A Thai woman rests after being vaccinated against Covid-19. The above decision was made at a meeting of Bangkok’s Communicable Diseases Committee on May 31. The commission said the reopening was intended to ease the burden on business by allowing it to operate under strict conditions. The Thai government’s efforts to control the outbreak of Covid-19 in residential communities, markets and worker housing are continuing. Five types of businesses are allowed to reopen in Bangkok from June 1 including: museums, learning centers, science parks, historical sites and art galleries (no group tours). ; tattoo parlors and nail salons (must close for 14 days if any Covid-19 cases are detected); beauty/weight loss clinics and services; spas, massage parlors and wellness-related locations (no saunas or facials); and public parks, botanical gardens and flower gardens (no eating or gathering). Other businesses in Bangkok will remain closed until June 14. On May 31, Thailand recorded a record high of 5,485 new cases of Covid-19 within 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections so far to 159,792. The whole country recorded 19 more deaths from Covid-19, bringing the total number of people who did not die from this disease to 1,031. Bangkok continues to lead the list of localities with new cases, with 1,356 cases recorded on May 31. (according to VNA)

Do not prolong social distancing on a large scale Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Duong Anh Duc said that currently, 7 enterprises (enterprises) in industrial parks (IZs) in the city have Covid-19 cases. Most of the places only have 1-2 cases, with no signs of spreading to other places. In which, 2 enterprises have similar characteristics (seafood processing, workers work together in a cold and closed environment) so the number of cases is larger with 6 and 11 cases… People’s Committees of wards and districts Districts with cases have suspended non-urgent services, stopped accepting in-person applications, only accepting online applications. Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son, Head of the Special Department of the Ministry of Health in Ho Chi Minh City, said the city will set up about 100 delegations to inspect all factories and enterprises operating in the industrial park. Large factories and enterprises need to have a plan to arrange for the core workers to live in the industrial park or have a closed process from accommodation, dormitories, transportation to the factory to work, live and take them to work. about. Ho Chi Minh City has prepared a treatment plan for 5,000 patients, but must be ready with equipment to treat patients on ventilators who have severe symptoms. Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son inspects the preservation of 836,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine at the Pasteur Institute’s cold storage in Ho Chi Minh City on the afternoon of June 17 Photo: HAI YEN After receiving 836,000 doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine, Mr. Duong Anh Duc said that Ho Chi Minh City had a meeting to plan to identify priority subjects and injection plans; strive to inject for 200,000 people/day, expected from June 19; at the same time, increasing testing capacity to 30,000 samples/day. Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam emphasized that Ho Chi Minh City is a big city; The government and people have gone through the practical process of fighting the epidemic. Therefore, decisions on social distancing, isolation and blockade must be in the spirit of trying to be as concise as possible. The purpose of social distancing is to slow down the spread of the epidemic, identify outbreaks, sources of infection, and scale in order to narrowly, tightly, and strive not to prolong the extension. society on a large scale. The Deputy Prime Minister asked Ho Chi Minh City to “keep the balance” of the IP with strong measures. Ho Chi Minh City needs to strengthen testing and warning to quickly detect infections in the first 3 days, with lessons learned in fighting epidemics like in Bac Giang and Bac Ninh. The Deputy Prime Minister noted that although Ho Chi Minh City’s testing capacity is very good compared to other localities, with a population of 10 million and many industrial zones, the city must have a plan to increase testing capacity in the event of an outbreak. in the industrial park. In particular, the coordination of testing must ensure consistency among participating units, meeting the sampling and tracing speed to catch up with the epidemic’s spread. Absolutely do not let the test situation be delayed or mistaken due to the coordination as happened in some places. If infection is detected in factories and enterprises in industrial zones, Ho Chi Minh City should pay close attention to the densely packed worker accommodation areas when zoning, isolation and blockade are implemented. The Deputy Prime Minister requested that in the coming time, Ho Chi Minh City urgently needs to complete the pilot guidance on isolating F1 cases at home, ensuring strict safety in terms of health as well as people’s privacy, in accordance with the law. conditions of the city in the case of a large number of infected people. Mobilization of many vaccination forces At the inspection of the preservation of 836,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine that has just been transported to the cold storage of the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City on the afternoon of the same day, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son said that in the next 2 days, Ho Chi Minh City will open 1,000 Covid-19 vaccination points for people. “Distributed by the Government and the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Immunization, in this batch, Vietnam imported 966,300 doses of vaccine for the whole country, of which 836,000 doses were transported to Ho Chi Minh City” – Deputy Minister Nguyen Truong Son said. The Ministry of Health has completed the script and in the next 2 days will finalize the script to discuss with the leaders of Ho Chi Minh City and the City Steering Committee to be ready to deploy at vaccination points. This vaccination campaign will take place in about 5-7 days. “To carry out this vaccination campaign, we not only mobilize the medical force in Ho Chi Minh City, but we also mobilize the forces at the central level, ministries and branches in the city. A number of military hospitals and hospitals Police force institutes, military preventive medicine institutes will also participate in this campaign,” said Deputy Minister Nguyen Truong Son. With the principle and spirit of quick vaccination in the campaign but still must ensure absolute safety for those who participate in vaccination, Deputy Minister Nguyen Truong Son said that the vaccine injected in this batch is AstraZeneca’s, the deadline The use is still relatively long, ensuring the safety of the vaccination campaign of Ho Chi Minh City. “Hopefully in the next round, the provinces that are facing great difficulties during this epidemic such as Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Binh Duong, Tien Giang … will receive the vaccine to give priority to the whole production force which is workers. to ensure safety in production” – Deputy Minister of Health expressed. Overseas Vietnamese support the Vaccine Fund On the afternoon of June 17, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son awarded more than 6.2 billion VND as contributions from the overseas Vietnamese community, the Lao National Assembly Office and officials, civil servants and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Diplomacy for the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, supporting the Covid-19 Vaccine Fund and the fight against Covid-19 in localities. In addition to the above amount, in the past few days, the Vietnamese community with nearly 30 organizations and groups in the US, Canada, France… has launched the campaign “Join hands for Vietnam” and “10,000 doses of vaccines”. please for Vietnam”, soon move back to the country to support people, especially doctors – nurses and those who are working on the front lines, to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic. D.Chau Another 515 cases of Covid-19, Ho Chi Minh City alone has 137 cases The Ministry of Health said that on June 17, Vietnam recorded an additional 515 cases of Covid-19, including 12 isolated cases immediately after entry and 503 domestic cases in Bac Giang (327), Ho Chi Minh City (137), and Tien Giang. Giang (13), Bac Ninh (12), Binh Duong (7), Ha Tinh (4), Lang Son (2), Nghe An (1). This is the day Vietnam has recorded the highest number of cases since the outbreak. Notably, the number of new cases in Ho Chi Minh City and Bac Giang continuously increased rapidly. Since the outbreak appeared, our country has recorded 12,150 cases of Covid-19, of which 10,483 are domestic cases and 1,667 imported cases. On June 17, 63 more Covid-19 patients were announced to be cured, bringing the number of cured cases to 4,653. The number of deaths is now 61.

According to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, anyone over the age of 18 who receives the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine between June 14 and July 11 will automatically be drawn into a lucky draw for a car. According to Sobyanin, five cars worth one million rubles ($13,900) each will be given away weekly. The move comes in an effort to speed up the slow pace of vaccination in this city as the number of new infections in Russia continues to increase. “This is only a temporary solution. To avoid difficult blockade measures and ensure improvement of the situation, we need to speed up the vaccination,” – Mayor Sobyanin shared. A medical professional holds a vial of the Russian-made Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine on January 18. Photo: REUTERS The Russian capital recorded 7,704 new infections on June 13, the most in a single day since December 24, 2020. Russian authorities also reported 14,723 cases nationwide, the largest single-day total since February 13. Earlier in the day, Mayor Sobyanin informed the city’s residents to take a break from work next week to help limit the spread of the disease and to enjoy a productive “long holiday”. Mr. Sobyanin once publicly lamented the small number of people choosing to vaccinate. After the call for people to get vaccinated to receive free cars, the mayor of Moscow did not disclose specific figures on the number of people who came for the injection. On May 21, Mayor Sobyanin announced that about 1.3 million of the more than 12 million people in the capital had received one dose, Reuters news. Russia was the first country in the world to approve a COVID-19 vaccine for domestic use, before the start of large-scale trials.

