Since April 27, when the new wave began in Vietnam, 5,460 infections have been recorded in 39 of the nation's 63 cities and provinces.

216 new cases found in the last 24 hours

94 cases of Covid-19 were reported from 6 am to 12 pm on June 5, raising the national tally to 8,458, according to the Health Ministry. Of the number, three are imported cases, while among 91 locally-infected cases, 65 are in Bac Giang, 15 in Ho Chi Minh City, 8 in Bac Ninh, two in Ha Tinh, and one in Tien Giang.

An additional 83 cases were reported from 12 pm and 6 pm on June 5, raising the national tally to 8,541, according to the Health Ministry. Of the new cases, three returned from abroad, and 80 are locally infected, including 39 in Bac Giang, 28 in Bac Ninh, 6 in Ho Chi Minh City, and one in Ha Nam.

The Health Ministry confirmed 39 new community transmissions of Covid-19 Sunday morning, all of them already in quarantine. Twenty-one cases in Bac Giang Province, and eight in its neighbor Bac Ninh, are linked to clusters at its industrial parks and had been quarantined prior to testing. 10 new cases in HCMC are linked to a cluster that emerged on May 26.

Vietnam confirms 52nd and 53rd coronavirus death

Vietnam recorded its 52nd and 53rd coronavirus death Saturday afternoon, bringing the fatality tally in its latest Covid-19 wave to 17.

The 52nd deceased patient is a 35-year-old woman from the northern province of Lang Son. She has had late-stage colon cancer which metastasized to her lungs and was treated with chemotherapy five times in Hanoi's K Hospital. She tested positive for the coronavirus on May 17 and was transferred to the Duc Giang Hospital for treatment. At the time she had a high fever and showed signs of progressive respiratory failure. She passed away Friday night, her causes of death being pneumonia caused by Covid-19, septic shock, and progressive respiratory failure.

The 53rd case is a 53-year-old female, living in Bac Yen, Son La. The patient has a history of Polyneuritis polyneuropathy. She died from septic shock, multiple organ failure, pulmonary Aspergillus infection, pneumothorax, severe Covid-19, lumbar disc herniation, polyneuritis, lupus erythematosus system.

Russia to discuss Sputnik-V production cooperation with Vietnam

Russia is going to discuss the cooperation in manufacturing the Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik-V in Vietnam, according to Press Secretary for the Russian President Dmitry Peskov. Peskov told the media on June 3 that Russia will contact the Vietnamese side to discuss the vaccine production cooperation, noting this issue was mentioned in a letter that Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc recently sent to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

On the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund Kirill Dmitriev said he had reported the list of countries wishing to produce the Russian vaccine to President Putin, and that 20 manufacturers of 14 countries, including Vietnam, have expressed their willingness to cooperate in this regard.

Many important agreements on the Sputnik-V production have been reached, and more and more countries, most recently Vietnam, have voiced their readiness to manufacture the vaccine. Addressing the economic forum on June 4, Russian President Putin noted Sputnik-V is highly effective in preventing Covid-19, and it is receiving attention from business people in Europe who are ready to come to Russia to get vaccinated.

Bac Giang: Children under five allowed to be quarantined at home

Children under five years old who had close contact with COVID-19 patients are now allowed to undergo mandatory quarantine at home provided that all pandemic prevention requirements are met, according to an urgent notice from the Ministry of Health to the northern province of Bac Giang signed by Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Truong Son on June 5.

The move aims to guarantee a safe and convenient living environment for children during the quarantine period, reduce pressure on overloaded concentrated quarantine sites and prevent cross-infections in Bac Giang.

Accordingly, children under 15 years old are required to be quarantined for 21 days. Those under five are allowed to fulfill quarantine orders at home if all preventive requirements against the spread of the coronavirus are met. Those aged 5-15, meanwhile, must stay at concentrated quarantine sites in 7 days and can complete the rest of their quarantine period at home if they test negative with the virus thrice during the first 7 days.

Since April 27, when the new wave began in Vietnam, 5,460 infections have been recorded in 39 of the nation's 63 cities and provinces, including major cities, industrial hubs and localities housing foreign tech giants.

So far, over 1.2 million people have been vaccinated against Covid-19, mainly frontline workers in the Covid-19 fight, including medics at local hospitals. Of these, more than 33,000 have received the prescribed two doses.

A total of 3,310 patients have been given the all-clear, while the death toll rose to 53, most of whom suffer from serious underlying illnesses. Fifteen provinces have passed 15 days without any new cases detected.

Valerie Mai