Death tolls have dropped sharply in most countries, and Vietnam has reported 0 new cases.

Vietnam has gone 25 days without community transmission.

As of 6:00 AM on May 11th, the Ministry of Health reported no new positive cases of Covid-19, marking the 25th consecutive day without community transmission. The total number of infections remains at 288, with 241 recoveries. 47 patients are currently undergoing treatment, most in stable condition, including 6 who have tested negative once and 14 who have tested negative two or more times. Currently, over 25,000 people who have had close contact with infected individuals or have entered the country from affected areas are under quarantine and health monitoring.

All 161 Vietnamese citizens returning from the US and currently quarantined at the 390th Division, 1st Army Corps (Thanh Hoa) have tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus in their first test.

Over 270 Vietnamese citizens have returned home safely from Malaysia.

On May 10th, Vietnamese authorities, the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia, and Vietnam National Airlines organized a flight that safely brought over 270 Vietnamese citizens to Da Nang International Airport. Immediately after landing in Vietnam, the entire crew and passengers underwent health checks and were placed in centralized quarantine as per regulations.

The passengers on the flight included children under 18, elderly people, sick people, international students without accommodation due to school and dormitory closures, workers whose visas and employment contracts had expired, and some tourists stranded due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Based on the wishes of citizens, the actual developments of the epidemic both domestically and internationally, 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 back home.

Bach Mai Hospital has resumed normal medical examination and treatment services.

From May 11th, Bach Mai Hospital resumed receiving patients and providing normal medical examinations and treatment after more than a month of medical quarantine and stabilizing its operations.

According to the hospital's announcement, in light of the positive developments in the COVID-19 pandemic, Bach Mai Hospital has made some adjustments to its plan for medical examination and treatment in the new phase of the COVID-19 outbreak. Accordingly, from May 11th, outpatient examination and treatment, follow-up appointments, and examinations on demand will resume normal operation (including Saturdays and Sundays). The hospital will accept patients transferred from other medical facilities and from the community; scheduled surgeries will be restored.

The number of infections and deaths in the US has dropped 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 new positive cases of SARS-CoV-2 and 695 deaths. However, this is a sign that the pandemic is subsiding, as both the number of cases and deaths have decreased significantly compared to previous days. To date, the US has a total of 1,365,532 Covid-19 cases and 80,732 deaths.

New York State, the epicenter of the Covid-19 outbreak in the US, saw a sharp drop in deaths, with only 41 cases recorded that day, although it still leads the nation in the number of infections. New Jersey (with 142 deaths) and Massachusetts (with 139 deaths) were the two states with the highest number of deaths in the US in the past 24 hours. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the government may allow areas with less severe outbreaks, mainly rural areas, to reopen later this month. As for the "hotspot" New York City, he said no one can say for sure when it can reopen.

On the same day, the press secretary for US Vice President Mike Pence denied reports that Pence was self-isolating after a close aide tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Pence has consistently tested negative in recent tests, most recently on May 10th. According to this source, the US Vice President will be at the White House on May 11th.

South Korea is providing the US with 2 million face masks to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Yonhap, the South Korean Foreign Ministry announced on May 11 that it had sent 2 million face masks as emergency aid to the United States in its efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, following a phone call on March 24 between President Moon Jae-in and his US counterpart Donald Trump on March 24 discussing cooperation in fighting the pandemic. These masks will be distributed to healthcare organizations on the front lines of the fight against the pandemic.

Russia has become the hottest spot in Europe.

With 11,012 positive cases on May 10th, Russia had the second highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world in the past 24 hours, second only to the United States. The Russian Covid-19 Task Force reported that as of the end of May 10th (local time), the country had recorded a total of 209,688 cases. The agency stated that 42.4% of the new infections in Russia showed no clinical symptoms.

Over the past day, Russia reported 2,390 new recoveries, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 34,306. Additionally, there were 88 new deaths, raising the total death toll to 1,915. Moscow remains the region with the highest number of new infections, with 5,551 cases, bringing the total number of cases in the Russian capital to 109,740.

According to the press center of the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, as of early morning on May 11 (Vietnam time), the country had recorded an additional 522 cases, bringing the total number of COVID-19 patients in Ukraine to 15,232, including 391 deaths (an increase of 15 compared to the previous day) and 3,060 recovered patients.

On May 10th, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the lockdown in the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic would be extended until at least June 1st, amidst a backdrop of nearly 32,000 deaths from Covid-19 – the highest in Europe and the second highest in the world (after the US). In the past 24 hours, the UK recorded 3,923 new positive cases and 268 deaths from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, bringing the total number of cases and deaths from 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 currently be no quarantine measures for passengers arriving in the UK from France. Earlier that day, Johnson had said that the UK would soon quarantine passengers arriving by air from abroad due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Some reports suggested that London intended to impose a mandatory 14-day quarantine on all passengers arriving from outside the British Isles.

In France, as of 6:00 AM on May 11th (Vietnam time), the number of deaths from Covid-19 was 26,380, an increase of 70 in the past 24 hours. This is the lowest daily death toll in France since the country began lockdown measures on March 17th. France began gradually easing lockdown measures on May 11th, although it remains cautious regarding the four high-risk regions: Ile-de-France, Hauts-de-France, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, and Grand-Est.

On the same day, the Italian Civil Protection Agency announced that the country had recorded 1,083 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, bringing the total number of Covid-19 cases to 219,070. Of these, the number of deaths is now 30,560 (an increase of 165) and the number of recoveries is 105,186 (an increase of 2,155).

