Healthcare workers take Covid-19 testing samples. Photo: Ministry of Health

Covid-19: More than 94,000 new cases recorded in single day

Vietnam’s daily count of coronavirus surpassed the 90,000 case mark on February 28, hitting an all-time high of 94,385, the Ministry of Health reported in its coronavirus update at 6.00 p.m.

The newly detected infections, recorded in 61 cities and provinces nationwide, marked an increase of 7,410 cases compared to the previous day.

Of the total, 70% were diagnosed in the community, nine tested positive upon returning from overseas, and the remainder were detected in the lockdown or quarantine areas.

Like previous days, February 22 saw most of the cases (more than 71,000) reported in the north. Official data from the Ministry of Health show Hanoi capital topped localities in infection number, registering 12,850 cases. The city has suspended face-to-face learning for students of various grades amid Covid-19 fears in the community.

Hanoi was followed by Quang Ninh that reported 9,105 new cases, Bac Ninh 3,572, Hung Yen 3,309, and Lao Cai 3,233. Quang Ninh also registered to add 28,095 cases recorded in the past few days to the national database.

Elsewhere, 3,935 more cases were announced in Nghe An alone, the highest figure in the central locality.

The same day, the Ministry of Health also announced an additional 27,039 recoveries and 108 more coronavirus related deaths in localities across the country, according to VOV.

As of 6 p.m. on February 28, Vietnam has detected 4,443,485 Covid-19 cases since the start of the outbreak, ranking 30th out of 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Of the infected patients, 2,438,951 have been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from the disease, and 40,252 patients have died of the virus.

Approximately193.6 million vaccine doses have been administered nationwide, with over 75 million people getting their second shot and more than 38 million people receiving their additional shot/booster jab.

Vietnam determined to successfully host SEA Games 31: official

Hanoi is determined to successfully host the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31), which is not merely a sport event but a chance for regional countries to promote their culture and tourism, said Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Pham Anh Tuan.

Speaking at an international press conference in Hanoi on February 28, which was held in both in-person and online formats with the participation of representatives from the embassies of ASEAN countries in Hanoi as well as domestic and foreign reporters, Tuan said that the regional sporting event provides a good chance for any host country to show its responsibility to the international community and its hospitality and wish to make contributions to the ASEAN development.

An overview of the press conference. Photo: VNA

According to the Organizing Board, the SEA Games 31 will take place from May 12-23. This is the second time that Vietnam has hosted the event.

At the conference, representatives from the Information-Communications Sub-Committee announced the SEA Games 31’s logo, official song, the main press centre and press facilities at competition venues along with services for the press, as well as the official website and fanpage of the event.

Meanwhile, the Medical Sub-Committee highlighted regulations on medical and doping checks as well as Covid-19 prevention and control measures, cited VNA.

Vice Director of the Vietnam Administration of Sport Le Thi Hoang Yen told participants about the accommodation and means of transport for athletes. She said that a Torch Relay ceremony will be held 31 days before the opening day, departing from northern Phu Tho province, going through 12 provinces and ending in Hanoi.

Reporters hoping to cover the SEA Games 31 can register from March 15 through a link on the event’s official website.

The Organizing Board said that it will give best support to the press in getting visa to enter Vietnam with no limitation in the number of reporters.

Airlines asked to make plans to repatriate Vietnamese citizens from Ukraine

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has asked domestic airlines to prepare resources and set out plans to repatriate Vietnamese citizens in Ukraine.

The carriers should report the plans to the CAAV before March 2, the agency said in a recent document, saying it will inform the airlines about the conduct of the repatriation flights following instructions of the Government and the Ministry of Transport.

Bamboo Airways said it has sketched out plans to bring Vietnamese citizens back from Ukraine right after it was assigned by the Government and ministries and agencies, especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Transport and the CAAV, following the eruption of the armed conflict in Ukraine, NDO reported.

Airlines asked to make plans to repatriate Vietnamese citizens from Ukraine. Photo: NDO

On February 26, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also signed a dispatch on the protection of Vietnamese citizens and legal entities in Ukraine.

