Vietnam 25 days without community transmission
At 6am on May 11, the Ministry of Health recorded no new Covid-19 positive cases, marking the 25th day without community transmission. The total number of infected cases is 288, of which 241 have recovered. 47 patients are being treated, most of them in stable health, of which 6 cases tested negative once, 14 cases tested negative twice or more. Currently, more than 25,000 people in close contact and entering from epidemic areas are being quarantined for health monitoring.
161 Vietnamese citizens returning from the US and being quarantined at Division 390, Army Corps 1 (Thanh Hoa) all tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the first test.
More than 270 Vietnamese citizens from Malaysia have returned home safely.
On May 10, Vietnamese authorities, the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia and Vietnam Airlines organized a flight to bring more than 270 Vietnamese citizens to land safely at Da Nang International Airport. Immediately after landing in Vietnam, all crew and passengers were examined for health and quarantined according to regulations.
Passengers on the flight included children under 18 years old, the elderly, the sick, international students without accommodation due to school and dormitory closures, workers with expired visas and labor contracts, and some tourists stranded due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic.
Based on citizens' wishes, the actual developments of the epidemic at home and abroad, and the quarantine capacity of localities, Vietnamese authorities and Vietnamese representative agencies abroad will continue to coordinate with domestic airlines to organize flights to bring citizens home.
Bach Mai Hospital returns to normal medical examination and treatment
From May 11, Bach Mai Hospital received patients and returned to normal medical examination and treatment after more than 1 month of medical isolation and stabilized operations.
According to the hospital's announcement, in response to the positive developments of the COVID-19 epidemic, Bach Mai Hospital has made some adjustments to its plan for implementing medical examination and treatment in the new phase of the COVID-19 epidemic. Accordingly, from May 11, outpatient examination and treatment, re-examination and examination on demand will return to normal operation (operating both Saturday and Sunday). The hospital will receive patients transferred from other medical examination and treatment facilities and from the community; and restore surgery sessions.
The number of infections and deaths in the US has decreased sharply.
The United States remains the world leader in most indicators related to the Covid-19 pandemic. In the past 24 hours, the country recorded 18,223 positive cases of SARS-CoV-2 virus and 695 deaths. However, this is a sign that the pandemic is easing, as the number of people infected and dying has decreased sharply compared to the previous days. To date, the United States has a total of 1,365,532 Covid-19 cases and 80,732 deaths.
The epicenter of the US Covid-19 pandemic, New York state, saw a sudden drop in deaths with only 41 cases recorded in the day, although it still leads the country in the number of cases. New Jersey (with 142 cases) and Massachusetts (with 139 cases) are the two states with the highest number of deaths in the US in the past 1 day. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the government may allow less severe epidemic areas, mainly rural areas, to reopen later this month. As for the "hotspot" New York City, he said no one can confirm when activities can reopen.
Times Square, New York
On the same day, the Press Secretary of US Vice President Mike Pence denied that Mr. Pence was self-isolating after a close secretary was confirmed positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Mr. Pence has always received negative results in recent tests, most recently on May 10. According to this source, the US Vice President will be present at the White House on May 11.
South Korea supports the US with 2 million masks to fight COVID-19 epidemic
South Korea has sent 2 million masks as emergency aid to the United States to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said on May 11, after President Moon Jae-in and his US counterpart Donald Trump discussed cooperation between the two countries in fighting the pandemic during a phone call on March 24. The masks will be distributed to medical institutions in the frontline against the pandemic, Yonhap reported.
Russia becomes the hottest spot in Europe
With 11,012 positive cases on May 10, Russia is the country with the second highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world in the past 24 hours, behind only the US. The Russian Covid-19 Prevention and Control Steering Committee said that as of the end of May 10 (local time), the country had recorded a total of 209,688 people infected with the disease. The agency said that up to 42.4% of the total new infections in Russia did not have clinical symptoms.
In the past day, Russia had 2,390 more recoveries, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 34,306. In addition, there were 88 more deaths, bringing the total number of deaths to 1,915. The capital Moscow is still the locality with the most new infections with 5,551 cases, bringing the total number of cases in the Russian capital to 109,740.
