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540 Vietnamese citizens return home from the US and Europe.
On May 15th and 16th, more than 340 Vietnamese citizens were brought back to the country on a flight from Washington DC (USA); nearly 200 Vietnamese citizens from several European countries were also safely repatriated. Immediately upon arrival at Noi Bai International Airport, all passengers and crew members underwent medical monitoring and centralized quarantine in accordance with regulations.
In the past 12 hours (since 6:00 AM on May 16th), Vietnam has recorded 4 new positive cases of SARS-CoV-2. All of these positive cases are individuals returning from abroad, who were quarantined upon entry and pose no risk of community transmission. To date, Vietnam has recorded 318 cases of Covid-19.
Positive signs from Southeast Asia
On May 16th, Thailand reported no new cases or deaths from the pandemic, as the country began reopening businesses and easing restrictions.
On the same day, Thailand decided to remove South Korea, China, Hong Kong, and Macau from the list of areas affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, as the disease situation was well controlled in these regions.
Currently, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Indonesia remain on the list of affected areas despite having met some of the criteria for being included.
To date, Thailand has recorded a total of 3,025 cases and 56 deaths due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Also on May 16th, the Cambodian Ministry of Health announced that the country's last COVID-19 patient had recovered and been discharged from the hospital. Although there are no longer any COVID-19 cases, the Cambodian Ministry of Health still advises the public to remain cautious. Cambodia has recorded a total of 122 virus infections and no deaths.
Meanwhile, other countries in Southeast Asia such as Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia continue to report new cases.
The last time Cambodia recorded a new case was on April 12th.
Starting on May 16th, the Philippines began easing lockdown restrictions in Manila, the epicenter of the outbreak, and many other major cities gradually restarted economic activities after a period of stagnation due to quarantine measures.
The number of cases in India has surpassed that in China.
On May 16, the Indian government announced that the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country had reached 85,940, surpassing China's total of 82,941 cases for the first time, where the outbreak originated.
Since May 7th, the world's second most populous country has been recording an average of over 3,000 new cases per day. While continuing the strict nationwide lockdown, which was imposed on March 25th, the Indian government is also gradually allowing the resumption of economic activities. Therefore, the number of new cases is predicted to continue to rise.
The US resumes partial funding for the WHO.
Fox News reported late on May 15th, citing a draft letter sent to the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), that the Trump administration has agreed to partially re-fund the WHO.
"Despite its shortcomings, I believe the WHO still has enormous potential and I want to see it live up to that potential, especially in the context of the current global crisis," a representative for Donald Trump said.
Earlier, on April 14, Mr. Trump announced that the US would temporarily suspend funding to the WHO to "conduct an assessment of the WHO's role in the mismanagement and concealment of the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic."
The number of coronavirus infections in the US has exceeded 1.5 million.
The US recorded over 1,500 more deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 88,424, out of nearly 1,505,250 confirmed cases. The US remains the world's largest epicenter of the pandemic and also has the highest number of deaths.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that its latest Covid-19 predictive models indicate the number of deaths in the country will surpass 100,000 by June 1st.
New York, the state hardest hit by Covid-19 in the US, said that the majority of new infections were recorded among people who left their homes to buy necessities, exercise, or socialize, rather than employees in essential jobs as previously thought.
Just one week after launching Phase 1 of its reopening plan, North Carolina continues to record high numbers of new COVID-19 infections.
Donald Trump announces a "lightning-fast campaign" to develop a COVID-19 vaccine.
On May 15, US President Donald Trump announced details of a "lightning-fast campaign" to successfully develop a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of this year, even as experts warned that such a breakthrough could take more than 18 months.
"This is a massive effort in terms of science, industry, and logistics, unlike anything our country has seen since the Manhattan Project," Trump emphasized.
Donald Trump speaks at the White House about the rapid "Warp Speed" campaign.
President Trump also stated that the government will invest in all potential vaccine candidates, and there are currently 14 candidates on the list. Simultaneously, the US military will work with other countries to develop models for regulating and mobilizing resources for distribution as soon as a vaccine becomes available.
The Spanish Prime Minister wants to extend the state of emergency.
"The government will ask Parliament to approve an extension of the state of emergency. This will be the final phase of the emergency and will continue until normalcy is restored. Therefore, it will last approximately one month instead of 15 days," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on television on May 16.
The nationwide lockdown in Spain has been extended four times.
Spain has entered the first phase of its lockdown easing plan to return to normalcy, expected to be completed by the end of June. If approved by Parliament, Spain's nationwide state of emergency will last until the end of June instead of May 24th as it is currently.
Brazil's health minister resigns due to disagreements over how to handle the pandemic.
On May 15, Brazil's Health Minister, Nelson Teich, resigned due to disagreements with President Jair Bolsonaro on how to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to AFP, Teich and President Bolsonaro reportedly disagreed on the use of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19 patients. President Bolsonaro praised the drug as a promising treatment, despite numerous studies questioning its effectiveness and warning about its side effects.
Nelson Teich (left) has been Brazil's Minister of Health for less than a month.
Earlier, Teich's predecessor, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, also resigned on April 16 after disagreements with President Bolsonaro over how to handle the Covid-19 pandemic. The resignation of the second Health Minister in less than a month has sparked protests against the government in Rio de Janeiro.
Italy passed a decree to reopen from May 18th.
After more than two months of nationwide lockdown, on May 16th, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that bars, restaurants, hair salons, beauty parlors, team sports events, museums, and other venues would reopen from May 18th.
Accordingly, from May 18th, Italian citizens can move freely within their region without needing to self-certify the reason for their travel, but must maintain a safe distance of 1 meter. Those who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 or have similar symptoms are not allowed to leave their homes.
Gyms and swimming pools will reopen from May 25th, and cinemas from June 15th. Free movement between regions, as well as allowing citizens from European countries to enter Italy, will begin on June 3rd.
New infections decrease, but deaths increase in Russia.
On May 16, the Russian Federation recorded an additional 9,200 cases of the virus, bringing the total number of infected people to 272,043. This is the lowest number of new daily infections since May 2. However, the number of deaths in Russia increased by 119 to 2,537. This is also the highest number of daily deaths recorded to date.
WHO investigates unusual inflammatory syndrome in children.
The WHO says it is investigating a potential link between the Covid-19 pandemic and a rare inflammatory syndrome that is causing illness and even death in many children in Europe and the US. Speaking at an online press conference, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said preliminary reports suggest that the multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children may be linked to Covid-19.
To date, European and American countries have recorded hundreds of such rare cases in children. In the latest development, France announced that a 9-year-old boy who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus has died from the new syndrome. Previously, a child had died in the UK.
The syndrome has affected 230 children in Europe.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has had the worst impact on the elderly and those with chronic illnesses, reports of the syndrome in young children have raised concerns that it may affect younger people more significantly than initially thought.