Meanwhile, Spain continues to record a decrease in the number of daily deaths from Covid-19. According to data released by the Spanish Ministry of Health on May 10th, the country recorded 143 additional deaths in the past 24 hours, down from 179 the previous day. This is the lowest daily death toll in Spain since mid-March. Thus far, Spain has confirmed 26,621 deaths from Covid-19 out of a total of 224,390 cases.

The EU requires airlines and hotels to issue vouchers.

Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic spreading across European economies, 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. Additionally, the Union is being encouraged to gradually lift internal border restrictions to salvage the upcoming 2020 summer travel season. The tourism sector contributes nearly one-tenth of the EU's economic output and is one of the sectors most severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Against this backdrop, Germany and other member states have called on the EU to temporarily suspend rules that force airlines and hotels, already facing liquidity problems, to refund the cost of canceled flights or trips in cash. Instead, at its meeting on May 13, the European Commission will ask member states to accept refunds in the form of vouchers for customers.

In addition, the EC will call on its 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, European tourism typically welcomes around 360 million international visitors and generates 150 billion euros per year.

Currently, to limit the spread of the virus, the region's external borders are at risk of being closed until at least mid-June to non-essential travel. With Europeans likely to stay home or travel locally this summer, it may take longer for the EU's outer regions and islands to become bustling again.

China reports 14 new cases, locks down one city.

China's National Health Commission (NHC) confirmed 14 new cases of coronavirus infection in mainland China on May 10th. Of particular concern were 12 domestically transmitted cases: 11 in Shulan city, Jilin province, in northeastern China, and one in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province. This was the first case in Wuhan in over a month. The 14 new cases reported that day also represent the highest number in mainland China since April 28th. Jilin province has raised the epidemic alert level in Shulan city from medium to high.

China is currently in the process of easing restrictions to restore daily life and economic activity across the country, aiming to minimize the damage caused by Covid-19.

On May 10th, at a press conference, Mi Feng, spokesperson for the National Health Commission of China (NHC), emphasized the need to maintain personal preventive measures as the Covid-19 pandemic remains a threat to public health.

The number of infections in South Korea has increased sharply.

South Korea reported a surge in infections on May 10th, with 34 new cases following a new cluster of infections in Itaewon. The highest daily 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 10th, just four days after the lifting of social distancing restrictions, the number of COVID-19 cases in South Korea has risen to 10,874 with 34 new cases detected. The death toll remains at 256, with over 50% of the fatalities being patients over 80 years old and with at least one pre-existing medical condition. An additional 42 patients have fully recovered, bringing the total to 9,610, or 88.3%.

Facing the risk of a new outbreak in the capital Seoul, Mayor Park Won-soon issued an administrative order requiring all bars, discos, and nightclubs throughout the city to temporarily cease operations, after dozens of people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus due to close contact with a 29-year-old male patient who was confirmed positive on May 5th.

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 protested, calling the move "unrealistic." Earlier this week, financial institutions in the West Bank began freezing accounts of Palestinian prisoners as Israel prepared to impose sanctions on banks that accept deposits from convicted Palestinians.

On May 8, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said that banking officials had agreed and were awaiting a final decision until Palestine submitted its list of recommendations on the matter.

As of the evening of May 10th, the Israeli Ministry of Health announced a total of 16,477 positive cases of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with 5 deaths recorded on May 10th alone, bringing the total number of deaths to 252. To date, 11,430 patients have recovered. Israel has begun to ease restrictions, with shopping malls, outdoor markets, and gyms across the country reopening on May 7th after more than six weeks of lockdown. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that all measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 may be lifted by mid-June. However, he clarified that relevant authorities would have to reconsider easing restrictions if there are still around 100 new infections per day or if the number of severe cases remains above 250.

Risk of a resurgence of Covid-19 in Iran

Iranian authorities have warned of the risk of a second wave of Covid-19 in the country as 51 more patients have died nearly a month after the nationwide lockdown began to be eased.

A spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Health said the epidemic in the Islamic Republic is still not under control, with the situation in Khuzestan province and the capital Tehran remaining "very serious." Both areas are currently under a red alert – the highest level on Iran's COVID-19 risk assessment scale.

A member of Iran's Covid-19 task force stated that current preventative measures in Tehran are not effectively controlling the spread of the disease, and it is too early to return life there to normal.

Meanwhile, Khuzestan provincial leader Ali Shariati announced that government offices, banks, and non-essential businesses in nine districts would close again. Travel outside the province will also be restricted.

India produces Covid-19 vaccine.

The Indian Ministry of Health announced on May 10 that in the past day, the country had recorded 111 additional deaths due to Covid-19 and 4,353 new infections, bringing the total number of deaths to 2,212 and the total number of infections to 67,161.

Currently, the total number of active cases in the country is 41,472. Indian officials have announced that the International Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the vaccine manufacturer Bharat Biotech International (BBIL) will collaborate to produce a COVID-19 vaccine. According to the ICMR, the council will work with BBIL to manufacture the vaccine, and the production process will be continuously supported by the ICMR and the National Institute of Virology (NIV).

The number of deaths from Covid-19 in Africa this year could reach 190,000.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC) announced that, as of May 10th, the continent of 1.3 billion people had recorded 61,165 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, including 2,239 deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the number of deaths from Covid-19 in Africa during the first year of the pandemic could reach 190,000 if containment measures are ineffective. Furthermore, during the same period, approximately 29 million to 44 million people in the region are expected to be infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The Covid-19 pandemic situation in Southeast Asia is showing a "cooling down" trend.

By the early morning of May 11th, Southeast Asia had 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 deaths compared to the previous day. In the past 24 hours, only Indonesia and the Philippines reported deaths from the disease; Singapore had over 870 new positive cases of SARS-CoV-2, but no deaths. In addition, the ASEAN region also saw the number of successfully recovered patients increase to 15,763.

Ha Le