People wear masks to prevent COVID-19 infection at a market in Srinagar, India, June 14, 2021. Photo: THX/VNA The most severely affected country is still the US with 615,247 deaths out of a total of 34,335,515 infections. Next is India with 377,061 deaths out of 29,617,058 cases. Brazil ranks third with 488,404 deaths out of 17,454,861 patients. As a percentage of population, Peru has the highest mortality rate, with 573 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. Next is Hungary with 310 people and Bosnia-Herzegovina with 289 people/100,000 people. By region, Latin America and the Caribbean are currently the epicenter of the world’s epidemic, with more than 1.2 million deaths in over 35.1 million infections. Next is Europe, with over 53.6 million people infected with COVID-19, including over 1.15 million deaths. North America has over 625,800 deaths in over 34.8 million infections. Asia recorded over 540,400 deaths in over 38.4 million infections. The Middle East has over 146,400 deaths, Africa has recorded over 134,900 deaths, while the number of deaths in Oceania is over 1,100. On June 15, Thailand recorded 3,000 new infections, including 2,995 domestic infections. On the same day, the country had another 19 deaths. Prime Minister Prayut Chan o-cha said the government has ordered 100 million doses of vaccine and aims to vaccinate 50 million people, or 70 percent of the population, this year and is buying more to expand immunization to 80 – 90% of the population next year. On the same day, the Lao Ministry of Health said that the country recorded 15 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases nationwide to 2,025. Of the 15 new cases, 6 were community infections in the capital Vientiane and 9 imported cases were immediately isolated. According to the Lao Ministry of Health, the failure of a part of the people to strictly comply with epidemic prevention regulations is the cause of new cases in the community. To date, more than 1 million Lao people have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. A vaccination site against COVID-19 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo: AFP/VNA In the past 24 hours, Cambodia recorded an additional 495 cases of COVID-19 and 13 deaths from this disease. Although the epidemic situation in Cambodia is still complicated, the Phnom Penh capital government still decided to allow the resumption of all business and trading activities at the state-managed markets in the city. The Cambodian Ministry of Health said that in the next few days, the number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 will reach 3 million and the country is aiming for 10 million people to achieve herd immunity. According to the ministry’s report, so far 2,939,543 people in Cambodia have been vaccinated, or 29.4% of the total 10 million adults expected to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The number of new COVID-19 cases in Malaysia has been on a downward trend in recent days, after hitting record highs in May. Malaysian Health Ministry data released on June 15 confirmed an additional 5,419 cases. COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 667,876, including 3,968 deaths. The Malaysian government announced on June 15 that it had granted emergency use authorization for one-shot COVID-19 vaccines developed by CanSino Biologics (China) and Johnson & Johnson (USA). Malaysia is speeding up its vaccination program in tandem with strict lockdown measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. As of June 14, this Southeast Asian country has administered at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine to 3.28 million people, or 10% of the population. Vaccination against COVID-19 in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: AFP/VNA South Korea on June 15 recorded 374 new infections, bringing the total number of cases nationwide to 148,647. The country is planning to launch a trial of a new social distancing mechanism within three weeks, starting from the beginning of next month, while trying to prevent a spike in daily new infections. Accordingly, South Korea will lift the current ban on gatherings of 5 or more people and increase it to 8 people. Restaurants and cafes can stay open until midnight in the capital Seoul and surrounding areas, 2 hours later than the current curfew from 10pm. Currently, the capital Seoul and the surrounding area, along with the city of Daegu as well as the resort island of Jeju, are applying social distancing level 2 out of a 5-level scale, while the remaining areas are at level 2. 1.5. Mass gatherings of 5 or more people are prohibited. To date, about 13 million South Koreans, or 25% of the population, have received the first dose of the vaccine. Meanwhile, the Japanese Government has approved a new policy on increasing support for foreigners residing in Japan who have difficulties and obstacles in vaccination against COVID-19. Accordingly, the country will step up support and guide foreigners who are not familiar with the vaccination registration process at their places of residence, as well as have difficulties in contacting the vaccination department. In addition, the government will also promote the implementation of a multilingual portal on COVID-19 prevention measures. The Hong Kong government (China) has announced that it will relax the strict restrictive measures imposed since July last year for ships and boats docked at this Asian shipping hub. According to the Hong Kong maritime authority, from June 15, the crew of ships and boats that dock in this city for fuel or food will be exempt from restrictive measures depending on the situation. A COVID-19 test site in Hong Kong, China. Photo: AFP/VNA Israel has officially lifted the mandatory mask wearing in public places since June 15, after more than a year of implementation. Accordingly, buildings, offices, schools, hotels… will not require employees or visitors to wear masks when in this enclosed space. However, wearing a mask is still applied in a few special cases, for example, people who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 who visit patient care facilities are at high risk of death if infected. infected, people on the way to quarantine or passengers on the plane. Earlier, on April 18, the Israeli Government also lifted the mandatory mask wearing rule outdoors and from June 1 lifted all social distancing measures after more than a year of application. Thanks to an effective vaccination campaign, the number of COVID-19 patients and the infection rate in Israel have dropped to a very low level. Also on June 15, the Indian Ministry of Health announced that it had recorded an additional 60,471 cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, marking the eighth consecutive day that the number of new cases across India was below the threshold of 100,000 cases. Currently, the total number of COVID-19 cases in this South Asian country has reached 29,570,881 cases. Also in the past 24 hours, with an additional 2,726 deaths, the total number of deaths from COVID-19 in India has increased to 377,031 cases. In the capital New Delhi, after recording a sharp decrease in the number of new cases and deaths from COVID-19 in the last 2 weeks, restaurants and shops were allowed to reopen from June 14 with the evening hours. maximum 50% capacity. However, schools, educational facilities, swimming pools, gyms and public places remain closed. In Europe, the final stage of Britain’s COVID-19 lockdown lifting will be postponed to July 19 instead of June 21 as originally planned. The decision was taken as the UK recorded an increasing number of new cases of COVID-19 due to the emergence of the contagious Delta variant first detected in India. Scientists advising the British Government warn that the number of people needing hospital treatment due to COVID-19 will increase sharply again if the final phase of the blockade easing schedule takes place on June 21. according to the plan. According to the restrictions imposed to prevent COVID-19 in the UK, outdoor events are limited to a maximum of 30 people, indoor events up to 6 people. However, 15 pilot events are on track to ease the lockdown as planned, including upcoming EURO 2020 matches and art and music performances. Those attending these events must present a certificate of vaccination or test negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Some regions in Russia have tightened restrictive measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic, while focusing on strengthening the response capacity of hospitals in the event of an increase in hospital admissions after the outbreak. as the number of new infections skyrocketed. On June 15, Russia added 14,185 new infections, of which 6,805 were in Moscow, bringing the total number of cases across the country to 5,236,593. In the past 24 hours, Russia also recorded an additional 379 deaths from COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths to 127,780.

Notably, patient 11000 received 2 injections, patient 11001 received 1 dose of COVID-19 vaccine in Cambodia. Case 10833 (born in 1985, living in Di An district, Binh Duong province) works as a worker at a company in Kampot province, Cambodia. From May 15 to 27, this person will be isolated at the company’s dormitory. Two negative COVID-19 test results. Measure body temperature of people entering the border. Photo TM Ảnh On June 11, this person completed entry procedures to Vietnam at Moc Bai International Border Gate and was taken to concentrated isolation at Bau Don Secondary School. On June 14, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) of Tay Ninh province confirmed the positive result for SARS-CoV-2. Case 11000 (born in 1976, living in Thoi Hau A ward, Hong Ngu city, Dong Thap province), lives in an area near Ho Luong market, Cambodia. On June 12, the patient returned to Moc Bai International Border Gate to complete entry procedures into Vietnam, and was taken to a concentrated isolation area at Phuoc Thanh Secondary School, Phuoc Thanh Commune, Go Dau District. On June 14, test results confirmed positive for SARS-CoV-2. Case 11001 (born in 1988, address in My Thanh commune, Tan Tru district, Long An province), worked as a mason for a construction project in Phnom Penh city, Cambodia. On June 14, the patient returned to Moc Bai International Border Gate, completed entry procedures into Vietnam and was taken to isolation at the Ben Cau District Medical Center. Today, the CDC of Tay Ninh province confirmed that the patient was positive for SARS-CoV-2. Currently, all 3 patients are being monitored and treated at Ben Cau District Medical Center. The provincial health sector has identified 94 close contact cases, isolated in concentrated isolation areas at Phuoc Thanh Secondary School and Bau Don Secondary School. As of the evening of June 15, the whole province of Tay Ninh recorded all 69 cases of COVID 19. In which, there was 1 case of community transmission, 68 imported cases. There were 36/69 patients cured and discharged from the hospital and there were no deaths.

This company has now been locked down and sampled all 350 employees at the garment factory. Also located in Vinh Loc A Industrial Park, on June 12, through screening, Quoc Anh General Hospital discovered a positive case for nCoV. This person is a worker at Van Duc Food Company. The health sector has traced and sampled more than 100 F1. 500 workers at the facility’s dormitories have been tested. Through the screening of these two companies, the health sector discovered 11 positive aggregate samples. The health sector is conducting large-scale screening samples in industrial zones. Photo: Chi Hung. In addition, on June 13, through screening, Xuyen A Hospital discovered a positive case of a worker in Tan Phu Trung Industrial Park. The health sector detected 4 more positive cases and 6 positive pool samples. Binh said another infection chain was detected through community screening in a residential area of ​​An Lac ward, Binh Tan district. Through testing more than 1,500 workers staying in Binh Tan district, working at PouYuen Company, two positive cases were found. This afternoon, the health sector tested about 1,000 workers and the Department of Health is expanding rapid antigen testing in this area. Binh informed that on the afternoon of June 15, the Department of Health coordinated with Binh Tan and Binh Chanh districts to test more than 25,000 officials and workers in Vinh Loc Industrial Park. According to the announcement of the Ministry of Health, from April 27 to now, Ho Chi Minh City has 894 Covid-19 patients. In particular, the largest outbreak related to the Renaissance missionary group was basically under control. However, the epidemic was complicated when there were many clusters of cases with unknown sources of transmission. In particular, the epidemic has penetrated the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City. The first case was detected on June 12 in the information technology department. Only 4 days after being discovered, this outbreak had 69 people including medical staff and related people. On June 14, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong made a decision to ease social distancing in Go Vap district and Thanh Loc ward (district 12), reducing from applying Directive 16 to Directive 15. The city remains separated under Directive 15 for 2 weeks. Unloading checkpoints in Go Vap At 0:00 on June 15, all quarantine checkpoints at the gateway of Go Vap district were lifted according to the decision to reduce the distance level of Ho Chi Minh City.

Indonesian health experts are concerned about the risk of an increase in the number of new cases, due to variants of Covid-19 and a large number of people traveling between many areas after Ramadan. Indonesian health workers vaccinate people. Photo: Reuters In another development, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on June 9 that the government’s goal in July is to reach the milestone of 1 million doses of vaccination per day. “I want the vaccination of the population to reach 700,000 doses a day this month, and continue to increase. By July 2021, we can reach our goal of 1 million doses per day,” he said. US announced to donate 500 million doses of vaccine USA Today news agency today (June 10) said that the administration of US President Joe Biden will announce a plan to donate 500 million doses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine to more than 90 countries over the next two years. A senior US official said Biden will announce his plan to donate the vaccines at the G7 summit in the UK this week. The vaccines will be distributed through COVAX, to help deliver them to more low-income countries. Earlier this month, Mr. Biden pledged to share about 7 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Asian countries and territories such as India, Thailand, Laos, Bangladesh and Vietnam. .. Russia strengthens epidemic prevention in the capital The authorities of Moscow, Russia said they will continue to strengthen disease prevention and control such as requiring people to wear medical masks and gloves in public spaces such as restaurants and bars amid the number of infections in the country. This city has recently grown strongly. Channel News Asia quoted data from the Russian Ministry of Health on June 9, saying that in the past 24 hours, the country recorded an additional 10,407 infections. In particular, in Moscow, the authorities have recorded 4,142 new infections, the highest level since mid-January. “The epidemic situation is getting worse in Moscow due to the increasing number of infections,” said official Yevgeny Danchikov. China approves 7th vaccine According to the Global Times on June 9, China approved the 7th Covid-19 vaccine. The vaccine was developed by the Biomedical Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Kunming City, China. Yunnan province, southwestern China. According to China’s Science and Technology Daily, phase 1 and 2 clinical trials have shown that the vaccine is effective, which can quickly induce an immune response in the injected person’s body. On the same day, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) said that more than 808 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine had been distributed across China as of June 8. Some other developments on the epidemic Updated at 5 am on June 10 of the Worldometers statistics page, the Covid-19 epidemic is raging in 220 countries and territories, infecting more than 175.1 million people and claiming the lives of more than 3, 7 million patients. The number of recoveries reached over 158.9 million cases. India continues to experience a terrible day with the number of new infections reaching more than 93,900 and the death toll over 6,100. So far, the country has a total of 29.1 million positive cases and more than 359,000 deaths. Brazil also faces serious contagion and death when it records 84,600 new infections to the list of more than 17.1 million patients, and more than 2,200 victims to a total of 479,500 deaths from Covid-19. Tuan Tran