Red Square, Moscow
The press center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine said that as of early morning on May 11 (Vietnam time), the country had recorded 522 more infections, bringing the total number of Covid-19 patients in Ukraine to 15,232, including 391 deaths (an increase of 15 cases compared to the previous day) and 3,060 patients recovered.
On May 10, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the lockdown in the country due to the Covid-19 epidemic will be extended until at least June 1, in the context that the country has witnessed nearly 32,000 deaths due to Covid-19 - the highest in Europe and second in the world (after the US). In the past 24 hours, the UK recorded 3,923 positive cases and 268 deaths due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, thereby bringing the total number of cases and deaths due to the pandemic in the UK to 219,183 and 31,855, respectively.
On the same day, the Elysee Palace announced that British Prime Minister Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron had agreed that there would be no quarantine measures for passengers arriving from France to the UK. Earlier in the day, Mr. Johnson said that the UK would soon quarantine passengers arriving from abroad by air due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Some information said that London planned to impose a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all passengers arriving from outside the British Isles.
In France, as of 6 a.m. on May 11 (Vietnam time), the number of deaths due to the Covid-19 epidemic was 26,380, an increase of 70 cases in the past 24 hours. This is the lowest number of deaths in a day in France since the country began lockdown measures on March 17. France has begun to gradually relax lockdown measures since May 11, although it is still cautious for the four high-risk regions: Ile-de-France, Hauts-de-France, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Grand-Est.
Colosseum, Rome
On the same day, the Italian Civil Protection Agency announced that the country recorded 1,083 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, bringing the total number of Covid-19 cases here to 219,070. Of which, the number of deaths is currently 30,560 cases (an increase of 165 cases) and the number of recoveries is 105,186 cases (an increase of 2,155 cases).
Meanwhile, Spain continues to record a decrease in the number of Covid-19 deaths per day. According to data released by the Spanish Ministry of Health on May 10, in the past 24 hours, the country had 143 more deaths, down from 179 the previous day. This is the lowest number of deaths per day in Spain since mid-March. Thus, to date, Spain has confirmed 26,621 deaths from Covid-19 out of a total of 224,390 cases.
EU requires airlines and hotels to issue vouchers
As the Covid-19 pandemic infiltrates every corner of the European economy, the European Commission (EC) is planning to ask member states to allow airlines and hotels to issue travel vouchers to compensate for canceled trips, instead of cash refunds. In addition, the Union is also encouraged to gradually remove internal border restrictions to save the 2020 summer tourist season, which is approaching very soon. The tourism sector contributes to nearly a tenth of the EU's economic output and is one of the industries most heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Germany and other member states have called on the EU to suspend rules that force cash-strapped airlines and hotels to refund the cost of cancelled flights or trips in cash. Instead, the European Commission will ask member states to accept vouchers for refunds at a meeting on May 13.
The EC will also call on the 27 member states to gradually lift internal border restrictions and restart some routes to help revive the ailing tourism industry. According to EC figures, during the peak period from June to August, the European tourism industry usually receives around 360 million international visitors and brings in 150 billion euros a year.
Many airlines are at risk of bankruptcy due to the Covid-19 pandemic
To limit the spread of the virus, the region’s external borders are now at risk of being closed to non-essential travel until at least mid-June. With Europeans likely to stay home or travel to nearby destinations this summer, the EU’s peripheral regions and islands may take longer to get back to work.
China has 14 new infections, locks down a city
China's National Health Commission (NHC) confirmed 14 new cases on May 10 in mainland China, of which 12 were domestically transmitted, including 11 in Shulan City, Jilin Province, Northeast China, and 1 in Wuhan City, the capital of Hubei Province. This is the first case of infection in Wuhan in more than a month. The 14 new cases in a day is also the highest in mainland China since April 28. Jilin Province has raised the epidemic alert in Shulan City from medium to high.
China is currently in the process of easing restrictions to restore people's daily lives and economic activities across the country to minimize the damage caused by Covid-19.
Babies are carefully protected at Beijing International Airport.
On May 10, at a press conference, National Health Commission (NHC) spokesman Mi Feng emphasized: It is necessary to maintain personal epidemic prevention measures in the context that the Covid-19 epidemic is still a threat to public health.
