Vietnam: 12 days without new cases in the community
As of this morning, Vietnam has had no new cases of Covid-19. There are currently 6 cases that have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 twice or more and 8 cases that have tested negative for the virus once.
Since 6am on April 16, Vietnam has had no community transmission cases. The total number of cases remains at 270, of which 130 are imported.
The total number of cases cured and discharged from hospital is 222, the remaining 48 people are being treated at 8 medical facilities, including 3 suspected positive cases: patient 74 (in Phu Tho), patients 207 and 224 (in Ho Chi Minh City). These cases have been taken to specialized Covid-19 treatment hospitals for further monitoring.
Hanoi plans to ban non-essential stores from opening before 9am
At the meeting of the Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on the afternoon of April 27, experts and leaders of Hanoi assessed that the city is at risk of spreading the epidemic due to the high density of vehicles during morning rush hours; especially when vehicles stop at red lights, it is impossible to ensure a distance of 1 meter.
To ensure epidemic prevention, Hanoi plans to regulate that stores that are not in the essential goods category such as fashion, cosmetics, etc. can only open from 9am and have no limit on closing hours in the evening. It is expected that the city will implement the above solution until December 31, 2020, then summarize to consider the effectiveness of social distancing and reducing traffic congestion.
Japan approves use of Ebola drug to treat coronavirus
The Japanese Prime Minister said the government plans to soon approve the use of the antiviral drug Remdesivir in the treatment of Covid-19 patients.
Remdesivir, developed by the US pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, was originally developed to treat Ebola. An international team of scientists has conducted clinical trials of Remdesivir in some Covid-19 patients with severe symptoms and is expected to announce the results this month.
On April 27, the Japanese Prime Minister also announced that Japan will add 14 more countries to the list of countries temporarily banning foreign nationals from entering. The ban will take effect from April 29.
Thailand bans flights until end of May
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand on April 27 decided to extend the ban on all flights to the country until the end of May, even though the number of Covid-19 cases is showing signs of decreasing.
On April 27, for the first time, Thailand recorded no community infections in the capital Bangkok.
The extension will affect plans by international airlines to resume commercial flights to Thailand. State aircraft, military aircraft, planes forced to make emergency landings, and flights carrying relief, medical supplies, humanitarian aid, repatriation of Thais and cargo are not affected.
More countries ease lockdown measures
In Iran - a "hot spot" of the Covid-19 epidemic in the Middle East, the Ministry of Health announced that the country has recorded 5,806 deaths, an increase of 96 cases compared to the previous day. Meanwhile, the number of new infections recorded was 991 cases, the first increase of less than 1,000 cases in more than a month.
Iran has begun to ease restrictions, allowing shops to gradually reopen and lifting travel restrictions within the country from April 11. However, schools, mosques, cinemas and other public places remain closed.
Currently, the total number of diagnosed Covid-19 cases in Iran is 91,472 people.
In Spain, according to updated data released by the Ministry of Health on April 27, the country has had 100,875 patients recover, an increase of 2,144 people. Meanwhile, the number of deaths also increased by 331 cases, to 23,521 cases. In addition, Spain also detected 1,831 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the total number of infected cases to 209,465.
The country is gradually easing the lockdown measures imposed to prevent the spread of the disease, with factories and companies starting to reopen. In addition, on April 26, for the first time in six weeks, Spanish children were allowed out of their homes for a walk.
In another context, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared victory in the fight to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, when the country recorded only 1 new infection on April 27.
New Zealand has begun to ease lockdown measures, allowing some businesses to reopen and people to go fishing and surfing for the first time in more than a month, according to Reuters news agency.
However, many social distancing measures remain in place and many shops and restaurants will remain closed. "We are opening up the economy, not people's social lives," Ms Ardern said.
Russia's number of cases has surpassed China's
Russian authorities confirmed that the number of Covid-19 infections on April 27 had reached 87,147, higher than the 82,830 officially announced by China. However, the number of deaths in Russia was lower at 794, compared to 4,633 in China.