Vehicles move on the street in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo: THX/VNA) It is no coincidence that New Zealand consistently tops the rankings of both Bloomberg and Australia’s Lowy Institute for COVID-19 response. At the end of 2020, Bloomberg ranked New Zealand as the country with the best overall response in the world to the pandemic. In May 2021, the country in Oceania continued to hold the top spot in Bloomberg’s ranking, despite the rate vaccination against COVID-19 in New Zealand is still quite low, 4.8% of the population, while this index of Singapore, the second ranked country, is up to 29.9%. It is worth mentioning that from October 2020 to May 2021, only in April, New Zealand “gives” this top position to Singapore. Over the past three months, New Zealand has not recorded any more cases of infection in the community. Since the discovery of the first COVID-19 patient on February 28, 2020, this Pacific island nation has had a total of 2,681 cases, of which 17 are being treated, 26 have died and 2,638 who recovered. Life has almost returned to normal for the Kiwi Country’s 5 million people. Authorities lifted restrictions on people and economic activity in the country, but mostly closed borders to prevent the virus from entering the country. When assessing New Zealand as the world’s leader in COVID-19 response, experts agreed that the country had taken the most decisive, quick and effective measures to handle the pandemic, with the least impact. to economic and social activity. To achieve this, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s government, with the support of the people and business community, has adopted a strategy of “going ahead and going strong.” New Zealand’s anti-epidemic model is basically prevent the virus from entering foreign countries, purchase equipment to protect essential workers, strengthen testing, contact tracing, isolating cases and above all implementing blockade and social distancing society to cut off the chain of infection.The “secret” of this country can be summed up in six words: drastic-timely-synchronous. Immediately after the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the SARS-CoV-2 virus as a global health emergency, New Zealand on February 2, 2020 decided to ban the entry via air of foreign nationals. All passengers arriving from China, while New Zealand citizens and arrivals from other countries must self-isolate for 14 days. On March 25, when the number of cases in the country was about 200, New Zealand quickly declared a national emergency and Close the border Although the country’s economy is heavily dependent on tourism. Foreigners entering by air and sea must be tested and isolated at a designated facility. With this step, New Zealand has “locked” the door to the virus entering from abroad. The New Zealand government also urgently establishes a national system to directly register personal protective equipment to identify all equipment manufacturers capable of supporting the fight against the epidemic. Many domestic enterprises have responded and increased domestic production or cooperated with foreign companies to find sources to buy masks, hand sanitizer, face shields and medical gowns. The government is also promoting the establishment of a public-private joint venture to purchase test kits and reagents (chemicals for testing the SARS-CoV-2 virus) from various suppliers. While many countries are also looking to buy these medical items when supplies are scarce, New Zealand has achieved a higher test rate than developed countries like the US or South Korea at the same time, with about 2,200 tested per 100,000 population by mid-May 2020. For contact tracing, New Zealand using both “low technology” and high technology to identify and test all close contacts of COVID-19 patients for 14 days. The primary method of tracing is that officials ask each COVID-19 patient to identify their close contact. In addition, the “NZ COVID Tracer” smartphone application for tracing virus infections was deployed simultaneously. People wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Auckland, New Zealand, February 14, 2021. (Photo: THX/VNA) New Zealand has stopped, not just mitigated, the spread of the disease in the community thanks to the rapid adoption of very strong measures. On March 25, 2020, just three days after confirming a domestic infection, authorities implemented a nationwide blockade measure. This is one of the countries applying the strictest blockade order in the world. Although New Zealanders have a high sense of self-discipline, the police still encourage citizens to report violators of epidemic prevention regulations. In just a few weeks, police received more than 336 reports of violations. New Zealand’s disease chart in the first wave of infections last year has demonstrated the effectiveness of anti-epidemic measures. The number of new cases per day began to decrease significantly from 89 cases / day on April 5 to only 9 cases / day two weeks later. On April 27, the government began easing the blockade order, although it still imposed some distancing measures. On May 13, New Zealand did not record any new cases, so on June 8, the government completely lifted the blockade order. During the outbreaks of re-emergence in Auckland city in August 2020 and February 2021, authorities immediately took drastic measures. For example, on February 14, New Zealand locked down Auckland, the largest city in the country to prevent the COVID-19 epidemic after recording three new infections in the community on the same day. Meanwhile, the remaining localities apply level 2 restrictive measures. When the outbreak in the community is extinguished, restrictive measures are also eased step by step with extreme caution. One highlight of New Zealand’s anti-epidemic work is the application of technology. New Zealand was one of the first developed countries to use a smartphone app to track infections. In April, the country also launched a trial of a surveillance “elarm” application to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with an accuracy of up to 90% within three days before the patient showed symptoms. such as cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue. Integrated with wearable devices such as smart watches or health monitoring devices, the application uses artificial intelligence to detect sudden changes in the user’s heart rate, temperature body temperature, thereby providing an early warning to detect signs of COVID-19. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (centre). (Photo: AFP/VNA) Experts say that New Zealand has proactive, strong, focused, science-based epidemic response measures, and at the same time implements these measures well. In research published in the journal The Lancet Public Health, expert Sarah Jefferies and colleagues point to the factors contributing to New Zealand’s success in the fight against the pandemic are rapid improvements in testing capacity and management. handling cases, the blockade order was for a short time (almost 4 weeks) but very strict. In addition, rapid interventions when the number of cases is low, for example, the warning level increases from 1-4 in five days when the number of cases has not exceeded 1,000 cases. A team of experts from the University of Otago (New Zealand) highlighted the key element of the government’s rapid, science-based risk assessment combined with early and decisive action. The implementation of interventions at various levels (border control, control of community spread, and control of cases) are also effective against the epidemic. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is highly appreciated for her ability to effectively convey the main message to the community – consider fighting the epidemic as the task of a unified collective of 5 million people, thereby being trusted and obeyed by the people. under very strict restrictions. The above-mentioned drastic measures against the epidemic helped reduce human losses with a very low mortality rate, only 0.53 cases per 100,000 people, but also cost the economy due to the closure policy as well as the impact of the pandemic. Translate. New Zealand’s economy recorded a record 2.9% contraction in 2020. However, in terms of the long-term outlook, the economy is forecasted to grow again this year thanks to the government’s economic stimulus package and New Zealand’s ability to restore normal life as before. pandemic. Moreover, it is the good control of the epidemic that has brought New Zealand’s great economic recovery opportunities. The results of a Bloomberg survey conducted in October 2020 with the participation of about 700 people, most of them senior executives in many industries, of which 53% are from large corporations and 47% are from large corporations. SMEs, showing that New Zealand is the country most trusted by business leaders to invest in the future. In fact, the economy of the “kiwi land” has rebounded as business confidence recently improved and the unemployment rate plummeted to 4.7% in the first quarter of 2021. The Ministry of Finance projects gross domestic product (GDP) growth to reach 2.9% in 2021 and gradually accelerate to 4.4% in 2023. Kiwibank’s chief economist, Jarrod Kerr, said the view For the future, a program to roll out vaccines, travel bubbles with Australia and many other countries in 2021 will support solid growth in 2022. New Zealand’s drastic, timely and synchronous approach to the COVID-19 epidemic, from blockade, distance, to tracing and treatment, has become a model of anti-epidemic recognized by the international community. and provide useful lessons to help governments plan how to respond to the current pandemic as well as future pandemic outbreaks.

Governments, medical experts and researchers are working to find the most effective strategies to deploy Covid-19 vaccination to quickly create herd immunity as the pandemic continues to sweep the world. limited supply of vaccines. According to the journal Nature, the world needs about 11 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine to immunize 70% of the world’s population, in case each person must receive two doses. However, the latest statistics of Bloomberg news show that, as of June 2, a total of more than 1.94 billion doses have been injected across 176 countries, equivalent to nearly 12.7% of the global population. required to be fully immunized. The situation of Covid-19 vaccination worldwide in terms of vaccination rate for the whole population (%). Graphics: Bloomberg In addition, there is inequality in vaccine distribution, with rich countries, which account for only 19% of the world’s population, capturing more than 50% of the full year’s supply while low- and middle-income countries, accounting for more than 50% of the total supply. More than 80% of the world’s population has access to less than a third of the vaccines shipped, exacerbating the problem. A conundrum now is how humanity can overcome the pandemic at the earliest when it is estimated that the total number of vaccines produced and distributed in the world in 2021 is only about 6 billion doses. more than 55% of the forecast demand mentioned above? Countries that have received the highest number of doses of Covid-19 vaccine in the world as of June 2. Source: Bloomberg Classification of priority groups for vaccination In order to optimize the mass vaccination campaign against SARS-CoV-2 virus in the current difficult conditions, most governments have decided to prioritize pre-vaccination for groups at high risk of infection with the virus. such as frontline medical staff, forces directly in charge of fighting the epidemic, people over 65 years old, people with chronic diseases or workers in the group providing essential services. In addition to the above approach, governments and scientists are also trying other solutions to achieve the most effective vaccination strategy possible while waiting for vaccine manufacturers to increase production and abundant supplies. more abundant. Experimental mixing of vaccines Some countries have recently considered mixing different vaccines to address shortages and delays in supply. The idea is not new, as scientists have been experimenting with this approach for decades against Ebola and HIV viruses. In the UK, scientists have decided to expand the study in the use of combinations of Covid-19 vaccines to assess whether mixing them is safe and helps prolong immunity in vaccinated people. strains or not. In February 2021, Oxford University began promoting a study called Com-Cov, whereby volunteers will be vaccinated with the first and second doses of two vaccines AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech. Preliminary research results, published in the Lancet medical journal in mid-May, revealed that mixing the two vaccines would increase the side effects of the vaccine, such as fatigue and headaches over time. short and in light form. Photo: Healthmag “It’s a finding that we didn’t anticipate. We still don’t know if this approach is associated with an improved immune response. We’ll find that out in a few weeks.” “, Professor Matthew Snape, who led the study, said on May 14. Snape and his colleagues also recently added Moderna and Novavax vaccines to the trial program. The authors hope that, if their study can demonstrate that the mixed vaccination produces an immune response as well as the standard vaccination and does not significantly increase the response to the vaccine, there will be more people complete their immunization plans sooner. This will also assist the health system in responding in the event of a shortage of any currently used vaccines. Similarly, the Philippine Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on May 24 also announced that it would start a study on mixing China’s Sinovac vaccine with other vaccines available in the country such as AstraZeneca, Pfizer/ BioNTech and Sputnik from June this year to November 2022. DOST Secretary Fortunato Dela Pena explained that Sinovac was the main target of the study because it is the most stable supply in the Philippines, accounting for 5.5 million doses out of the approximately 8.3 million doses the country has received for until now. Manila is aiming to have vaccinated more than half of its 110 million population by this year. However, according to Nikkei Asia, the nationwide vaccination campaign is facing many challenges when people focus on injecting only “branded” vaccines such as Pfizer, forcing many local governments to keep the name of the vaccine secret. Please be used in vaccinations. More spacing between injections In accordance with the regimen and recommendations of the vaccine manufacturers against Covid-19, after giving the first dose to the patient, after 3-4 weeks, medical facilities will inject the second dose (21 days apart for patients). with Pfizer vaccine and 28 days with AstraZeneca vaccine). However, the British government has decided to extend the interval between the two shots to 12 weeks to have enough vaccine to vaccinate more people. This decision caused a lot of controversy. However, British medical advisers explain, because most vaccines are proven to be more than 50% effective after the first shot, doing so will help increase immunity for more people against dangerous pathogens and help speed up the national immunization campaign. The number of new infections and deaths from Covid-19 is falling sharply in the UK. Graphics: Reuters There are no formal studies on the effectiveness of the initiative yet. However, there is an undeniable fact that the foggy country is sharply reducing the number of cases and deaths from Covid-19, allowing the country to start easing restrictive measures against the epidemic from 12/02. 4 and aims to get the country out of lockdown this summer. Vaccination for people 12 years of age and older The European Commission has approved the use of Pfizer/BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for children 12 years of age and older, European Union (EU) Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides announced on May 31. , giving the bloc’s member countries the option to expand their vaccination programmes. On the same day, the Japanese Government also announced a similar decision. The move took place not long after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 10 approved the use of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for children aged 12-15. Previously, the product was only approved by the FDA. emergency use permission for persons 16 years of age and older. President Joe Biden called the FDA’s new step a promising development in the fight against the epidemic. Before the US, Canada on May 5 became the first country in the world to agree to expand the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine recipients to children 12 years of age and older, citing more benefits. risk. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that developed countries suspend the implementation of immunization for adolescents in order to share the surplus vaccine resources with poorer countries that have a shortage of vaccination supplies for children. older, high-risk groups. “The pandemic has proven that no one is safe until everyone is safe. Equal access to a Covid-19 vaccine is within our grasp. The sooner we do it, the better. The faster our lives and our children’s lives return to normal,” emphasized Ms. Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF.

