Thing will get better

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 25: Lorraine Harvey, an in home care worker, receives her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from registered nurse Rudolfo Garcia at a clinic at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in South Los Angeles on February 25, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. African Americans and Latinos comprise a majority of the South LA community and are dying of COVID-19 at a rate significantly higher than whites. Vaccine equity has also lagged in South Los Angeles relative to some more wealthy areas. (Mario Tama/Getty Images/AFP) Brazil hit 250,000 fatalities -- the second-highest national death toll after the US -- while the worldwide vaccine campaign received the royal endorsement of Queen Elizabeth II, 94, who urged people not to be wary of the injection. President Joe Biden declared the US rollout is now "weeks ahead of schedule" as he celebrated 50 million vaccines administered since he took office on January 20, but he warned Americans to keep masking up. "We're moving in the right direction despite the mess we inherited," Biden said, referring to the program under his predecessor Donald Trump. The United States is the world's hardest-hit country, with coronavirus deaths crossing the 500,000 mark earlier this week. Biden said that there would be "enough supply" for all adult Americans by the end of July. The EU announced Thursday it expected to vaccinate 70 percent of adults by the end of the summer, after months of problems and friction. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said fully vaccinating just under three-quarters of adults by late summer was a "goal that we're confident with." But in Brazil, the grim quarter-million deaths milestone came one year after the first Covid-19 case was confirmed in the country, which is struggling with severe vaccine shortages and a devastating second wave. - Mass graves - The coronavirus has hit especially hard in Brazil's impoverished "favelas," among indigenous …

[Read more...] about US, EU say vaccine programs on track as global deaths hit 2.5 mn

A man earning his living as scrap dealer in Cam Giang district has transported food and foodstuff to provide to thousands of people in the Covid-19 Hotspot on his old motorbike. Diem and Hai have been carrying dozens of rice bags to provide to people in the quarantine area The Highway 5 section which goes across Tan Truong commune in Cam Giang district was deserted on February 23 noon. There were only vehicles helping agencies’ fight against Covid-19 and trucks carrying goods from the vegetable granaries of Kim Thanh and Gia Loc. Hai Duong has been in lockdown since February 16. At a grocery in Ghe hamlet, Vu Thi Hai, 55, and her husband, Do Cong Son, could be seen classifying bags of vegetables and putting eggs into trays. This was donated food to be carried away to those who needed it. When they were about to finish the work, an old motorbike arrived. Three of them picked up the bags of classified food and put them on the motorbike. Not far from Hai’s grocery is a place where 50 individuals are in quarantine – the secondary school of Tan Truong commune. On the other side of the road is Trang Ky hamlet with nearly 2,000 residents and migrant workers, who have been staying there since pre-Tet days. These are two hamlets where Covid-19 positive cases have been found. The hamlets have been isolated with no entry and exit. The self-modified motorbike is owned by Do Van Diem, 64. It represents his livelihood, specializing in carrying the scrap he collects. A carriage attached to the motorbike contains scrap. “The motorbike is too old. However, there are still many things to be done with it. It is still helpful in carrying goods to the people in quarantine areas,” he said as he drove the motorbike to the quarantine station, stopping to get disinfected before entering Trang Ky hamlet. Hai said she received a message from Quynh in Trang Ky hamlet that he needed some eggs to prepare gruel for his daughter. His wife has been away from home since …

[Read more...] about Scrap collector, grocery owner and a second-rate vehicle: all used to help others in Covid hotspot

Võ Trí Thành *Võ Trí Thành Việt Nam has outlined its next-decade of socio-development strategy, setting its sights on becoming a developed and upper-middle-income country with modern industry by 2030. However, as success in the past cannot guarantee future triumphs, what are the keys to Việt Nam’s success in the next period? We have talked about Việt Nam’s aspirations to become the next Asian economic dragon and the country has made great strides towards its goals. Amid a volatile world and unprecedented challenges arising from the pandemic, Việt Nam’s success in response to COVID-19 has been praised by international media. To ensure long-term growth, the country is also seeking solutions to key issues such as structural reforms, sustainable and inclusive development and innovation. After many phases of reforms, Việt Nam has basically achieved its goals such as ensuring macroeconomic stabilisation, expanding more opportunities for all economic subjects to develop through institutional reforms, building a socialist market-oriented economy and promoting international integration. Along with that, national capacity has been significantly improved which has been seen in strengthened institutional capacity, reflected in the more efficient State apparatus, enhanced capacity of enterprises through their greater competitiveness and sustainable development strategy and lastly the better-quality human resources. Despite the fast-changing world, lessons and experiences from past reforms have significant value for further success which can be seen in many Vietnamese success stories. When talking about the building of a socialist market-oriented economy, from a centrally planned economy in the early 1980s with little knowledge about the market economy, this has become the red thread throughout the country’s reform process. Việt Nam has learnt and built regulations and good practices for the market through working experience and co-operation with well-known …

[Read more...] about Learning spirit, confidence and creativity key to Việt Nam’s future success