With over 4 million COVID-19 cases worldwide, South Korea is tightening its preventative measures again.

Vietnam has gone 24 days without any community transmission cases.

As of 6:00 AM on May 10th, the Ministry of Health reported no new positive cases of Covid-19, marking the 24th 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 4 who have tested negative once and 13 who have tested negative two or more times.

One patient in critical condition is a British pilot. Today, the Treatment Subcommittee of the Ministry of Health is expected to hold an inter-hospital consultation to assess the possibility of a lung transplant for this patient.

Many European countries remain hotspots for the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Russia's COVID-19 Task Force, the country continues to record a high number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the past 24 hours, with 10,817 cases across 84 federal states, bringing the total number of infected people to 198,676. At the same time, the Ministry of Health recorded an additional 104 deaths in the past 24 hours, raising the total number of COVID-19 fatalities to 1,827. Moscow remains the region with the highest number of SARS-CoV-2 infections reported today.

According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, the country recorded 515 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of patients to 14,710. In the past day, Ukraine also reported 15 Covid-19 deaths, raising the total death toll to 376.

In Spain, the largest outbreak center in Europe, 2,666 new cases and 179 new deaths were confirmed on May 9th, bringing the total number of infections and deaths in the country to 262,783 and 26,478 respectively, ranking only behind the US, UK, and Italy.

In the UK, the number of deaths from Covid-19 increased by 346 in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths to 31,587. Airlines UK, representing several UK airlines, announced on May 9th that they will implement a 14-day quarantine requirement for any international passengers entering the UK from June onwards.

By the morning of May 10th, the number of deaths due to Covid-19 in France had reached 26,310 (an increase of 80 in the past 24 hours). The French Ministry of Health announced that 100 million face masks would be available to the public by May 11th, along with 50 million disposable masks for businesses and local authorities. Those not wearing masks on public transport will be fined 135 euros.

The Italian Civil Protection Agency reported 1,083 new cases of Covid-19 on May 9th, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 218,268. Silvio Brusaferro, president of the Italian Higher Institute of Health (ISS), stated that the curve is shrinking, a positive sign, even in the epicenter of Lombardy. However, he also emphasized that while this trend is positive, complacency is unacceptable. The impact of reopening, which began on May 4th, will become clearer in the coming days.

Germans protest against lockdown.

Thousands of Germans continued to take to the streets in the capital Berlin and several other major cities to protest the social distancing measures still in place in Germany to curb the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to figures released by German police, the largest protest on the afternoon of May 9th took place in Stuttgart, the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany, with approximately 3,000 people gathered. In Munich, the capital of Bavaria in the south, around 2,000-3,000 people also took to the streets. Meanwhile, in Berlin, the number of protesters was lower, only a few hundred, concentrated in Alexanderplatz square and in front of the German Federal Parliament building. Several clashes occurred between the protesters and police, forcing German police to arrest a number of unruly individuals.

This marks the fifth consecutive weekend of anti-lockdown protests in Germany, despite the federal and state governments lifting numerous restrictions in recent days. Currently, all shops in Germany have reopened, and professional football leagues will resume play next week, albeit without spectators. The German authorities have also permitted protests, but with restrictions on the number of participants, ranging from 50 to 80 people depending on the state.

However, the protests show that Germans are starting to tire of being stuck at home for too long. According to a recent poll, although two-thirds of Germans surveyed still support social distancing measures, that number has dropped sharply from 92% more than a month ago.

This has caused concern among German health officials. On May 9th, the German Federal Service for Disease Control, the Robert Koch Institute, announced figures showing that the Sars-CoV-2 infection rate in Germany had risen again to 1.1, compared to 0.65-0.7 the previous week. Significantly, Germany has just discovered several new outbreaks at meat processing facilities in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The US recorded 20,938 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours.

The United States, the country most severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, has recorded a total of 1,342,723 cases, including 79,962 deaths.

Meanwhile, the U.S. National Agency for Mental Health has called on the federal government to provide more funding so that the agency can expand its services to support people suffering from mental health trauma due to lockdowns and social distancing. This appeal comes after a recently published study showed that the number of Americans at risk of suicide and addiction to drugs, alcohol, etc., as a result of Covid-19 could reach 150,000.

Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, noted that there have been alarming signs across the United States, such as rising rates of drug abuse, domestic violence, and child abuse.

Brazil remains the epicenter of the pandemic in South America.

Brazil's Ministry of Health announced that the country recorded 3,209 new cases of Covid-19 and 121 deaths in the past 24 hours. The government of São Paulo state has decided to extend the mandatory social distancing order to prevent the spread of Covid-19 until May 31st. Accordingly, only essential services will be allowed to continue operating. São Paulo is currently the epicenter of the Covid-19 outbreak in Brazil.

According to data from the Paraguayan Ministry of Health, more than half of the 689 SARS-CoV-2 cases in Paraguay were people who had entered the country from Brazil. Most of those infected with Covid-19 in Paraguay are quarantined in military-run shelters.

As of May 9th, Peru had recorded 65,015 positive cases of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including 1,814 deaths.

The epidemic situation in South Asia is becoming increasingly complex.

According to India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the number of Covid-19 infections in the country has increased by over 3,300 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 60,808. India recorded 116 Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, raising the total number of deaths in the country to 2,101.

Pakistan's Ministry of Health announced on May 9th that the number of COVID-19 cases in the country had reached 28,763. According to official statistics, Pakistan has recorded a total of 636 deaths due to COVID-19. These figures were released as Pakistan announced a relaxation of lockdown restrictions starting May 9th in most parts of the country.

Senior Bangladesh Health Ministry official Nasima Sultana announced on May 9th that the country recorded 636 new Covid-19 cases and 8 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases and deaths in the country to 13,770 and 214 respectively.

South Korea unexpectedly tightens pandemic prevention measures again.

On May 9th, the Mayor of Seoul, South Korea, issued an administrative order requiring all bars, discos, and nightclubs throughout the city to temporarily cease operations due to the risk of a new SARS-CoV-2 virus outbreak. Speaking to reporters that day, Mayor Park Won-soon emphasized, "This administrative order is effective immediately." The order remains legally binding until further notice from the capital.

This is a situational measure that the city of Seoul had to implement after dozens of people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus due to close contact with a 29-year-old male patient confirmed in the Itaewon neighborhood last week. An estimated 1,500 people are classified as F1 contacts due to close contact with this young man. Notably, South Korean health authorities have not yet determined the source of infection for this 29-year-old patient, as he has no history of overseas travel and has not been confirmed to have had contact with any other COVID-19 patients.

According to statistics released by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) on the morning of May 9th, South Korea recorded 18 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection (17 of which were linked to the Itaewon cluster), bringing the total number of infections to 10,840.

More than 1,800 people have died from Covid-19 in Southeast Asia.

As of May 9th, Southeast Asia had recorded a total of 57,080 cases of Covid-19, including 1,854 deaths.

Regarding the number of Covid-19 cases, Singapore remains the country with the highest number of cases in Southeast Asia with 22,469. Following closely behind are Indonesia with 13,654 cases and the Philippines with 10,610 cases. Malaysia and Thailand are in the group with a medium number of cases within ASEAN. Meanwhile, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam are among the countries with the lowest number of Covid-19 cases in the bloc (below 300 cases).

Regarding deaths, Cambodia, Laos, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam have not recorded any deaths from Covid-19. Meanwhile, Indonesia has had 959 deaths, the highest among ASEAN countries.

Ha Le