British tourists can’t hide their excitement for a trip to the sunny and warm seas of southern Portugal. “It was amazing. The feeling was unbelievable. We saw the sun again, the beaches and the bars” – British tourist Matthew Bolden said eagerly. Visitor John Thomson said that what he wants to experience right here in Portugal is the beautiful golf courses, but still need to maintain distance and stay safe. The sunny beaches of Portugal are in the favorite destination of British tourists. Source: Reuters A representative of a hotel in Portugal said that the facility had reached 50% of room capacity on the first day and will continue to increase in the next two weeks: “We have prepared very carefully and welcome guests. More special than usual. The hotel has a strict cleaning and disinfection program and provides information on the rules in Portugal so that guests can enjoy their stay. The most important thing is that visitors are safe.” Portugal has eased restrictions set in place over the past four months, reopening restaurants and shopping. However, restaurants are still limited in capacity and must close at 10:30 pm. On the beaches, visitors still have to wear masks. Nightclubs and indoor alcohol bars remain closed. Data from the website Skyscanner shows that bookings to Portugal increased by 616% in about a week after Britain published its “green list” of safe countries to travel. The Portuguese tourism industry hopes that the return of British tourists – a market that contributed 3.2 billion euros in revenue to the Portuguese economy in 2019 – will create a necessary impetus for the sector accounting for 15% of the country’s GDP.

However, since the case was recorded at Changi Airport at the end of April, the COVID-19 wave broke out again in the lion island nation. Since April 26, the country has recorded more than 200 community infections. This number in March was only 9 cases. From the initial infection, Changi Airport is now the largest outbreak in Singapore with more than 70 cases. Singapore recorded more than 200 community COVID-19 cases since April 26. (Photo: Straits Times) Mr. Ong Ye Kung – co-chair of the Singapore Inter-Ministerial Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control said that the second wave F0 could be transit travelers. “Most of the cases at the airport are concentrated in the area with the flow of passengers from high-risk countries including Southeast Asia, in the baggage and immigration control area. In that area, The staff went to have lunch and dinner at the food court and commercial service area in the second basement of T3 station, from which we determined that they had infected people when they came here.” this man said. After detecting the cluster of infections, Singapore immediately blocked Changi Airport. But medical experts in this country believe that the virus has spread to the community before the blockade order. Facing the complicated epidemic situation, Singapore decided to further tighten social distancing measures from May 16 to June 13. According to the new regulations, the number of people allowed to gather will be reduced from 5 people to 2 people, each family can only receive 2 guests a day. Employees are forced to work from home, restaurants and public food centers will temporarily suspend on-site dining, serving only take-out food. Shopping centers further reduce the number of people entering and leaving. Attractions, exhibitions, museums and libraries will reduce their capacity to 25% from the current 50%. Similar to Singapore, another anti-epidemic model is Taiwan are also struggling to cope with the second wave of COVID-19. The island has gone 253 days without recording any domestic infections, but now the number of COVID-19 cases is increasing sharply. In 2020, Taiwan, although bordering China, recorded less than 1,000 cases. Guardian call this an extraordinary number. However, on May 14, Taiwan’s health authorities reported 29 “domestic” cases. This number increased to 180 on May 15, 206 on May 16, 333 on May 17 and 240 today. In just one week, the number of COVID-19 cases in Taiwan increased by more than 40%. Medical staff prepare to test a person suspected of having COVID-19 in Taiwan. (Photo: Reuters) Cracks began to appear in the anti-epidemic wall of Taiwan at the end of April when 2 pilots of China Airlines were confirmed with COVID-19. The pilots flew together on a cargo flight to the US and were quarantined at another Novotel upon their return to Taiwan. By early May, dozens of China Airlines pilots, flight attendants, their relatives and hotel staff were confirmed to have COVID-19. However, before these cases were discovered, some went to restaurants, bars and clubs. These cases led Taiwanese to criticize the government’s decision to reduce the quarantine period for crew members from 5 to 3 days in mid-April. After an investigation, the Novotel hotel was discovered to let a number of quarantined pilots share the same building with regular tourists. During the time when Taiwan stops welcoming foreign guests, Novotel Hotel opens incentive programs to welcome visitors on the island. Dr Chiou Shu-ti, a former health commissioner of Taipei, said authorities were “playing with fire” by easing quarantine requirements. After recording the number of cases skyrocketed, the COVID-19 warning in Taipei and New Taipei was raised to level 3 in a 4-level scale, People must wear masks outside, not to gather outdoors for more than 10 people. Cinemas, sports centres, libraries and entertainment venues were also forced to close. It is not clear how the new drastic measures will help Taiwan and Singapore overcome the new wave of the epidemic. But experts believe it will take weeks or even months for these two places to once again defeat COVID-19.

On April 12, three million Indians gathered on the banks of the Ganges River. They gathered in the ancient city of Haridwar, in the state of Uttarakhand, to take a dip in the sacred river. Devoted and full of Hindu devotees crowded the streets. The Naga Sadhus, the “saints” of the Hindu ascetic practice, pose for a photo on the banks of the Ganges. Photo: AFP. This is one of the holiest days of the Kumbh Mela festival. This festival is one of the most important occasions for Hindus, attracting millions of pilgrims every year. On the same day, India recorded 169,000 new Covid-19 cases and surpassed Brazil to become the second hardest-hit country by the pandemic, according to Guardian . Ignore danger In the weeks before that, a second deadly wave of Covid-19 swept across the whole of India. However, calls to cancel the festival were rejected. By April 15, more than 2,000 festivalgoers had tested positive for the virus. As of the end of the festival on April 28, more than 9 million people have soaked in the water of the Ganges River. The actual number of Kumbh Mela participants is yet to be announced. Millions of pilgrims return home without being tested or quarantined. Several states have begun belated efforts to trace and isolate returnees from Kumbh Mela. In Madhya Pradesh, 789 pilgrims have been placed in quarantine. Of those, 118 tested positive. The Naga Sandhus attend a procession on the banks of the Ganges. Photo: Reuters. T Jacob John, former head of virology at the Indian Council of Medical Research, said: “The pilgrims in the states carry with them mutated strains of the virus and spread the disease everywhere.” . Ashish Jha, dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University, said that Kumbh Mela could be “the largest super-contagious event in the history of the Covid-19 pandemic”. Devotees attend night prayers on the banks of the Ganges River at the Kumbh Mela festival, April 13. Photo: Reuters. During the festival period, the state of Uttarakhand recorded a 1,800% increase in the number of virus positive cases. Most of the infections are related to the Kumbh Mela festival. No one escapes Covid-19 Thakur Puran Singh, a senior member of the BJP, does not believe he has contracted Covid-19 at Kumbh Mela. At dawn on April 9, he and his family drove nearly 600 km to Haridwar to attend the Kumbh Mela. Over the next five days, his family took several dips in the Ganges River. On April 16, a day after returning home, Mr. Singh started showing symptoms of Covid-19. At first, he refused to believe that he had Covid-19. However, on April 21, his condition worsened. When he was taken to a local hospital, doctors suspected he had Covid-19 because his lungs had been damaged. His son did not believe him and took him to another hospital that he considered more reputable. Thakur Puran Singh and family participate in Kumbh Mela festival. Photo: The Guardian. “I couldn’t believe the doctors and their diagnosis. I didn’t even wear a mask when I took my dad to the hospital,” said Dinesh Singh Thakur. However, Mr. Singh died en route. Eight days later, his brother, Balwant Singh, also died with symptoms of Covid-19. “Even after Mr Singh’s death, the family kept a secret that they had come to Kumbh Mela,” said Dr. Shameema, regional medical director. After returning, they also participated in four weddings. Dr Iqbal Malik, another health official, confirmed that four members of Mr Singh’s family have tested positive. More than two dozen other people who were in close contact with Singh’s family members also had similar results. Mr. Singh’s body was cremated according to the procedures of the victim who died from Covid-19. However, his family still does not believe that he died from the virus. “There are 11 people in my family, why is it that only my father is gone? My father’s death was not due to Covid-19. Fate has called him,” Thakur said. Regret Gopal Singh’s family and neighbors were touched to see him return to his hometown from Kumbh Mela. The people of Madhi Chaubisa village came out to greet him and hoped for blessings. Contrary to the joy of the villagers, he was still terrified. Singh joined about 100 others from the surrounding villages on a sacred pilgrimage to Kumbh Mela. On the way home, he saw everyone falling ill. Many passengers said they had high fever and diarrhea. However, their vehicle did not stop at any of the Covid-19 testing sites. Devotees await the Naga Sadhus at the Kumbh Mela festival. Photo: AP. “I have been to Kumbh Mela twice before but I have never seen anything like this. A lot of people have been infected,” he said. Mr Singh insisted on being tested for Covid-19 despite a local doctor dismissing his concerns. Four days later, as expected, he was positive for SARS-CoV-2. Before that, he had contact with many people in the village. Three other people traveling with Mr Singh also tested positive. Ragu Raj Dangi, head of the village, said: “After everyone returned from Kumbh Mela, the number of people with Covid-19 has increased to more than 30 cases in just a few days. There are still a lot of other people who have symptoms but haven’t been tested.” A few days later, Mamta Bhai, Mr. Singh’s neighbour, developed a fever. She was treated by a local doctor. Although she was later taken to the intensive care unit, she still did not survive. Singh feels guilty: “Stubbornness and ignorance pushed us into a disaster. I feel terrible. Because of fanatics like me, other people get the virus.” Mr. Pragyaanant Giri, a Hindu monk, also went to Kumbh Mela. Like many at the monastery, he believes Covid-19 is a conspiracy. After a month of attending the festival, Mr. Giri developed symptoms of a sore throat and high fever. His companions advised him to rest. The police officer asks a person to leave after taking a dip in the water of the Ganges. Photo: Reuters. After that, his condition worsened. After two weeks of intensive care, Mr. Giri passed away. Despite the rules for patients dying from Covid-19, his body was buried at the monastery. People in the monastery said: “More than 10 people who came into contact with Mr Giri have developed Covid-19 symptoms and some have been hospitalized. However, most members of the monastery are not tested.” Even after Giri’s death, the belief that Covid-19 is not real still pervades the monastery. Swami Harigiri, the head of the monastery, thinks this is a plot against the Hindus. “We drink cow urine. Covid-19 will not affect us. Giri’s death caused by Covid-19 is fake news,” he said. In a small village in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, a group of five women came to the festival on an 11-day trip. After returning, two people died. Although the local health department announced the victims had tested negative for Covid-19, family members told a different story. Awadh Kishore Tiwari, grandson of Bindu Devi, one of the two dead women, said: “She fell ill the day she returned home. The very next day she was gone forever. My mother also tested positive after coming into contact with her.” Ms Devi’s brother-in-law, Awadhesh Chauhan, said he advised her not to attend the Kumbh Mela because of Covid-19. However, she laughed off: “Nothing will happen to me, don’t worry”. Bringing the ashes of unclaimed Covid-19 victims to the Ganges River Indian volunteers collect ashes from crematoriums to organize funerals for Covid-19 victims in Haridwar city.

