A medical worker takes samples from a man for Covid-19 testing. The Ministry of Health confirmed 4,851 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday evening - PHOTO: MINISTRY OF HEALTH
HCMC - The Ministry of Health confirmed 4,851 new Covid-19 cases, including 4,814 domestic infections in 38 cities and provinces and 37 imported cases this evening, August 3, taking the country’s Covid-19 tally to 170,190.
HCMC recorded the biggest number of new infections with 2,173 cases, followed by Binh Duong with 1,087, Long An with 320, Dong Nai with 217, Khanh Hoa with 189, Tay Ninh with 122 and Dong Thap with 110.
Hanoi, Can Tho, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Phu Yen, Gia Lai, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Ninh Thuan, Quang Ngai, Daklak, Hau Giang, Kien Giang and Quang Nam reported 12-97 cases each. The remaining 18 provinces had less than 10 new infections each.
The country has reported 166,296 locally transmitted Covid-19 infections in the fourth wave of the pandemic, which began in late April.
Up to now, 50,831 Covid-19 patients in the country have fully recovered, including 3,866 people discharged from the hospital today. Meanwhile, 463 patients are currently in critical condition and 20 patients have to rely on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
This afternoon, the national steering committee for Covid-19 infection prevention and control updated 190 Covid-19 deaths to the national Covid-19 information system. They included 166 deaths in HCMC, seven in Long An, five in Dong Thap, four in Ben Tre, two each in Dong Nai and Vinh Long and one each in Hanoi, Danang, Can Tho and An Giang.
According to Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son, the Ministry of Health is considering approving remdesivir for Covid-19 treatment in Vietnam. The drug has been approved for Covid-19 treatment by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and many countries.
Son said remdesivir must be prescribed by doctors so people should not buy it for Covid-19 treatment at home.
Remdesivir is an antiviral drug developed by U.S. biopharmaceutical firm Gilead Sciences. It has been approved for Covid-19 treatment in around 50 countries and territories such as the U.S., Australia, Japan and India. It is given by injection into a vein usually once daily for five to 10 days.
Previously the Institute of Chemistry under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology announced in late June that it had successfully shortened the synthesis of a Covid-19 antiviral, called favipiravir, from seven or eight to three reactions, allowing the institute to accelerate the drug production when it comes to commercialization.
Researchers of the Institute of Chemistry have used local materials, thus reducing the cost of the antiviral and ensuring it is suited for local production.
Favipiravil’s mechanism is similar to that of remdesivir. The antiviral can be used for mild and moderate Covid-19 patients to help them recover faster and from getting worse. It also helps make the virus inactive to limit community transmission.