The number of infections in Korea increased sharply
South Korea on May 10 recorded a spike in the number of infections with 34 cases after a new cluster of infections appeared in Itaewon. The time when South Korea recorded the highest number of infections in a day was February 29 with 909 cases.
Statistics from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) show that as of 10:00 a.m. (local time) on May 10, just 4 days after lifting social distancing regulations, with 34 new cases detected, the number of Covid-19 infections in Korea has increased to 10,874. The number of deaths remains at 256, of which more than 50% are patients over 80 years old and have at least one pre-existing medical condition. The number of patients who have been completely cured increased by 42 people, bringing the total to 9,610, accounting for 88.3%.
Faced with the risk of a new outbreak in the capital Seoul, Mayor Park Won-soon issued an administrative order requiring bars, discos, and nightclubs across the city to temporarily suspend all activities, after dozens of people tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 virus due to close contact with a 29-year-old male patient who was confirmed positive on May 5.
Israel supports Palestine during the Covid-19 pandemic
Israeli Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed him to grant the loan to the Palestinian Authority. Right-wing groups in Israel have denounced the move as “unthinkable.” Earlier this week, West Bank financial institutions began freezing the accounts of Palestinian prisoners as Israel prepares to impose sanctions on banks that accept deposits from convicted Palestinians.
On May 8, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said bank officials had agreed and would wait for a final decision until Palestine presented a list of recommendations on the matter.
As of the evening of May 10, the Israeli Ministry of Health announced that there were a total of 16,477 positive cases of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with 5 deaths recorded on May 10 alone, bringing the total number of deaths to 252. So far, 11,430 patients have recovered. Israel has begun to ease restrictions, with shopping malls, outdoor markets and gyms across the country reopening on May 7 after more than 6 weeks of lockdown. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that all measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 could be lifted in mid-June. However, he made it clear that the relevant authorities would have to reconsider the relaxation if there were still about 100 new infections per day or the number of severe cases remained above 250.
Risk of Covid-19 resurgence in Iran
Iranian authorities have warned of a second wave of Covid-19 in the country as 51 more patients died nearly a month after the country began easing its nationwide lockdown.
The Iranian Health Ministry spokesman said the epidemic in the Islamic Republic is still not under control, with the situation in Khuzestan province and the capital Tehran still "very serious". These two localities are still maintaining red alert - the highest level on the scale warning of Covid-19 risks in Iran.
A member of Iran's Covid-19 task force said that current anti-epidemic measures in Tehran are not effective in controlling the spread of the epidemic, and it is too early to return life here to normal.
Meanwhile, Khuzestan provincial leader Ali Shariati announced that government offices, banks and non-essential businesses in nine districts would be closed again. Movement outside the province was also restricted.
India produces Covid-19 vaccine
The Indian Ministry of Health said on May 10 that over the past day, the country recorded 111 more deaths from the Covid-19 epidemic and 4,353 infections, bringing the total number of deaths to 2,212 and the total number of infections to 67,161.
The total number of active cases in the country is currently 41,472. Indian officials said that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and vaccine maker Bharat Biotech International (BBIL) will collaborate to produce the Covid-19 vaccine. According to ICMR, the council will coordinate with BBIL to produce the vaccine and the vaccine production process will be continuously supported by ICMR and the National Institute of Virology (NIV).
Covid-19 deaths in Africa this year could reach 190,000
The Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC) announced that as of May 10, the continent of 1.3 billion people had recorded 61,165 cases of SARS-CoV-2 virus, including 2,239 deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the number of deaths from Covid-19 in Africa in the first year of the pandemic could reach 190,000 if containment measures are not effective. In addition, during the same period, about 29 million to 44 million people here will be infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The Covid-19 epidemic in Southeast Asia tends to "cool down"
As of early morning on May 11, Southeast Asia recorded a total of over 58,601 Covid-19 cases, an increase of 1,521 cases compared to the previous day, and 1,883 deaths, an increase of 29 cases compared to the previous day. In the past 24 hours, only two countries, Indonesia and the Philippines, recorded deaths from the epidemic; Singapore had over 870 new positive cases of SARS-CoV-2 virus, but recorded no deaths. In addition, the ASEAN region also witnessed the number of patients successfully treated increase to 15,763 cases.
