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An additional 14 patients are expected to be declared recovered today.
The Ministry of Health announced that no new Covid-19 patients were recorded in Vietnam this morning. Currently, the country has 255 patients, of which 158 are from abroad (accounting for 62.2%).
Today, four hospitals are expected to announce the recovery of 14 more patients, including the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases (10 patients), Binh Thuan General Hospital (2 patients), Da Nang General Hospital (1 patient), and Bac Ninh General Hospital (1 patient).
Issuing a Resolution to support people facing difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has just signed a Resolution on measures to support people facing difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The total value of this "unprecedented" social welfare package amounts to 62,000 billion VND, providing support to various groups affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Accordingly, the beneficiaries of this social welfare package include: employees working under labor contracts; employers facing financial difficulties; people who have contributed to the Revolution; poor and near-poor households according to the national poverty standard; business households; social welfare recipients, etc.
The viewpoint emphasized in the Government Resolution is that "the State, businesses, and the social community share responsibility in ensuring a decent life for workers."
Daegu reports no new infections for the first time.
According to Reuters, for the first time since the end of February, the city of Daegu (South Korea) reported no new cases today.
Daegu was once the largest outbreak center after China, with at least 6,807 cases (accounting for more than half of the total infections nationwide).
Meanwhile, the number of new coronavirus infections across South Korea continues to decline. According to the Korea CDC, the country recorded 27 new cases, a significantly lower daily figure compared to the peak of over 900 cases a day in late February. Currently, South Korea has a total of 10,450 COVID-19 cases, including 208 deaths.
South Korea temporarily suspends visa-free policy with 90 countries.
According to Yonhap News Agency, in a joint press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice on April 9, the South Korean government announced that it will suspend visa-free programs with 90 countries that have imposed entry bans on South Korean citizens starting April 13 to prevent the spread of Covid-19 from abroad.
In addition to ending the visa waiver program, all 90-day visas issued before April 5, 2020, will also become invalid.
Cambodia restricts travel.
On April 9th, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen issued an order restricting inter-provincial travel nationwide, especially between the capital Phnom Penh and the provinces and vice versa. The decision will be in effect from April 10th to April 16th.
Some transportation activities are still permitted, including: road, water, and rail freight transport; vehicles of the armed forces and civil servants; state and private ambulances; fire trucks and garbage trucks.
Cambodia has recorded 117 cases of Covid-19 and no deaths.
Indonesia records a record increase in daily infections.
On April 9th, according to Reuters, Indonesia recorded its highest daily number of infections, 337 cases, since the first case was detected last month. Along with that, the country reported 40 more deaths from Covid-19, bringing the total number of deaths nationwide to 280.
To date, Indonesia has a total of 3,293 patients.
Singapore's Ministry of Health reported 287 new cases on the same day, the highest daily increase in Singapore to date. To date, the country has had 1,910 cases and 6 deaths.
The number of cases in Japan has surpassed 5,000.
The total number of people infected with the novel coronavirus in Japan reached 5,002 on April 9th, showing no signs of slowing down, despite Japan declaring a state of emergency in Tokyo and six other regions. New cases were recorded in almost every area of Japan.
Shanghai will reopen schools on April 27th.
Lu Jing, head of Shanghai's Education Commission, said on April 9 that schools in the city would partially reopen starting April 27.
According to Lu Jing, final-year classes in junior and senior high schools will be allowed to resume from April 2nd. Meanwhile, schools will prepare to bring other classes back to normal before May 6th, with the specific date to be announced by each school.
ASEAN ministers will hold a special meeting on COVID-19.
Reuters, citing a statement from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on April 9, reported that Southeast Asian ministers will hold a special online meeting on April 14 to discuss solutions to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The number of hospitalizations in New York has dropped sharply.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations has dropped sharply in the past 24 hours, with only 200 people admitted. Cuomo asserted that this is the lowest number since the outbreak began in the country and emphasized that it is the clearest evidence of the effectiveness of social distancing measures in New York.
However, Cuomo also acknowledged that the death toll remains high and increased for the third consecutive day with 799 new deaths, bringing the total number of deaths from Covid-19 in New York State to 7,067.
To date, the number of deaths recorded across the United States is 16,610 – making the US the country with the second highest number of deaths in the world, after Italy (18,279).
According to worldometers.info, the US is currently the country conducting the most Covid-19 tests in the world, with 100,000 people tested per day.
In a press conference that same day, US President Donald Trump confirmed that at least 19 treatments for Covid-19 are undergoing clinical trials in the United States. He also revealed that approximately 26 other treatments are in the process of being tested and evaluated for effectiveness.
Botswana's president and 63 MPs are in quarantine.
On April 9, Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi and all 63 members of parliament had to self-isolate after coming into contact with a healthcare worker who tested positive for the novel coronavirus on April 8.
To date, the southern African nation of Botswana has recorded 13 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, including one death.
Russia records a record daily increase in new infections.
On April 9th, Russia recorded a record high of 1,459 new daily infections, bringing the total number of cases nationwide to 10,131. Meanwhile, the number of deaths also increased by 13, raising the total number of fatalities to date to 76.
Italy: More than 100 doctors and nurses have died from COVID-19.
AFP reported on April 9th that the number of doctors who have died from Covid-19 in Italy has risen to over 100. This includes retired doctors who returned to hospitals to save lives at the government's call.
There are still no official figures on the number of infections among doctors and healthcare workers in Italy. The National Institute of Health estimates that around 10% of the total number of patients are healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians, ambulance drivers, and support staff. Another statistic puts this number at over 12,600.
Canada forecasts 1.9 million infections and 22,000 deaths.
Canadian health officials warn that the country's Covid-19 death toll could reach 11,000-22,000 by the end of the pandemic. The current death toll stands at 435, with 18,447 confirmed cases.
Canada also said it could see between 934,000 and 1.9 million infections until the pandemic ends. Local governments across Canada have shut down all non-essential businesses to prevent the spread of the virus.
In the Netherlands, the number of new infections increased by 1,213, bringing the total to 21,762 on April 9th. The Ministry of Health also reported that the number of deaths rose by 148, to a total of 2,396.
Hungary extends lockdown indefinitely.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced on April 9th that the country would extend its nationwide lockdown indefinitely to prevent the spread of Covid-19, and urged citizens to comply even during the Easter holidays.
To date, Hungary has recorded 980 cases of infection and 66 deaths from the disease. However, the Hungarian government acknowledges that the actual number may be higher as the country is approaching a stage of mass infection.
Finland extends its anti-epidemic measures until May 13th.
On April 9th, the Finnish government confirmed it would extend most COVID-19 containment measures for another month, until May 13th. Previously, the Finnish government had banned gatherings of more than 10 people in public places and closed public services, with restaurants only allowed to offer takeout.
Finland currently has 2,487 confirmed cases and 40 deaths.
Gavi contributes $29 million to poor countries.
On April 9th, Gavi, a global non-profit vaccine alliance, announced it would donate $29 million to the health systems of 13 low-income countries to support their fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Approximately 39% of the initial grant will be spent on personal protective equipment for healthcare workers; the remainder will be invested in testing and disease surveillance.
The countries that will receive the aid include Myanmar, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Afghanistan, Sudan, Zimbabwe, South Sudan, Timor-Leste, Guinea-Bissau, Tajikistan, Bhutan, and Liberia.
