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Bringing nearly 300 Vietnamese citizens from Thailand back to Vietnam.
On May 18, 2020, Vietnamese authorities, the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand, Vietnam National Airlines, and Thai authorities coordinated a flight carrying nearly 300 Vietnamese citizens from Thailand back to Vietnam, landing safely in Vietnam. Upon landing, all passengers underwent medical checks and were placed in centralized quarantine in accordance with regulations.
Following the Prime Minister's directives, in the coming period, based on the developments of the pandemic domestically and internationally, the desire of citizens to return home, and the quarantine capacity in localities, Vietnamese authorities, Vietnamese representative offices abroad, and domestic airlines will continue to operate flights to bring citizens back home.
33 days without community transmission.
Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi indicate that four more cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been recorded. These include two Vietnam Airlines flight attendants on flight VN0062 from Russia to Van Don on May 13th and two passengers on flight VN001 from the United States to Noi Bai International Airport on May 16th. All positive cases were isolated upon entry and pose no risk of community transmission.
The National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control announced that from 6:00 AM on April 16th to 6:00 AM on May 19th, Vietnam has gone 33 days without any community transmission cases.
Automatic extension of temporary residence permits for foreigners in Vietnam.
According to an announcement dated May 18th from the Immigration Department (Ministry of Public Security), foreign citizens who entered Vietnam under visa exemption, electronic visas, or tourist visas from March 1st, 2020 to the present will have their temporary residence automatically extended until June 30th, 2020. These individuals can leave the country during this period without having to go through the temporary residence extension procedure.
For those who entered the country before March 1, 2020, if they can prove they were stranded due to the Covid-19 pandemic, confirmed by a diplomatic representative through an official note (with a Vietnamese translation) or a written confirmation from a competent Vietnamese authority regarding quarantine, Covid-19 treatment, or other force majeure reasons, they may also be considered for "automatic extension of temporary residence" until June 30, 2020.
Nearly 4.9 million people have contracted COVID-19 globally.
According to data from worldometers.info, as of 10:00 AM on May 19th, the world has recorded 4,891,330 cases of acute respiratory disease Covid-19, including more than 320,000 deaths and 1,907,422 recoveries.
The US remains the country with the highest number of patients in the world, with over 1.5 million cases and more than 91,000 deaths.
Nearly 90% of COVID-19 patients in South Korea have recovered.
According to statistics from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), as of the morning of May 19th, South Korea recorded only 13 new cases of Covid-19, marking the fourth consecutive day with fewer than 20 cases. Currently, South Korea has a total of 11,078 confirmed cases, with 9,938 recoveries (89.7%).
Due to concerns about a second wave of COVID-19 infections, South Korean authorities have tightened quarantine monitoring regulations for patients since mid-April. However, according to epidemiological investigations of reinfection cases and contacts, no new infections have been reported from these cases so far.
Over 100 million Chinese citizens are under lockdown again.
Approximately 108 million people in northeastern China have been placed under lockdown again due to the risk of a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a Bloomberg report on May 18. The Shulan city government in Jilin province also announced on the same day that it would impose the strictest lockdown measures to control the virus.
As of May 18th, the total number of people infected with the virus in Jilin province was 127.
Chinese health officials are still unsure how the new outbreak started, but they suspect that those infected may have been in contact with people returning from Russia, one of Europe's Covid-19 hotspots.
South Sudan's Vice President Riek Machar has tested positive for Covid-19.
On May 18, South Sudan's First Vice President, former rebel leader Riek Machar, tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. His wife, Angelina Teny, who is also the Minister of Defence, along with several office staff and bodyguards, also contracted the disease.
Vice President Machar announced he will self-isolate at his home for the next 14 days.
To date, South Sudan has recorded 339 cases of Covid-19, with 6 deaths. Although the number of cases is low compared to other countries in the region, public opinion suggests that the actual number may be higher due to the limited resources for detecting the disease in South Sudan – with only 3,908 tests conducted.
He provided an update on the official symptoms of COVID-19.
In a recent statement, top UK health officials said that, starting May 18th, individuals must self-isolate if they experience a persistent cough, fever, or new loss of smell. The statement clarified that loss of smell is the loss or alteration of the normal ability to smell, and it can affect taste, as these two senses are closely related.
A study by the University of London, published last week, showed that people who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus were three times more likely to lose their sense of smell and taste compared to those who tested negative.
According to the statistics website worldometers.info, as of now, the UK has recorded 243,695 cases of Covid-19, including 34,636 deaths.
The European Medicines Agency gives the "green light" for the use of remdesivir.
On May 18, Guido Rasi, Director of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), stated that in the coming days, the agency may initially authorize the use of the antiviral drug Remdesivir, manufactured by the American pharmaceutical company Gilead, in the treatment of patients with acute respiratory illness Covid-19.
Speaking at a session of the European Parliament in Brussels, Rasi left open the possibility that the EMA would grant market approval for the drug in the coming days, but with conditions attached.
This drug was originally developed to treat the Ebola virus.
To date, two countries have authorized the use of Remdesivir for severe COVID-19 cases: the United States and Japan. Remdesivir is an injectable drug and one of the first experimental drugs in treatment protocols for COVID-19 patients.
"Promising results" in COVID-19 vaccine trials in the US.
Moderna, a biotechnology company based in Boston, USA, said its experimental Covid-19 vaccine has shown "great promise" in initial trials.
In an announcement on May 18th, Moderna stated that since mid-March, experts have been conducting the first clinical trial of their vaccine, mRNA-1273. In the phase 1 study, participants received three injections of the vaccine at different dosages. The results showed that increasing the dosage led to an increase in antigen levels, meaning the ability to generate an immune response in the body. The vaccine was also determined to be safe and well-tolerated. The company plans to move mRNA-1273 into phase two trials starting in July.
On March 15th, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Solidarity Fund, which brings together international clinical trial programs to help find effective treatments. To date, more than 90 companies and research organizations worldwide have joined the fund, with at least four vaccine trials already conducted on animals, including Moderna's mRNA-1273 vaccine.