To limit the risk of infection at more than 1,000 power plants in Russia, including nuclear plants, more than 200,000 employees have been tested for coronavirus, according to the Russian Energy Ministry.
UK to provide £60,000 for each health worker who dies on duty
In an effort to share the hardship and stabilize life after the pandemic, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that each family of a medical worker who died from Covid-19 will receive at least 60,000 pounds in support (about 74,400 USD).
The health workers include frontline doctors, nurses and those who work as cleaners and porters in Covid-19 hospitals but unfortunately contracted the disease and died. At least 98 such cases have been recorded in the UK.
British citizens are allowed to question the government about the epidemic.
The British government said it will allow people to question ministers, science and health officials about the Covid-19 pandemic, amid falling public confidence.
According to Reuters, anyone over the age of 18 can submit a question on the government website. Questions will be considered mid-day on the day of the press conference. Only one question will be selected each day and if selected, the questioner will be contacted by 3 p.m.
The British government has recently received much criticism from the opposition and businesses for its delay in releasing plans to ease economic and social lockdowns.
In a recent poll of over 2,000 British citizens, 63% of respondents said the Government was not acting quickly enough to prevent the spread of the disease.
France distributes 27 million masks/week to people
According to French Deputy Finance Minister Agnes-Pannier Runacher, the shortage of masks in the country has basically been resolved thanks to increased imports and boosted production.
Runacher aims to distribute at least 27 million masks a week to the public, which will be clearly marked with the number of times they can be washed and reused. France is currently aiming to produce 20 million masks a week by the end of May, focusing on the types needed by health workers, such as N95s.
Germany: requires people to wear masks, does not support early relaxation of social distancing
In Germany, each state sets its own local rules and regulations. However, as of April 27, almost all people across the country have been required to wear masks in public places to prevent the Covid-19 epidemic.
Also on April 27, a German government spokesman said the German Federal Government will not soon discuss easing social distancing measures in the current context of the Covid-19 epidemic.
Discussing next steps later this month would be “too early” to effectively assess the impact of the easing measures so far, the spokesman said.
US President calls for consideration of reopening schools
On April 27, US President Donald Trump called on some state governors to consider reopening schools for the remainder of the school year, because according to him, this is the wish of many Americans.
As of the morning of April 28, the US recorded 1,010,507 cases of Covid-19 infection.
President Trump's call comes as White House guidelines for reopening economic sectors recommend that schools remain closed until individual states pass criteria for new reported cases and reinfections over at least 14 days.
Argentina bans flights until the end of September
Argentina's National Civil Aviation Administration on April 27 ordered airlines to stop selling all tickets to and from the country until the end of September. The ban also applies to domestic flights. The agency affirmed that the ban is understandable and reasonable to deal with Covid-19.
According to Reuters, many countries in South America, such as Ecuador, Peru and Colombia, have banned all commercial flights for the time being, but no country has extended the ban as far as Argentina.
Number of COVID-19 cases in Africa surpasses 33,000
As of the morning of April 28, the total number of Covid-19 cases in Africa has reached 33,839, including 1,464 deaths. The epidemic has now appeared in 52/55 countries on the continent.
Treatment for infected people in African countries has also achieved certain results when more than 10,500 people have fully recovered.
South Africa remains the country with the highest number of infections in Africa
WHO: Pandemic disrupts routine health services
Speaking at a press conference late on April 27, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus worried that the Covid-19 pandemic was "far from over" and was disrupting other routine health services.
Tedros said the world could prevent a second wave with the right actions. But he also worried that the pandemic was hitting children hardest. Although Covid-19 cases and deaths among children are low, the pandemic has disrupted routine immunization programs.
“That puts them at higher risk of dying from vaccine-preventable diseases,” Mr. Tedros argued.