Students remove their belongings from the dormitory to requisition as a concentrated isolation area. On May 31, the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City sent a document to the National University of Ho Chi Minh City and universities and colleges in the area, requesting support and approval for the requisition of facilities. dormitories of schools to serve as concentrated isolation areas. 7 dormitories include: National University dormitory, Ho Chi Minh City National University planning area; dormitory of Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, No. 3518 Lac Long Quan, District 11; dormitory of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technical Education, No. 484 Le Van Viet, Tang Nhon Phu A ward, Thu Duc city; dormitory of Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry, Quarter 6, Linh Trung Ward, Thu Duc City; dormitory of the Institute of Post and Telecommunications Technology, No. 97 Man Thien, Hiep Phu Ward, Thu Duc City; dormitory of Ho Chi Minh City College of Industry and Trade, No. 20 Tang Nhon Phu, Phuoc Long B Ward, Thu Duc City and dormitory of Thu Duc College of Technology, No. 53 Vo Van Ngan, Linh Chieu Ward Thu Duc city. Previously, the Dormitory Management Center of the National University of Ho Chi Minh City issued a notice, asking all boarding students to leave the dormitory before 5:00 p.m. on June 1, 2021 to requisition into a new dormitory. centralized isolation. According to the Dormitory Management Center of Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City, there are nearly 35,700 students from many boarding universities here. However, recently, due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, schools held online teaching, so many students returned home according to the dormitory’s recommendation. Step 1: Visit https://www.bluezone.gov.vn or download directly at App Store or CH Play. Step 2: Once downloaded, the application will ask for permission to use Bluetooth to record contact with other Bluezone installed users. If Bluetooth is not open, drag the status bar and turn on Bluetooth; or go to Settings, select Bluetooth and turn it on. Step 3: Once the installation is done, click Scan Around. If someone near you less than 2m has used Bluezone, the application will automatically identify these users and put them in the contact list.

While the rest of the world struggled to find a way to relax travel restrictions, the two Asian financial centers have been trying for months to open up to tourism. In November 2020, the number of Covid-19 infections in Hong Kong skyrocketed, forcing Singapore and Hong Kong to postpone the “travel bubble”. And now, a new outbreak in Singapore has extinguished hopes of a “travel bubble” once again. “Next time, they should announce the enforcement 24 hours in advance so that Covid-19 does not have time to react,” Wong, 33, joked. The “travel bubble” connecting Singapore and Hong Kong was postponed twice because of the Covid-19 epidemic. Photo: Getty Images. Travel thirst The two city governments carefully drafted detailed criteria and announced new safety regulations to open the border. Many people who want to travel rush to book tickets to secure seats on two scheduled return flights each day. They plan to go to specific places, meet friends. Now again they are disappointed. “Singapore is only a 3.5 hour flight from Hong Kong, but now it feels like the other side of the world.” WSJ quoted Emma Herblot – 42-year-old French expert working for an online payment company in Singapore – lamented. Singapore and Hong Kong have been relatively successful in containing the Covid-19 epidemic and are still applying strict isolation regulations. People returning from anywhere still have to be isolated in concentrated for 2-3 weeks. So many Singaporeans and Hong Kongers have not traveled for more than a year now. Travel blogger Aaron Wong at Changi Airport in February 2020. This is his last trip before the Covid-19 epidemic. Photo: WSJ. Unlike the US or Europe, people stuck in Singapore and Hong Kong don’t have much choice when it comes to commuting. The area of ​​Singapore is only 728 square kilometers, Hong Kong is only slightly larger. Andrew Scott – a 41-year-old editor who works at a Hong Kong media company – said he planned to visit friends in Singapore. “It was fine until around January, I really wanted to go somewhere,” he lamented. I was so excited about the travel bubble plan and then it was all a disappointment.” Last year, Asian tourism experts and officials asserted that the “tourist bubble” was the key to opening the border. They say that two-dimensional “bubbles” will appear first, followed by regional “bubbles”. Some experts envision a giant Asian “travel bubble” consisting of countries that have succeeded in containing the Covid-19 epidemic. The Hong Kong government has used a “travel bubble” to encourage people to get vaccinated in recent weeks. “Great but dull Singapore” Since the beginning of the pandemic, Singapore has recorded more than 61,600 cases of Covid-19 per 5.8 million people and 31 deaths. Meanwhile, Hong Kong recorded 11,800 cases per 7.5 million people and 210 deaths. As the number of infections in Singapore increased, Chitra Karamchandani (30 years old, in Hong Kong) was extremely worried. She has not seen her fiancé for the past 1.5 years because of restrictions on entry to non-citizens. According to the plan, he was supposed to fly to Hong Kong at the end of this month and they will hold a wedding in June. Karamchandani had detailed plans to welcome her fiance, including walking around the city and learning to cook Japanese noodles. The “bubble” burst made her extremely disappointed. “When will the border reopen? We just want to see each other again,” she lamented. Dennison Wee – 26 years old, working in finance in Singapore – hopes his trip to Hong Kong will become an inspiration for him to continue blogging. He has written about journeys through nearly 100 cities around the world. Without a “tourist bubble”, Singaporeans and Hong Kongers are trapped in the city’s small size. Photo: Getty Images. But since March 2020, he has only written a few reviews about hotels within a radius of about 20 km around his apartment. Mr Wee, 26, said: “Singapore is great but it’s dull. We must have only one hill to walk on, a few islands.” To keep himself busy, travel blogger Wong participates in projects to stimulate local tourism. He continued to wait for another 2 weeks until the authorities had a new notice. “All we can do is hope,” Wong said.

A series of countries that were once the hottest epidemic centers in the world have now reopened thanks to an effective mass vaccination strategy, lighting up the hope of soon stabilizing people’s lives and recovering the economy. “Now everyone is experiencing the real New York and it suddenly dawned on me, we’re almost over the real pandemic,” Michelle Khoury said with joy evident on her face. That mood is not only of Michelle, but of many people in New York (USA) when the state fully reopens on May 19, restoring all activities. Those who have been vaccinated are no longer required to wear masks or practice social distancing when going out. They only have to wear masks at nursing homes, hospitals or on public transport. 2/ Our World in Data’s chart of the number of people vaccinated against Covid-19 in New York as of May 19. Light blue represents the number of people who injected at least 1 dose, dark green represents full dose. In a statement announcing the important decision, Governor Andrew Cuomo said that from now on, all shops, restaurants, entertainment centers, theaters and museums will no longer have to limit the number of visitors to a low level. , and New York’s subway system, which is the largest in the United States, is also officially open 24/24 as before the pandemic. The government plans to soon organize famous traditional events such as professional volleyball tournaments, marathons and performances at the Radio City Music Hall variety stage as soon as this year. According to official data, the number of new infections and deaths in New York is now hitting its lowest level since the pandemic broke out more than a year ago. After the first case of death from the new strain of corona virus was recorded on March 14, 2020, the state lost more than 30,000 people within just one year. ABC News points out that this number is 10 times more than the number of Americans who died in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. America is slowly returning to normal New York is one of many typical states of the United States, including New Jersey and Connecticut, that have reversed the pandemic to return to normal life. After more than a year of struggling against the terrible infection of the virus with more than 33.8 million positive cases and nearly 602,000 deaths, the US is gradually reviving thanks to the world’s fastest vaccination campaign. CDC data shows that, by the end of May 18, New York reached about 52% of the population receiving at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine and 43% receiving a full dose. In New Jersey, the numbers were 56.9% and 45.2%, respectively, while in Connecticut it reached 59.9% and 49.3%. Our World in Data’s chart of the number of people vaccinated against Covid-19 in the US as of May 18. Light blue represents the number of people who injected at least 1 dose, dark green represents full dose. Many other places in the US are also gradually returning to normal. Las Vegas casinos are reopening at 100% capacity with no social distancing requirements. Disneyland in California also reopened late last month after shutting down for 400 days. Massachusetts also announced that all restrictions related to Covid-19 will end by the weekend of Memorial Day (May 31). The momentum to escape the Covid-19 pandemic in the US is not outside the judgment of experts and forecasts of global financial institutions. White House senior adviser on Covid-19 Andy Slavitt pointed out that, for the first time in the pandemic, the number of infections last week decreased in all 50 US states. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, on May 18, said the average number of infections and deaths from Covid-19 in the last 7 days in the US has dropped to the lowest since the pandemic began. About 60% of Americans 18 years of age and older have had at least one dose of the vaccine, and this is a good sign that the US will easily reach the goal set by President Joe Biden, of 70% of the population getting less vaccination at least one dose of vaccine by July 4. However, she cautioned that recent numbers suggest “we should be cautiously optimistic”. Europe opens at the same time From the beginning of this week, European countries simultaneously eased restrictive measures, allowing most economic sectors to return to normal activities. The EU is speeding up Covid-19 vaccination campaigns for its people. Photo: Reuters Once one of the hottest epidemic centers in Europe in particular and globally in general, the UK officially reopened from May 17, after a long time of implementing strict blockade measures. People can move freely, hug each other or drink beer in public, have dinner at restaurants or watch movies in theaters. Students are no longer required to wear masks at school. On the same day, the first flights to Portugal and the countries that allow visitors from the UK to enter took off. He also got this spectacular step thanks to a successful vaccination campaign. The country’s daily number of new infections and deaths are both low as more than 20 million British adults have been vaccinated with both vaccines, accounting for over 30% of the country’s population. In addition, more than 36 million other people have also received the first dose of the vaccine, accounting for nearly 70% of the population. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government decided to reopen in phases, with the goal of returning to normal by next June. He warned the public to be cautious, because while Britain “has reached an important milestone in the road out of the blockade, we still have to take this next step with extreme caution”. Statista’s graph shows the number of people who received 1 or 2 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine in France from December 27, 2020 to May 15, 2021. In France, starting May 19, restaurants began serving outdoor guests after more than 6 months of having to close. Theaters, cinemas, museums and the Eiffel Tower are also open to a certain number of visitors. On the same day, Portugal officially opened its doors to all European visitors to the country without having to quarantine, provided that they present a negative test for Covid-19 within 72 hours. The Netherlands also reopened amusement parks and zoos, and allowed restaurants and outdoor bars to close 2 hours later than before. In Italy, the curfew time was also lowered to 9pm, compared to 10pm before. Beaches have been reopened to normal since the weekend. For the first time in six months, Austria allowed restaurants, theaters and cinemas to reopen. The government of this country announced that, from May 19, visitors from some countries with low infection rates will not need to be isolated, although they still need to provide negative test results and vaccination cards. two in November 2020, after recording a record high number of daily infections.

