Korea from the morning of March 31, the information was given by Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung at the meeting of the city's Covid-19 Prevention and Control Steering Committee on March 30.
Hanoi has invited a group of Korean experts to design 10 field testing stations according to WHO standards. Each station is 3x3 m in area, has electricity and wifi to operate 24/7.
Hanoi will initially rent 10 stations for 6 to 7 million VND/month to collect samples for testing from residents in wards surrounding Bach Mai Hospital. After that, the city will expand testing to hospitals in the area and crowded places. 10 working groups including military, police, and medical staff have also been established to serve this purpose.
Taking body temperature at Bach Mai Hospital - Photo: Tuoi Tre
minimize inter-provincial travel
At the request of the Ministry of Transport, from March 30, people's travel - especially between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and other localities - will be limited to the maximum to prevent the Covid-19 epidemic from spreading in the community.
On the same day, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong approved the proposal of the Department of Transport to temporarily suspend all public bus operations in the city from April 1 to 15.
47 MORE COVID-19 PATIENTS TESTED NEGATIVE
According to statistics from the Ministry of Health, as of the morning of March 31, out of 149 Covid-19 patients being treated at 22 medical facilities, 47 patients have tested negative, of which 31 patients have tested negative twice or more.
Also today, it is expected that two cases, including patient number 49 being treated at Hue Central Hospital and patient number 54 at Can Gio Hospital (HCMC), will be announced to be cured and transferred to another facility for health monitoring.
Israeli Prime Minister quarantined
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several of his key advisers have self-quarantined after an aide tested positive for Covid-19. According toThe Guardian, this is only a precaution and Israeli officials say it is very unlikely that the country's 70-year-old leader has the disease.
Previously, he was tested on March 15 and the result was negative.
Israel currently has 4,300 cases and 15 deaths.
The number of infections in the US military has increased dramatically.
According to the announcement, the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the US military has increased dramatically over the weekend, from 652 infections on March 27. Of the total number of infections, 569 are active duty soldiers, 220 are civilians, 190 are dependents and 64 are contract workers.
The United States currently leads the world in the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections with more than 164,000 recorded cases. New York City is rushing to build a field hospital right in Central Park to meet the increasing number of patients. According to the New York mayor, the hospital will start operating from March 31 with increased doctors, staff and medical equipment.
Field hospital in Central Park, New York
Many US states ordered people to stay at home.
On March 30, the DMV regional government, including the states of Maryland, Virginia, the capital Washington, and the state of Arizona, issued an order requiring people to stay at home except for essential cases to prevent the Covid-19 epidemic.
Previously, some states such as California and Michigan also issued the above order to prevent the spread of the disease.
New York Governor Issues Emergency Call
“Come help us in New York now” - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on March 30 issued an urgent call for medical volunteers, as the number of deaths from the coronavirus continues to be at a “horrifying” level.
New York State records more than 250 deaths in one 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 will need 1 million more health workers.
The US provides aid to countries to fight the epidemic, including Vietnam.
In a March 27 announcement by the US State Department, the country will spend $274 million to provide humanitarian and emergency medical assistance to countries fighting the pandemic. Specifically, $210 million will be supported through funds from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and $64 million will be spent by the US State Department for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Of which, Vietnam will receive nearly 3 million USD to prepare laboratory systems, activate surveillance systems to detect suspicious cases and events, support experts in response and preparation, risk communication, infection prevention and control, etc.
In Southeast Asia, many countries also received support such as Cambodia (2 million USD), Indonesia (2.3 million USD), Laos (2 million USD), Philippines (4 million USD) and Thailand (1.2 million USD). African countries will receive from 470,000 USD to 7 million USD to deal with the epidemic.
Mexico declares medical emergency
On March 30, in the face of the increasing number of cases and deaths due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the Mexican Federal Government declared a national health emergency.
The Mexican Ministry of Health said the declaration of a health emergency is intended to make people understand the epidemic and the importance of staying at home and avoiding unnecessary travel, in order to slow the spread of the disease and avoid overloading the health system.
The Mexican Ministry of Health announced that the number of positive cases of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the country has increased to 1,094 people, including 28 deaths and 2,752 suspected cases of infection.
According to Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell, a series of measures were immediately applied to prevent the spread of Covid-19, including the immediate suspension of non-essential activities in the public and private sectors until April 30, no meetings or conferences of more than 50 people and strict compliance with social distancing measures.
Italy continues 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." Mr. Speranza did not give a specific date, but Easter falls on April 12.
The number of new cases in Italy continued to fall on March 30, marking the fifth consecutive day of decline. The total number of infections in Italy is now over 101,000, after 4,050 new cases were added yesterday. The number of new deaths was 812, bringing the total to 11,591.
The World Health Organization said the epidemic is gradually stabilizing in Italy, but warned that the next two weeks will be decisive for the success or failure of the country's tough anti-epidemic measures.
Spain's head of COVID-19 response infected
Fernando Simon, the head of Spain's anti-Covid-19 campaign, has tested positive for the disease. Simon has been in frequent contact with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Ms. Maria Jose Sierra, Mr. Simon's replacement, said on March 30 that the epidemic trend in this country continues to decline. In the past 24 hours, Spain had 812 more deaths, bringing the total number of deaths to 7,340. The number of cases also increased by 8% to 85,195, officially surpassing the 82,198 cases announced by China.
The Spanish government on March 30 banned lavish funerals during the pandemic, including home prayers, and a maximum of three people are allowed to attend burial or cremation ceremonies.
Czech Republic tests smart quarantine measures
To more effectively contain the spread of the epidemic, on March 30, the Czech Government began testing a "smart quarantine" plan in the Moravia region, southern Czech Republic, before deciding to apply it nationwide.
The plan, which is being implemented with the help of banks and mobile phone network operators, aims to identify a list of people who have been in contact with a case that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the previous 5 days. Those on this list will be tested and quarantined until a conclusion is reached on whether they are infected or not.
The Czech Republic has so far recorded 3,001 cases of Covid-19 infection.
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 must undergo quarantine.
FDA approves limited use of malaria drug to treat COVID-19
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the limited use of two anti-malaria drugs, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, for 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" despite scientists warning of the risks of using treatments that have not been proven in clinical trials.
Anthony Fauci, the nation'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 the drugs.