The dispatch, sent to ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies and agencies under the Government, and Chairpersons of People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities, said since February 24, the armed conflict in Ukraine has spread in a fast and complicated manner, directly threatening the life safety and assets of people and businesses, including that of around 7,000 Vietnamese living in Ukraine, mainly in Kharkiv, Odesa and Kyiv.

In such a situation, one of the top concerns of the Party, State, Government and Prime Minister is to ensure the highest security and safety of lives, assets and legitimate interests of Vietnamese citizens and legal entities in Ukraine and related areas, said the document.

Vietnam holds crucial position as part of global supply chain

A number of large financial institutions and foreign media agencies have agreed that the Vietnamese economy is on track to recover from the negative impact caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fitch Ratings is among the leading organizations to hold the most optimistic forecast that the Vietnamese economy is likely to grow by 7.9% this year. In its recent report, Fitch outlined that Vietnamese economic recovery is set to gather momentum in the year ahead, particularly as domestic demand rebounds and export performance remains strong.

Major Japanese media outlets such as NHK, Nikkei, Yahoo Japan, and JiJi News have reported on the Vietnamese Government’s decision to reopen all borders to international tourism as of March 15. They noted that the decision indicates the leadership’s strong resolve to spur further economic recovery coming off the back of its successful vaccine rollout and high inoculation coverage.

Hiroyuki Moribe, director of the Vietnam Economic Research Institute in Japan, stated that the Vietnamese Government has prioritized post-Covid economic recovery by adopting a policy which will see borders reopened slightly early compared to Japan.

With 6.5% growth forecast for 2022, the Vietnamese economy is expected to recover strongly this year, helping to maintain the global supply chain. Photo: VOV

“The Government has set a target of securing economic growth of 6.5% this year and the Asian Development Bank has also made a similar forecast. I think this is the highest growth rate in Southeast Asia this year,” said Moribe.

Meanwhile, Nikkei Asia has run a series of articles detailing the rapid recovery of supply chains throughout Southeast Asia. The paper assessed that Southeast Asia plays a particularly large impact on the Japanese auto industry as up to 40% of the country’s automotive electrical wiring is supplied from the Vietnamese market, cited VOV.

The Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) also highly values the important position held by Vietnam in the global supply chain. Shimizu Akira, chief representative in Vietnam of the JICA, said if the country slows down its production, it would disrupt the entire global supply chain, and consequently, it would also reduce the advantages it holds in investment attraction and business readiness.

Japanese businesses therefore welcome current Covid-19 prevention and control measures adopted by the Vietnamese Government, he said, adding that in order to strengthen the local supply chain, JICA is making every effort to transfer technology and strengthen linkages between Japanese and Vietnamese companies.

Several Japanese newspapers have published the GDP growth announcement in 2021 as released by the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, with Bloomberg, in its Japanese edition, saying the 2.58% expansion exceeded previous forecasts.

Nikkei Asia also quoted the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) 6.6% growth forecast for Vietnam this year, stating that the country’s economic growth rate remained above 7% in the 2018 to 2019 pre-pandemic period.

CPI up 1.68 percent in first two months of 2022

Increases in petrol prices, and those of food, food stuff, restaurant food and public transport services during the Lunar New Year led to a rise of 1 percent in the consumer price index (CPI) in February compared to that of the previous month, the General Statistics Office (GSO) announced on February 28.

The February index was also up 1.42 percent year-on-year, and 1.2 percent against December 2021.

In the first two months of 2022, CPI climbs by 1.68 percent over the same period last year. Photo: VNA

In the first two months of 2022, CPI climbed by 1.68 percent over the same period last year, and core inflation by 0.67 percent.

In February, among the 11 commodity and service baskets, 10 reported increases, with the highest seen in transport. Meanwhile, prices of post and telecommunications declined by 0.04 percent, reported VNA.

Also in the month, the price of gold went up by 1.85 percent, while that of US dollar reduced by 0.28 percent.

The GSO pointed out that core inflation in February rose by 0.49 percent over the previous month, and by 0.68 percent over the same period last year. In the first two months, core inflation increased by 0.67 percent year-on-year, lower than the general average CPI, which reflects the fluctuation of consumer prices mainly due to rising prices of food and fuel.

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