A medical staff takes care of a Covid-19 patient on an ambulance in Hanoi on December 29, 2021. Photo: VnExpress

Vietnam confirms 15,936 new local Covid cases

The Health Ministry announced 15,936 new domestic Covid-19 patients Wednesday in 61 cities and provinces, including three first Omicron cases in the community.

Most of the new cases were detected in Hanoi at 2,909.

It was followed by two central localities: Da Nang with 892 cases and Khanh Hoa with 652 cases.

HCMC recorded the first three Covid-19 patients with the Omicron variant in the community after they came into contact with a person coming from the U.S.

Authorities are quickly tracing contacts to prevent the spread of the variant.

In the past 24 hours, 142 Covid-19 patients have died, including 16 in the southern province of Dong Thap. The average death tally in the last seven days is 164, cited VnExpress.

Since the pandemic started last year, the death toll in Vietnam has climbed to 36,114, or 1.7 percent of all infections.

In the latest wave that hit the country in late April, more than 2.07 million cases have been confirmed and nearly 1.79 million have recovered.

So far, 75.6 percent of the population have received two vaccine doses and 20.7 percent have received the third dose.

First Omicron infections in community reported in HCM City

Three first infections of SARS-CoV-2's Omicron variant have been found in the community in Ho Chi Minh City, the municipal Department of Health announced on January 19.

All three Omicron cases are linked to a Vietnamese woman whose name was given as N.T.N.P., born in 1981 and with an address in ward 17, Binh Thanh district.

P. had previously received three doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, but tested positive for the coronavirus. The genomic sequencing results are not yet available.

P. entered Vietnam on January 7, 2022 after she had a negative PCR test in the US on January 4 on flight number BN5409, which landed at Cam Ranh International Airport in central Khanh Hoa province. She was quarantined in a separate room at a hotel in Nha Trang city.

She was tested for Covid-19 again on January 9, and the results showed negative for the virus.

On the afternoon of January 10, she took a Vietnam Airlines flight (VN1345) to HCM City, and was welcomed by three relatives – a man named K. (born in 1987, residing in Binh Chanh district), a woman named H. (born in 1976, Go Vap district), and a woman named T. (born in 1991, district 11) – at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. P., K. and H. had dinner together at a restaurant then returned home.

On January 13, P. started coughing and had a slight sore throat. The next day, all three relatives showed symptoms and went for medical examinations. Their specimens were sent to Hospital 30/04 for analysis, after the SARS-CoV-2 positive status was confirmed, the hospital forwarded the specimens to the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases for genomic sequencing on January 15.

Covid-19 testing. Photo: VNA

On January 16, Hospital 30/04 also confirmed P. was infected with the coronavirus, according to VNA.

On January 18, the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit at the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases said all three relatives were infected with the Omicron variant, while the results for P. are still pending. All the four patients are in stable health condition.

The HCM City Centre for Disease Control (HCDC) is conducting contact tracing and testing all those who had close contact with the Omicron cases.

HCDC has closely supervised quarantined people entering the country from overseas and performed genomic sequencing of positive Covid-19 test results to detect the Omicron variant.

Community rapid testing will be performed at residential areas with a surge in infections, and genomic sequencing of positive Covid-19 test results will be conducted to detect Omicron variant-infected cases in the community, according to HCDC.

So far, HCM City has reported 30 imported Omicron infections.

Vietnam to facilitate procedures for foreign entrants

Foreign arrivals with valid visas will be allowed to enter Vietnam without having to obtain prior permission from the immigration department and local authorities.

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh has agreed in principle to simplify administrative procedures for those entering Vietnam, the Government Office announced Tuesday.

Accordingly, foreigners that are not tourists can enter Vietnam without having to apply for approval from the Immigration Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and local authorities.

However, those who want to visit Vietnam for tourism purposes will have to continue following all regulations applied to international tourists.

Passengers arrive at HCMC's Tan Son Nhat Airport from Cambodia, January 1, 2022. Photo: Vietnam Airlines

Before the government gives the green light, anyone that wants to enter Vietnam must prepare a list of papers including approvals from the People’s Committee and the Department of Immigration, proof of vaccination, PCR test results and a health insurance certificate for quarantine.

In many cases, it could take weeks to prepare all the papers, reported VnExpress.

For foreigners that still need to obtain a visa, the People’s Committee in cities and provinces should create favorable conditions in case they need to enter Vietnam to work, study, or do charity work.

Vietnam partially reopened regular commercial flights on nine international routes on Jan. 1 to China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Laos, Cambodia, and the U.S.

Once arriving in Vietnam, fully vaccinated people and those who have recovered from Covid-19 will have to self-isolate, either at home, hotels or other facilities, for three days. They will be tested on the third day. If results are negative, they will be required to monitor their health for the next 11 days, free to move about, but required to avoid large gatherings or crowded places.

Arrivals who are not fully vaccinated will be self-isolated for seven days, then be tested on the 3rd and 7th days.

Arrivals must pay for their PRC tests.

Hanoi capital cancels fireworks display on lunar New Year’s Eve

Hanoi will not set off fireworks on lunar New Year’s Eve this year in an effort to focus on the ongoing Covid-19 fight and protect local people’s life.

Mayor Nguyen Ngoc Anh made the announcement at on online meeting on January 19 to review Covid-19 prevention and control measures in the city.

No fireworks display in Hanoi capital this lunar New Year's Eve. Photo: VOV

The city earlier planned to put on a fireworks display on lunar New Year’s Eve at only one venue, and the event would be broadcast live via social media.

During New Year’s Eve more than half a month ago the city also decided to stop letting off fireworks and organizing cultural events, including a countdown party, due to the complex nature of the Covid-19 outbreak, cited VOV.

The Ministry of Health recently recommended that localities not hold fireworks party to ring in the new lunar year as large numbers of Covid-19 cases are recorded daily in localities.

In addition, the new variant, Omicron, is spreading rapidly across the globe, even in Southeast Asia. Vietnam has so far recorded 73 Omicron cases, including 3 locally acquired infections.

Da Nang tops Vietnam's tourism competitiveness rankings

The central city of Da Nang has taken the top position in the Vietnam Tourism Competitiveness index (VTCI), according to the city’s Department of Tourism.

It attributed the result to the city’s strengths in transport and tourism service infrastructure, readiness to apply advanced information and technology as well as environmental sustainability.

The rankings, released on January 18 by the National Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) and the Private Economic Development Research Board, measured 15 tourist destinations across Vietnam based on factors including business environment, infrastructure, sustainable development, natural and cultural resources, according to VOV.

Da Nang gained an overall score of 4.7 points, followed by Quang Ninh, Khanh Hoa, Quang Nam, and Thua Thien-Hue with 4.68, 4.56, 4.55 and 4.52 points, respectively.

Hanoi was ranked sixth and Ho Chi Minh City eighth on the list. The localities that stood at the bottom of the list are Lao Cai, Binh Thuan and Can Tho.

Hanoi ranked first in terms of cultural resources while Lam Dong and Quang Nam got the highest scores in natural resources and price competitiveness, respectively.

Photo: VNA

Nguyen Xuan Binh, deputy director of Da Nang’s Department of Tourism said the ranking will help the local tourism industry continue to improve quality and overcome the shortcomings. In the coming time, Da Nang hopes to resume commercial flights soon, expand tourism space and diversify products to keep tourists stay longer when coming to the central region, he said.

The project on building the VTCI is funded by the European Union Delegation and supported by the Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board. It aims to promote the tourism competitiveness of each locality, contributing to improving the country’s competitiveness in developing tourism economy and future development orientations.

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