Tourists arrive at Phuket International Airport, Thailand. Documentary photo: AFP/VNA Phuket Tourism Association President Phumkit Raktaengam said on May 24 that 94,000 people working in the province’s tourism industry will be vaccinated against COVID-19. In addition, all people with household registration in the province are also subject to vaccination. Phuket has about 400,000 registered local residents. The island employs about 500,000 Thai and foreign workers in tourism and other businesses. Phuket’s vaccination program is expected to cover 70% of the population by the end of June so that it can reopen to foreign visitors in July. The resort island of Phuket will be the first Thai locality to reopen, followed by 10 other destinations in October. However, the Thai government only expects to welcome 500,000 foreign visitors this year. – a fraction of the 6.7 million visitors to the Southeast Asian country in 2020 and nearly 40 million in 2019. According to a forecast by the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), the tourism industry, which accounted for one-fifth of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, may have to It took 5 years, until 2026, to fully recover. Regarding the COVID-19 situation in Thailand, the number of deaths from COVID-19 in Thailand has surpassed 800, with 30 people recorded not dying on May 24. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Thailand has recorded a total of 806 deaths out of a total of 132,213 people with COVID-19. The third COVID-19 outbreak since early April has accounted for nearly 80 percent of COVID-19 cases in Thailand and nearly 90 percent of all deaths so far. In recent days, Thailand has detected many COVID-19 outbreaks among construction workers in the capital Bangkok. Authorities last week also found 36 cases of a more contagious strain of the B.1.617.2 virus in construction workers’ quarters in Bangkok. On May 24, Thai officials confirmed a new COVID-19 outbreak at the construction site of an elevated tram line in Nonthaburi province bordering Bangkok. Test samples of 900 workers were taken on May 22 and confirmed results on May 24 showed that 519 workers were positive for COVID-19. Thai authorities say that most of the workers at the site are immigrants and will be quarantined at the site, while the Thai workers will be taken to a makeshift hospital. This construction site has been ordered to close since the evening of May 24.

Hanoi is the locality with the most people downloading the anti-epidemic application Bluezone Out of 33 million people using Bluezone, more than 20.58 million people have entered their phone number in the information on the application. The number of people providing phone numbers to the authorities has increased by nearly 1 million people compared to April 28, 2021. The two localities leading the country in the number of people downloading the Bluezone application are Hanoi (3.1 million people) and Ho Chi Minh City (2.83 million people). In the opposite direction, provinces like Dien Bien (70,500 people), Tuyen Quang (121,000 people), Yen Bai (130,000 people), … are the localities with the lowest number of people downloading Bluezone. Considering the percentage of population, Da Nang (43.7%), Hai Duong (40%), Hanoi (38.6%), Quang Ninh (37%), Bac Ninh (34%) are localities has the most number of Bluezoners. However, there is a fact that the number of people who download and actually use the Bluezone application is still a significant difference. In Hanoi, where the most people download Bluezone, the number of Bluezone accounts actually active is only 1.23 million, accounting for 40% of the total number of accounts. Meanwhile, in Ho Chi Minh City, the number of real Bluezone users (turn on Bluetooth for Bluezone to work) is about 1.1 million people, accounting for 38% of the total number of accounts. The same thing happened in Da Nang (40%), Hai Duong (38%), Quang Ninh (38%), Bac Ninh (39%), Hai Phong (38%), Thai Nguyen (38%) when not Which province or city has the number of people actually using Bluezone exceeding 50% of the population. Currently, Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Vinh Phuc, Da Nang,… all have documents to encourage people to apply technological solutions such as electronic medical declaration and install Bluezone application to prevent , anti-epidemic. The Bluezone application is currently one of the five recommended technology solutions to prevent the spread of Covid-19. This is a low energy Bluetooth technology application solution. Smartphones with Bluezone installed can communicate with each other, recording close contact. The exposure history data will only be saved on the user’s mobile device. When there is a new infection and that person’s mobile phone has Bluezone installed, the contact history will be used to alert those who also have Bluezone installed and have been in close contact with the case. Bluezone can also help alert F2 people (close contact with F1). Bluezone warns if the user has been in close contact with someone infected with Covid-19, helping to reduce the risk of spreading in the community, helping people return to normal life.

Currently, tourists from India can stay in isolated resorts and are not allowed on islands inhabited by locals. But this is still the largest group of tourists in the archipelago since late July last year, after the Maldives reopened its international borders. The archipelago is located in the south of India, only about 2-3 hours by flight from the country. Thoyyib Mohamed, head of the Maldives’ tourism authority, told AFP : “The scattered geographical position of the small islands helps us to minimize the risk of spreading the virus on a large scale.” In addition to Dubai, the Maldives is the place where the rich in India are flocking to flee the dangerous situation at home. Photo: Shutterstock. “Many small islands are isolated, self-contained resorts. If a new case appears, the government is still able to control and isolate sick people in the resort, preventing pathogens from creeping out.” , Mr. Thoyyib added. Maldives is also conducting a campaign to vaccinate against Covid-19 for all 50,000 people in the country working in the fields of tourism, commercial services and hotels. In the other direction, many Indian actors and celebrities face an angry public reaction when they still carelessly show their photos to the Maldives to escape the epidemic and relax. Ranbir Kapoor and his girlfriend left India in the middle of the epidemic season and posted pictures of enjoying a vacation. Photo: Nzerald. On April 19, Ranbir Kapoor – the 6th highest paid actor in Bollywood – shared a picture of himself and his girlfriend Alia Bhatt leaving the country, with the caption “Maldives beckoning me”. Similarly, another pair of Bollywood stars, Disha Patani and Tiger Shroff, showed off photos of enjoying the Maldives in a 5-star resort. Below the comment section, a series of objections, criticizing the insensitivity of the rich class. Many other celebrities in the Indian showbiz also condemned the act of showing off their wealth at this time as offensive and inappropriate. In addition to Dubai, the Maldives is a place where many rich Indians flee to escape the epidemic by private planes at expensive costs. Demand for private jet charters has skyrocketed, with many people pooling money in a shared charter to quickly leave the country. Over the past several days, the number of new Covid-19 cases in India has continuously reached a world record. On April 30, India continued to record 408,331 new infections, bringing the total number of Covid-19 cases in this country to 19 million.

On the afternoon of May 9, Bai Chay tourist area in Ha Long city (Quang Ninh) was empty of tourists after this locality appeared a case of Covid-19 related to the outbreak of K Hospital Tan Trieu campus. Currently, the case in Ha Long is also the only Covid-19 case in Quang Ninh province, numbered 3260 by the Ministry of Health. The empty streets were completely different from the bustling atmosphere last weekend. To prevent the epidemic, Ha Long City applied a series of strong measures, including the blockade of markets such as Ha Long 1; Ha Long 2; Toad market Old ferry terminal; Vuon Dao market, Bai Chay ward… Ha Long Bay also stopped tourist activities. Visitors to Quang Ninh must make a medical declaration from 0:00 on May 8. Mr. Nguyen Van Thang (who works as a motorbike taxi driver) last week used to stay here to take guests from resorts to the beach. “For two days, I just brought my car here to sit for the rest of the day and then come back. There were no customers, but I didn’t dare to rest because I was the main laborer in the family,” said Mr. Thang. The parking lot is near sparsely populated, located between the pedestrian street and the amusement park. A representative of Sun World Halong Complex said that the entire amusement park was closed to visitors from May 6. This cafe is located in a beautiful location between the two main streets of the pedestrian street. Before the outbreak, this place was usually busy on weekends, but now it has to be closed. Another cafe on the corner of the pedestrian street is in a similar condition. The staff here said that only a few guests sometimes come in for a drink. “Each business kiosk here has a rental price of 15-20 million/month. Now that there are no customers, we are forced to close down to return the premises,” said Mr. Tran Huu Viet, owner of a restaurant on the pedestrian street. With no guests, many employees put things out to repair to wait for tourists to return. This cafe located in the middle of the beach, which opened last summer, is now closed. Tables and chairs covered with canvas lay bare in the middle of the sand. Previously, Ha Long announced that people were not allowed to swim in the sea. Some pontoon and beach seat rentals have been shut down. Ha Long international passenger ship port area is in a similar situation. Ships lined up long after the Quang Ninh provincial authorities asked to stop welcoming tourists to Ha Long Bay.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam. Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said that since the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak worldwide, Vietnam has been one of the countries with high risk of infection and early cases. Thanks to the consistent implementation of epidemic prevention and control measures throughout the political system and the entire people, and the support and cooperation of the international community, up to now, Vietnam is still one of the best countries in the world to fight the epidemic. ranked 214/220 countries with the number of infections, very low. That shows that Vietnam’s strategies so far are completely correct. For example, Vietnam has set a goal of being ready for treatment but also determined to not let many infections happen, avoiding extremely serious consequences. The whole political system and the whole people joined the fight against the epidemic. Vietnam has well performed the “dual task”, both against the epidemic and socio-economic development, the loss is the least compared to the risk. Vietnam’s position has increased thanks to its success in fighting the epidemic. According to Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, in epidemic prevention and control, our country should zone as quickly and neatly as possible when detecting cases, if not yet qualified for identification, it can be wider, but by all means quickly. narrow the zoning; make adjustments in accordance with the situation and capacity of the locality and unit. “We always seriously consider what is not good in epidemic prevention and control to adjust. The Prime Minister, seeing that the epidemic prevention and control discipline is not strict, quickly corrected and reminded”, Deputy Prime Minister said. Regarding the development of a vaccine against Covid-19, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said that from the early days of the fight against this pandemic, Vietnam has set a goal of focusing all its efforts on research to produce vaccines. in the country and when the world successfully developed a vaccine, we have tried all ways to negotiate to have the vaccine as soon as possible, injecting the most people. However, due to the scarcity of vaccines, so far, our country has only imported a limited number. The Ministry of Health is very active to get more vaccines, but there will be a larger supply until the end of the year, but it is not enough to create herd immunity, so the whole country still needs to take preventive measures. disease as there is no vaccine. “The Government has assigned localities to prevent and control the epidemic in the spirit of “4 on the spot”, take necessary measures: Actively prepare forces, supplies and equipment for their localities according to the global epidemic scenarios. Based on professional analysis, there are safe anti-epidemic measures and good implementation of “dual goals”, requiring localities to discuss with neighboring provinces when implementing isolation and social distancing. “, the Deputy Prime Minister added. In order to actively prevent and control the epidemic effectively, the Government calls on all people to be aware of their responsibilities to themselves, to their relatives and to the country, and to strictly implement epidemic prevention and control measures; Participate in detecting cases of illegal entry… Step 1: Visit https://www.bluezone.gov.vn or download directly at App Store or CH Play. Step 2: Once downloaded, the application will ask for permission to use Bluetooth to record contact with other Bluezone installed users. If Bluetooth is not open, drag the status bar and turn on Bluetooth; or go to Settings, select Bluetooth and turn it on. Step 3: Once the installation is done, click Scan Around. If someone near you less than 2m has used Bluezone, the application will automatically identify these users and put them in the contact list.

