Vietnam continues to have no new infections
According to the Ministry of Health's 6 a.m. news bulletin on April 6, this is the second consecutive morning that Vietnam has recorded no new Covid-19 cases.
To date, the total number of cases remains at 241 (150 from abroad; 91 secondary infections, of which 61 are from domestic outbreaks). On April 5, the country recorded only one new case.
Also on April 5, a foreign patient treated at Quang Nam Central General Hospital was announced to be cured, bringing the number of cured/discharged cases in Vietnam to 91.
Vietnam Airlines limits the number of passengers per flight to Ho Chi Minh City
In compliance with the request of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, from April 6-15, 2020, Vietnam Airlines limits the number of passengers on flights to Ho Chi Minh City: no more than 180 passengers on Boeing 787 or Airbus A350 and no more than 120 passengers on Airbus A321.
The regulation was issued to ensure that the number of passengers arriving at Tan Son Nhat Airport is within the city's capacity to receive and take Covid-19 test samples.
Currently, all passengers on flights to Tan Son Nhat domestic terminal are sampled and tested by authorities.
Number of new infections in South Korea for at least 3 weeks
According to South Korea's Yonhap news agency, on April 5, the country recorded only 47 new infections - the lowest number in more than 3 weeks. Previously, the number of new infections in South Korea often fluctuated around 100.
The total number of infections in South Korea to date is 10,284, with 183 deaths. On April 5, the Government decided to extend the period of social distancing until April 19.
Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines add hundreds of infections
On April 5, Singapore's Ministry of Health confirmed 120 new Covid-19 cases, the highest number of new cases in a day ever and a sharp increase compared to 75 cases on April 4.
The island nation has so far recorded 1,309 cases and six deaths.
On the same day, the Malaysian Ministry of Health announced that it had recorded 179 new cases of coronavirus infection in the country, bringing the total number of infections to 3,662, including 61 deaths. Of the new infections, 37 were related to people returning from Italy.
In the Philippines, the number of infections rose to 3,246 after 152 new cases were reported. The total number of deaths also rose to 152, the highest in Southeast Asia.
Tokyo considers turning Olympic village into field hospital
On April 4, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said she was considering turning part of the 15,000-bed Olympic village into a field hospital to treat Covid-19 patients, while the place is vacant because of the postponement of the Olympics.
According to Ms. Koike, this is just one solution to deal with the epidemic. The government is also considering spending money to buy a hotel and turn it into a hospital.
Japan plans to declare a state of emergency
On April 6, a Japanese government official said that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to declare a state of emergency due to the Covid-19 epidemic in the country, in the context of the rapid increase in the number of infections in Tokyo and many other major cities in Japan.
The proclamation, based on a recently amended law, will empower local authorities to order people to stay at home and order the closure of schools and other establishments.
Poor Indians get free COVID-19 check-ups and treatment
On April 5, The Hindu reported that India has decided to provide free testing and treatment for patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus for those who are beneficiaries of the Ayushman Bharat health program for the poor.
According to the decision taken on the same day by the Government of India, more than 500 million people under the Ayushman Bharat health scheme will be able to get tested and treated even at private hospitals with timely and standard medical conditions.
The number of deaths has decreased in France, Italy and Spain.
According to the French Health Minister, on April 5, the number of deaths due to Covid-19 in France decreased within 24 hours. Specifically, France recorded 357 deaths in hospitals, lower than the number of 441 people the previous day.
On the same day, France had 748 new cases of coronavirus hospitalized. The current total number of infections in France is 92,839 cases.
Spain, the country most affected by the epidemic, had 674 deaths from Covid-19 on April 5, this is a decrease compared to 3 days before.
The total number of virus infections in Spain is 130,759 and the total number of deaths is 12,418 people.
Italy recorded the lowest number of deaths from the Covid-19 epidemic in more than 2 weeks and the number of people in intensive care also decreased for 2 consecutive days.
On April 5, Italy had 525 deaths from Covid-19, the third consecutive day of decreasing deaths. The number of new infections decreased to 4,316 cases.
Italy currently has 128,948 infections and 15,887 deaths.
With more than 5,936 cases recorded in the past 24 hours (down from 6,082 and 6,174 the previous two days), the number of new infections in Germany fell for the third consecutive day. However, the number of deaths increased by 184 to a total of 1,342, according to the Robert Koch Institute.
Norway sends medical team to support Italy in fighting the epidemic
The Norwegian government announced on April 5 that it will send a team of medical and logistical staff to the Italian region of Lombardy to support the fight against the epidemic, after Lombardy health authorities requested international assistance on March 31. The operation is expected to last four weeks.
The Norwegian support team includes 20-25 doctors, nurses and logistics staff, who have done similar work during the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the measles outbreak in Samoa in recent years.
Norwegian Health Minister Bent Hoeie said that "European solidarity is not just a rhetoric and now needs to be demonstrated in practice." Notably, Norway is not a member of the European Union.
The US has stockpiled about 29 million doses of anti-malarial drugs to treat Covid-19.
President Donald Trump said the US has stockpiled about 29 million doses of Hydroxychloroquine (anti-malaria drug) to treat Covid-19 patients. He continued to praise the drug and affirmed its effectiveness. He also expressed hope that the US will reduce the level of the crisis caused by the epidemic in some hot spots in the country.
New York State is now the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States, but on April 5, for the first time in a week, the number of deaths from the Covid-19 epidemic decreased slightly compared to the previous day. However, the state still had 600 deaths and more than 7,300 new infections.
Some South American countries predict bad conditions
On April 5, Brazil had 1,166 new cases of coronavirus and 41 deaths. Brazil has recorded a total of 11,130 positive cases of the new coronavirus and 486 deaths.
Brazil's Health Ministry warned that the capital Brasilia and the states of Ceara, Amazonas, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo could move from a community transmission phase to an uncontrolled outbreak phase because these areas have the highest infection rates.
According to Reuters news agency, the Mexican Ministry of Health predicts that the number of cases and deaths from Covid-19 will continue to increase in the following days and the peak of the epidemic in Mexico will occur in late April and early May.
To date, Mexico has confirmed 2,143 cases of Covid-19 with 94 deaths.
Panama's Ministry of Health on April 5 recorded 187 more cases of coronavirus infection in the country, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 1,988 cases.
