Vietnam logs no new COVID-19 infections on March 1 morning Vietnam documented zero COVID-19 infections in the past 12 hours as of 6:00 am on March 1, leaving the national tally unchanged at 2,448 patients, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control. Earlier, Vietnam reported 16 COVID-19 cases at 6pm on February 28, including 12 locally infected cases in the northern province of Hai Duong, the country's largest COVID-19 hotspot, and four imported cases in the southern provinces of Tay Ninh and Dong Thap. Of the total infections, there were 1,542 domestically-transmitted cases, including 849 recorded since the latest outbreak hit the northern province of Hai Duong on January 27. Ten cities and provinces nationwide have gone through 16 consecutive days without any locally-infected cases of COVID-19, including Hoa Binh, Dien Bien, Ha Giang, Binh Duong, Hung Yen, Bac Giang, Gia Lai, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh, and Ho Chi Minh City. Meanwhile, Hanoi has recorded 14 straight days of no coronavirus cases. A total 60,693 people who came in close contact with COVID-19 patients or arrived from pandemic-hit areas are under quarantine nationwide, including 560 at hospitals, 12,298 at other quarantine sites, and 47,835 at home. Among patients under treatment, 62 have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, 53 twice, and 95 thrice. Report from the Treatment Sub-committee showed that Vietnam has seen 1,876 recoveries so far. In a bid to live safely with the pandemic, people should strictly follow the Ministry of Health’s 5K message: khau trang (facemask), khu khuan (disinfection), khoang cach (distance), khong tu tap (no gathering), and khai bao y te (health declaration)./. Hai Duong dissolves COVID-19 treatment hospital No.1 Chairman of the Hai Duong provincial People's Committee Nguyen Duong Thai, who is also head of the provincial Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, on February 27 decided to …
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Oxfam: Health spending in poor countries must double to prevent millions of deaths
Oxfam distributing hygiene kits to people in Yemen amid the coronavirus crisis. Photo: Wael Algadi Oxfam today called for a package of nearly $160 billion in immediate debt cancellation and aid to fund a Global Public Health Plan and Emergency Response and help prevent millions of deaths as a result of the coronavirus.The five-point plan of this Global Public Health Plan and Emergency Response would enable poor countries to take action to prevent the spread of the disease and build up the capacity of health systems to care for those affected. The pandemic has caused widespread suffering in rich countries, overwhelming some of the best healthcare systems in the world. However, with the disease now spreading to many poor countries where high levels of poverty and inequality threaten to accelerate the disease, the public health challenges are even greater. Nearly three billion people across the developing world do not have access to clean water, while millions more do not have access to adequate healthcare and live in crowded slums or refugee camps where social isolation is impossible. As women make up 70 per cent of health workers and carry out most unpaid care work, it will hit them the hardest. Jose Maria Vera, Oxfam International Interim executive director, said that in Mali there are three ventilators per million people. In Zambia, there is one doctor for 10,000 people. “We know from Oxfam’s experience of fighting Ebola that with rapid action, this disease can be stalled and its catastrophic impact stopped. But we must act now and, on a scale never seen before,” he said. “Without urgent, ambitious, and historic action, we could easily see the biggest humanitarian crisis since World War II.” The Imperial College London estimates that in the absence of intervention, the coronavirus could have led to 40 million deaths in the coming year. Oxfam calculates that doubling the health spending of the 85 poorest countries, home to nearly half of the world’s …
VN-Index moves closer to January peak
The session started off with a 11-point rise in the first 21 minutes of trading and remained in the green throughout the day before closing with a 17.7-point gain, the first double-digit point increase recorded in the last seven sessions. Trading volume on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HoSE), on which the index is based, rose 7.7 percent to VND16.02 trillion ($693.4 million), highest in the last 10 sessions. The bourse saw 358 stocks gain and 85 lose. VN-Index now needs another 0.67-percent gain to reach the 1,194-point peak it reached on January 15 before falling to the 1,020 range. The VN30 basket, comprising the 30 largest capped stocks on the HoSE, saw 27 tickers gain, leading with SBT of sugar producer Thanh Thanh Cong – Bien Hoa Jsc, up 5.5 percent. This is the first gain of the ticker after six consecutive losing sessions. It was followed by SSI of leading brokerage SSI Securities Corporation, up 5.4 percent, and BVH of insurance company Bao Viet Holdings, up 4.6 percent. Two real estate companies were in the top 10 blue chip gainers, with TCH of Hoang Huy Investment Financial Services Jsc up 3.7 percent and VRE of retail real estate arm Vincom Retail up 3.2 percent. All banking blue chip were in the green, led by STB of Ho Chi Minh City-based lender Sacombank, up 4.1 percent, HDB of HDBank, up 2.6 percent, and MBB of Military Bank, up 2.5 percent to the new all-time high of VND28,350. Bucking the trend, three tickers ended in the red, led by VIC of biggest conglomerate Vingroup, down 0.5 precent, followed by PNJ of Phu Nhuan Jewelry, down 0.2 percent and MWG of electronics retail chain Mobile World, down 0.1 percent. Foreign investors remained net sellers for the seventh session in a row to the tune of VND209 billion, with strongest pressures on TCB of largest private lender Techcombank, HPG of steelmaker Hoa Phat Group and CTG of state-owned lender VietinBank. The HNX-Index for stocks on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, home to mid …