Tourists to Maldives. (Source: PSM News) Located in the northern part of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives has always been a popular destination and a major attraction for travelers looking for a quality vacation and leisure time. The Maldives is heavily dependent on the tourism industry as it is the main source of foreign currency earnings contributing to the national economy. However, the Covid-19 pandemic occurring around the world, resulting in travel restrictions, has had a significant impact, even a recession, on the country’s economy. On January 30, 2020, the Maldives recorded its first suspected case of corona virus. From the end of March to July 2020, this country was forced to close its borders to tourists, bringing the economy to a standstill. After stopping international flights for more than three months since the start of the pandemic, on July 15, 2020, the Maldives reopened its borders, being one of the first major global tourist destinations to open. back door for foreign visitors. The Maldives Ministry of Tourism has issued the Covid-19 Safe Travel Guide along with a certification program that ensures the safety and hygiene standards of all tourist facilities including accommodation, transportation, airport and other related facilities. Accordingly, the Maldives introduces a program called “Vaccination Tourism” that allows visitors to the country to travel without having to wait until the vaccine trial is completed. The Maldives also offers a distinctive ‘one-island-one-resort’ concept, allowing visitors to maintain social distancing while enjoying a truly safe and secluded stay. As a result, last year, the island nation welcomed 555,000 tourists to visit the Maldives and welcomed more than 400,000 tourists since the beginning of January this year. The Covid-19 vaccine program in the Maldives was started on March 1, with 200,000 doses of the Oxford-Astrazeneca “Covishield” vaccine funded by the Indian government. To date, Maldives has also received 12,000 doses of Covishield vaccine through COVAX and 10,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine from China. With 36% of residents fully vaccinated, the Maldives is currently the fifth most immunized country. With an adequate supply of vaccines, the Maldives is also preparing to launch a “vaccine on arrival” program as soon as all of its population has been vaccinated. However, the nation of islands with a population of 340,000, is currently struggling with an increase in the number of Covid-19 infections, the number of infections increased to a record in a day of 1,500 cases on May 6 compared to May 6. with less than 100 cases just a month ago. White sand resorts and beaches, have been reported to be home to the fastest Covid-19 outbreaks in the world. The average number of new infections recorded in the Maldives every day has reached a new high. To date, there have been 87 deaths related to Covid-19 in the Maldives, including 74 locals, 11 foreign nationals. The Maldives government is forced to take strict measures to contain the current situation. As part of its efforts, the Maldives government has decided to suspend the issuance of tourist visas to visitors originating from South Asian countries, effective from May 13. The ban will also apply to travelers who stay more than 24 hours, have transited or have been to the listed countries within the previous 14 days. Restaurants and cafes are only allowed to open for delivery and takeout, and indoor dining is prohibited. From May 12, a partial curfew was in place in the capital Malé from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m., for a week. Some other restrictions include moving government agencies’ activities to an online service, banning group prayer at mosques, and suspending students at universities from going to school. (according to Vietnam Embassy in Sri Lanka concurrently Maldives)

On Tuesday (May 11), the Maldives Ministry of Tourism announced: “The government decided to temporarily suspend the issuance of tourist visas to visitors from South Asian countries including India, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as well as those who have transited in these countries within the past 14 days.” The ban is in effect from May 13, 2021 until further notice. This move comes in the context of the Maldives government trying to control the number of Covid-19 infections that have been on the rise again in the last 2 weeks. Maldives recorded a record increase of 1572 cases in a day on Wednesday (May 12), compared with less than 100 cases in the previous month. Taking samples for Covid test in June 2020 in Maldives Maldives was one of the first countries to reopen to tourists in July last year. As soon as the Covid-19 wave broke out in India, the rich Indians and many Bollywood stars flew to the Maldives and showed off their check-in photos of 5-star beaches and resorts online, causing outrage. angry at home. In April this year, officials announced plans to vaccinate resort tourists, after all Maldivians were vaccinated. So far, about 25% of locals have been fully vaccinated, according to figures compiled by CNN. By May, the Maldivian authorities had introduced new restrictions. All new arrivals are required to present full documentation of a negative test done within 96 hours prior to arrival in the archipelago. New restrictions by the Maldivian government mean that India’s super-rich will look elsewhere to flee the epidemic. And Dubai is emerging as a top alternative destination, with bookings up 10% in recent weeks, said Rajan Mehra, CEO of Club One Air.

Even more sad is that those endless tragedies still have no end. These stories will appear more and more, as the Covid-19 pandemic begins to spread from big cities to rural India, where the health system is much worse than the urban areas. The picture is full of contrasts The Indian capital New Delhi recorded nearly 12,500 new Covid-19 cases on May 12 – just half of the number recorded here on April 30. Another somewhat positive sign is that the positive rate of tests has dropped to 19%, from a peak of 36% a few weeks earlier. A farmers market in Mumbai on May 11. Photo: Reuters. A similar positive situation is recorded in Mumbai – India’s most populous city. The positive rate of the test here dropped to 7%, below the 10% recommended by WHO. That partly shows that the two largest cities of India are gradually controlling the epidemic. However, if looking at the whole picture, the picture of the Covid-19 pandemic does not seem to have too many bright spots. Dark spots are appearing more and more, especially in rural India. This leads to a conundrum: If New Delhi, which has good health infrastructure and many good hospitals, struggles to contain the pandemic, how can rural areas where the system much weaker health care – can withstand the wave of epidemics. And the answer came pretty quickly. When the source of oxygen is exhausted On May 11, Sri Venkateswara Ramnarain Ruia Hospital in Andhra Pradesh state ran out of oxygen supply, while more than 60 patients were in critical condition. 11 patients later died. In anger, relatives of these people stormed into the intensive care unit, knocking over tables and chairs and smashing equipment. Television images showed several people clutching their heads in grief, while doctors and nurses fled for fear of assault. A Covid-19 patient is being cared for at a public hospital in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Photo: Reuters. Andhra Pradesh, like many other southern states, is facing severe oxygen shortages. Statistics of an Indian newspaper show that oxygen depletion has taken place in 20 hospitals, leading to the deaths of more than 200 patients. In the past, the southern states of India have agreed to share oxygen with each other. Now, some states want to end the cooperation. The southern state of Tamil Nadu refused to share oxygen with the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh, where the tragedy took place that left 11 people dead. The state of Kerala also refused to share oxygen because of the state’s high demand for oxygen, as the test positive rate in the state increased to 27% from 8% in early April. “Many people have died without treatment,” commented Rijo M. John, a health economist in Kerala. Behind the bodies in the river People in Bihar, a northern Indian state, could not help but be shocked when they discovered dozens of bodies, suspected of being Covid-19 victims, washed up on the banks of the Ganges River on May 10. “I have never seen so many corpses,” said Arun Kumar Srivastava, a local doctor. He also said that “there will certainly be more deaths”, as many people carry bodies on their shoulders. A family member of a Covid-19 patient is grieving after hearing the news of a loved one’s death. Photo: Reuters. Officials said the bodies were dropped by ambulance drivers from a bridge, and denied that the bodies were floated by relatives due to lack of burial conditions. Krishna Dutt Mishra, an ambulance driver in Bihar, said that many people had to drop the bodies of loved ones in the river because the cremation price was too high. According to him, during the second Covid-19 wave, the price of cremation has increased from 2,000 rupees (about 27 USD) to 15,000 rupees (200 USD). This is a huge sum of money for many Indian families, and as a result, cremating a loved one becomes an impossibility for them. “I drove all the way from Buxar to Chausa. I’ve never seen dead bodies in the river, let alone seen dozens, or hundreds of bodies,” Mr. Mishra said. Bringing the ashes of unclaimed Covid-19 victims to the Ganges River Indian volunteers collect ashes from crematoriums to organize funerals for Covid-19 victims in Haridwar city.

The banks of the Ganges River in the city of Garhmukteshwar, Uttar Pradesh state (India’s most populous state) became a place to cremate the bodies of people who died of COVID-19. Photo: AFP/GETTY IMAGES The epidemic is spreading rapidly to the countryside After four consecutive days of recording the number of infections above 400,000 / day, the last two days the number of daily infections in India has fallen below this level. Many government health officials and experts predict this second wave of epidemics in India will peak around the end of this week. However, it seems that the epidemic crisis in India is moving to a more dangerous new phase. The danger is that the virus is now spreading rapidly to rural areas, according to the CIDRAP Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. In the article in the newspaper New York Times Journalist Jeffrey Gettleman, head of this newspaper’s office in the capital New Delhi, also said that the infection and death from COVID-19 that broke out in big cities a few weeks ago is now spreading very quickly to rural areas. village. New Delhi recorded nearly 12,500 infections on May 11, less than half of the number recorded on April 30. Hospitals in New Delhi are now accepting patients again, after having to stop accepting them because of overcrowding last month, leaving infected people to die on the streets. Mumbai also recorded the same. The danger is that the number of infections in New Delhi and Mumbai will probably stop increasing and decrease gradually, but in many other places will increase. In other words, the situation of New Delhi a few weeks ago now extends to almost the entire country. Some of the worst-affected states are in the south, especially Karnataka. I cannot imagine what would happen in rural India. Expert RIJO M. JOHN worried about the prospect of the COVID-19 epidemic overflowing into the countryside How will it be? This fact raises a terrifying question: If New Delhi, a rich metropolis with dozens of hospitals, is unable to handle the current wave of high cases, what will happen once this wave spreads to the country? poor rural areas? The answer seems to be gradually becoming clear. On the evening of May 10, a leading hospital in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh ran out of medical oxygen. More than 60 critically ill patients wear breathing tubes but no oxygen. The doctors worked frantically, but 11 patients did not survive that night. In a distraught over the loss of a loved one, family members stormed into the hospital and smashed it. Doctors and nurses had to flee until the police arrived. It can be clearly seen that the hospital overload, lack of oxygen, medicine … very serious even in large urban areas will be more alarming in rural states, according to the radio. CNN . Chogath farming village in the western state of Gujarat has a population of 7,400, but there are 500-600 infections, the number of people who have not survived is very high because the whole village does not have a doctor. Nearby towns have several medical centers, but these small facilities have run out of beds and medical facilities. Dinesh Makwana drove his father, who was severely infected with COVID-19, through four medical centers in neighboring towns, but had to return home, because these centers had run out of beds. Usually about 30 people die in this village every year, but in the past month alone, villagers have had to cremate 90 bodies, according to Mr. Girjashankar. Many families have lost a lot of loved ones to COVID-19. Girjashankar, 70, still volunteered to go up the hill to cut firewood to help cremate the dead. Many southern states such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu have made it clear that they will not share the medical oxygen they have with each other, having to keep it to serve hospitals that are overloaded because the number of patients is growing too fast in their states. Medical aid goods from other countries have started pouring into India since the end of April, but it is still not enough compared to the reality of the shortage in this country. Currently, in addition to urban areas suffering from severe epidemics, Prime Minister Narenda Modi’s government also spends some oxygen and medicine to urgently distribute to the states. However, with this little common ground, remote and isolated localities such as Chogath village (Gujarat state) still have to rely on their own strength.• Drop the body Ganges River because there is no money for cremation Newspaper Indian Express On May 10, Indians discovered more than 40 bodies washed up on the banks of the Ganges River near Bihar and Uttar Pradesh states in the north. Some news channels say that the number of bodies floating in the Ganges must be in the hundreds. In India, there is a custom that when a family member dies, the relatives will tie a stone to the body and drop it into the Ganges River – a sacred river for Hindus. However, many officials and locals believe that these bodies are those who died from COVID-19. Many bodies were partially burned and locals explained that the bodies were not cremated or cremated incompletely due to a severe shortage of firewood. Another reason families choose to drop their loved ones’ bodies in the river is because they can’t stand the cost of cremation, many health workers told the newspaper. New York Times . Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are two of India’s poorest states and are home to about 370 million people. Doctors warn people not to use cow dung on their bodies in the belief that it will help their immune systems deal with the virus or help them recover faster if they get sick. Hindus believe cows are a symbol of life and cow dung or cow urine is therapeutic. However, according to doctors, not only is there no scientific evidence that this can defeat COVID-19 but can also bring many other disease risks.

