Two locally-infected cases of COVID-19 were confirmed late January 27 in Hai Duong and Quang Ninh provinces, and the Health Ministry has immediately taken drastic actions to quickly stop the spread of the virus.

Health ministry takes action following confirmation of two community COVID-19 cases. (Photo: VNA)

Health ministry takes action following confirmation of two community COVID-19 cases

Two locally-infected cases of COVID-19 were confirmed late January 27 in Hai Duong and Quang Ninh provinces, and the Health Ministry has immediately taken drastic actions to quickly stop the spread of the virus.

Late January 27, Deputy Prime Minister and head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control Vu Duc Dam convened an urgent meeting with health authorities. At the meeting, the Health Minister said the ministry will send testing experts of several central hospitals to Hai Duong to help with testing work on January 28 morning. Deputy PM Dam requested that Hai Duong must focus all resources on epidemic control, so as to isolate any outbreaks within 10 days. He noted that extra caution must be taken to ensure safety for frontline forces as the Japanese side said the infected case in Osaka involved the new variant of the virus.

The newly confirmed case in Hai Duong, a female worker, is related to the woman patient found positive for the coronavirus upon her arrival in Osaka, Japan. The other is a 31-year-old man from Hong Ha ward, Ha Long city, northern Quang Ninh province, who is a staff member of Van Don airport. He displayed symptoms of fever, cough, and sore throat, and went to the hospital for a medical check-up himself. His test result turned out positive on January 27.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Vietnam increased to 1,553.

Quang Ninh closes schools as 2 community cases confirmed. (Photo: Vietnam Plus)

Quang Ninh closes schools as 2 community cases confirmed

On the night of January 27, the Steering Committee for COVID-19 pandemic prevention in Quang Ninh province had an emergency meeting to immediately activate measures to prevent COVID-19 in the province at the highest level. In the short term, all students from kindergarten to university level in the whole province will temporarily leave school from January 28 to the end of the week. To minimize the gathering of people, localities stop unnecessary meetings to focus on pandemic prevention.

The Department of Transport is responsible for coordinating with the departments, branches, and localities to immediately set up transaction control points on the gateway traffic routes, to the province, especially the traffic routes connecting with the locality of Hai Duong province.

The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee also emphasized that the pandemic can be complicated, so all prevention measures must be taken in the most drastic and proactive way. In particular, local authorities must proactively prepare medical supplies and equipment for pandemic prevention to immediately respond to the worst scenario.

Vietnamese researchers invent COVID-19 vaccine patches, reusable face masks. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese researchers invent COVID-19 vaccine patches, reusable face masks

A group of Vietnamese researchers at the University of Connecticut in the US have invented COVID-19 high-tech biological face masks and patches to deliver vaccines into the human body easily.

Award-winning Nguyen Duc Thanh, 37, and his research team, Nguyen Lab, used autolytic piezoelectric polymer sheets, which have been studied by themselves and applied in organ transplantation since 2018, to make a special type of face mask.

Thanh’s team came up with the idea of using the autolytic piezoelectric polymer sheets that can filter the dust as effectively as N95 but can be reused after sterilizing by autoclave or ultrasound. It is disposable after several years. Thanh said what made his masks different from others was the piezoelectric effect of the nanofilm. The film can create a small voltage layer when there is airflow (from breathing, sneezing, or coughing). The voltage creates an invisible protective layer, preventing the penetration of charged droplets of water bringing viruses and bacteria.

The team is doing further research and packaging the product and plans to launch a start-up to bring the face masks to the market. Thanh’s research team is also studying a vaccine patch that can be applied to skin that helps deliver COVID-19 vaccines into the human body without infections from medical workers.

Geetesh Sharma, President of the India-Vietnam Solidarity Committee (IVSC) in West Bengal. (Photo: Daily Star)

Indian scholar believes in Vietnam overcoming post-COVID-19 challenges

Under the leadership of the 13th Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), Vietnam will play a decisive role to face the challenges in a post-COVID-19 scenario, Geetesh Sharma, President of the India-Vietnam Solidarity Committee (IVSC) in West Bengal told Vietnam News Agency correspondents in India.

The 89-year-old Indian scholar and journalist have paid 29 visits to Vietnam. He reminisced his visit to the Southeast Asian country in 1982, during which he met a college student. Vietnam, which was far behind, is a fast developing country today, politically, economically, and culturally, he said.

He added that the Vietnamese government and CPV have also largely been credited for the country’s success in containing the COVID-19 due to their swift decision-making, effective public health messaging and aggressive contact tracing; while Vietnamese patriots wholeheartedly and actively cooperated with the Party.

He further said that the 13th National Party Congress is taking place in a very crucial and challenging period. He believed it will take the right decisions in the right direction to overcome all challenges and continue with the anti-corruption campaign.

Valerie Mai