The number of users downloading Bluezone apps increased sharply According to the Department of Information Technology, the Ministry of Information and Communications announced on May 12, as of 5:00 p.m. on May 11, there were 31.88 million downloads of Bluezone applications across the country. The number of Bluezone application downloads has increased by 131,000 times compared to May 10 and by 1,338 million compared to April 28 – the start of the 4th Covid-19 translation back to Vietnam. Subscriber phone number has also reached over 20 million. Smartphones with Bluezone installed can communicate with each other, recording close contact. When there is a new case where the person’s cell has Bluezone installed, the exposure history will be used to alert people who also have Bluezone installed and have been in close contact with the case. Bluezone can also help warn people on group F2 (close exposure to F1). Bluezone warns if the user has close contact with someone infected with Covad-19, helping to minimize the risk of spreading in the community. Out of a total of nearly 32 million downloads of Bluezone applications across the country, Hanoi, Da Nang, Hai Duong, Quang Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City are the top 5 provinces / cities in terms of the percentage of Bluezone users in terms of the total population. Accordingly, more than 3 million users downloaded Bluezone in Hanoi (37.74%). This figure in Ho Chi Minh City is nearly 2.8 million (accounting for more than 31%); Hai Duong is more than 676,000 people (accounting for 39.65%) and Da Nang is nearly 491,000 users (accounting for 43.28%). However, there are some localities with low rates of installation such as Thanh Hoa, Nam Dinh, Dak Lak, Nghe An, and Dien Bien, accounting for less than 14% of the total population. In the previous session, the Bluezone application also recorded a sharp increase in the number of downloads. In these days, Bluezone is the leading app on download list on both App Store and CH Play app stores in Vietnam. Within a week from January 28 to February 4, Da Nang, Hanoi, Quang Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Duong continuously led in the proportion of Bluezone users to the population. Some other provinces have also experienced rapid user growth such as Hoa Binh, Lao Cai, Binh Phuoc, Ha Nam, Gia Lai, Hung Yen, Phu Tho, Nam Dinh, Dong Thap. By February 4, 2020, the number of Bluezone downloads reached 28 million, an increase of more than 3 million compared to January 28, 2021, an average increase of about 500 thousand downloads per day. Bluezone application is currently one of the 5 recommended technology solutions to prevent the spread of Covid-19. This is a solution that applies Bluetooth low energy technology. Smartphones with Bluezone installed can communicate with each other, recording close contact. Contact history data will be saved only on the user’s mobile device. When there is a new case where the person’s mobile has Bluezone installed, the exposure history is used to alert people who also have Bluezone installed and have had close contact with the case. Bluezone can also help warn people on group F2 (close exposure to F1). Bluezone warns if users have close contact with people infected with Covad-19, helping to reduce the risk of spreading in the community, helping people return to normal lives. Bluezone also has utilities to make it easier for users such as: medical declaration, newsletter, arrival and departure records … It is known that in the last epidemic, Bluezone has traced 735 cases, discovered 4,625 cases of close contact. Among them, more than half are concentrated in Hai Duong. Before that, in the second outbreak, Bluezone has brought into play its support in tracing cases of suspected and infected cases. According to statistics from August 12, 2020 to September 5, 2020, from 72 identified cases to be taken into account (out of a total of 146 cases nationwide), the system has identified 1,920 new cases. close contact with infected cases, suspected cases to supplement the list of traditional traceability by epidemiological investigation …

VOCs include corona virus variants that are more dangerous than the original strains, with a higher potential for infection and lethality. WHO previously classified B.1.617 as a “strain variable” (VOI), a level of danger lower than that of the VOC. Variant B.1.617 was first discovered in the Vidarbha region of the Indian state of Maharashtra last December. B.1.617 contains 2 mutations L452R and E484Q, or “double mutation”. According to WHO, variant B.1.617 is already present in more than 20 countries. Malaysian soldiers and security personnel at a blockade to block the entrance of the capital Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Bloomberg Malaysia blockade nationwide for 3 weeks Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on May 10 announced that the country would again apply a nationwide blockade within three weeks. According to Reuters, Prime Minister Yassin said the decision to blockade from May 12 to June 7 is necessary, as the number of new infections and the emergence of corona virus variants are putting pressure on. public health system. “Malaysia is facing a third wave of Covid-19 that is likely to cause a national crisis,” explained Mr. Yassin. “Data and science continue to show gathering practices, which make it difficult to maintain social disparity, and the presence of people in confined spaces as the main cause of social disparity. spread of Covid-19 “. Malaysia’s Ministry of Health said on May 10 that the country had 3,807 new cases of Covid-19 infection, bringing the total number of cases to 444,484. The number of Covid-19 deaths increased by 17 to a total of 1,700. The Malaysian government has also introduced the Movement Control Order (MCO), which prohibits all activities with crowds such as weddings or dining at restaurants, closes schools, limits 3 to 1. car (including driver) … The body of a suspected Covid-19 washed up on the banks of the Ganges River At least 40 bodies were washed ashore on the banks of the Ganges section between the two Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. “The incident happened at the Ganges section in Buxar district, near the state border of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. We instructed authorities to dispose of the bodies by burial or cremation,” said Ashok Kumar, local official. , said May 10. Buxar district media said, the number of bodies washed ashore could reach about 100. Many of these are decomposing and may have been in the river for many days. Some officials are concerned that these may be the remains of victims recently passed away from Covid-19. Locals believe that the bodies were dropped into the river because the cremation area was overloaded or relatives of the dead could not afford firewood. “This is what really shocked us,” said Kameshwar Pandey, a person who lives near the riverbank. According to data from Johns Hopkins University (JHU), on May 10, India recorded more than 366,000 new cases and nearly 3,800 deaths. To date, the country has recorded a total of more than 22.6 million cases and more than 246,000 deaths by Covid-19. Taiwan isolating China Airlines pilots Tran Thoi Chung, head of the Taiwanese health agency (China), said on May 10 that all pilots of the island’s largest airline would be quarantined for 14 days to prevent spread of Covid-19. Chung said the only way he could stop what he believed was a cluster of infections at China Airlines was to isolate all of the airline’s returning and returning pilots, Chung said. “This will have a big impact on China Airlines, for its passenger, cargo and crew flights. But for the safety of the entire community, we can’t help but make a decision. This, “he announced. China Airlines did not comment on the decision, although it has repeatedly said it will work with authorities to end Covid-19 infection, and increase vaccination of its employees, including both the pilot. Vietnamese-English

Patient COVID-19 was treated in an isolation ward in New Delhi, India on May 8, 2021. Photo: THX / TTXVN Half a month ago, when the COVID-19 crisis shook India, the Regional Director of South Asia at the International Association of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Udaya Regmi warned the rate of infection. The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the region is “really frightening”, possibly making South Asia “the new epicenter of the next US pandemic”. In the past two weeks, according to World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, the number of new infections in this region has been higher than the total number of cases in the first six months of the pandemic combined – an explosion that has stunned at South Asia. Along with India, the number of new infections is increasing alarmingly across South Asia, especially in Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Charities fear South Asia is approaching “disaster”. Experts say that the epidemic situation in South Asia has become more serious recently, mainly due to the new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, especially the double mutation in India. Over the past week, Nepal has seen a number of new cases of more or less 9,000 cases / day, while this number during March was only a few dozen cases. The number of reported infections in Nepal is 57 times more now than in April 2021. The rate of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection per 100,000 population per day increased more than 7 times in just two weeks. In Sri Lanka, since the beginning of May alone, more than 18,000 new infections have been recorded. If on April 27, for the first time, the number of cases per day in this country reached 4 digits, then on May 10, the South Asian country witnessed the highest number of cases ever, 2672 cases. Pakistan in February averaged 1,100 cases per day, now this number has increased 5 times. Maldives on 11/5 recorded 1,204 cases, while a week ago the average daily number was about 600 cases. The rapid infection rate in all South Asian countries makes experts warn a new global epidemic wave is emerging that South Asia is the epicenter. Dr. Ashish Jha, Rector of Brown University of Public Health (USA) commented: “Here’s the bottom line: When there are big outbreaks, those variations will arise… India is a large country. “People and at large, when there are big outbreaks there, we will have to worry about new variants that are more harmful to the people of this country and of course they will spread around the world.” India first discovered variant B.1.617 in October 2020 and WHO classified it as a “variant of concern” at a global level due to its more contagious nature and higher mortality. as well as being resistant to many current vaccines and treatments. According to reports, this variant has appeared in at least 17 countries. Explaining the cause of the current devastating COVID-19 “tsunami” in South Asia, experts say that the region is inherently densely populated, with a large number of poor living together in the Narrow spaces in the slums of the city or rural areas turn this into “fertile ground” for the SARS-CoV-2 virus to rage. Currently more than 35% of the about 800 million poor people worldwide are struggling with the pandemic living in South Asia. People wait in line for the COVID-19 vaccine to be vaccinated in Kalutara, Sri Lanka. Photo: THX / TTXVN As one of the poorest countries in the world, Nepal was hit by a pandemic while still sinking in serious crises after the 2015 earthquake disaster. Currently, 44% of health care facilities here are damaged after The earthquake has not yet been reconstructed, more than 70% of the population has to earn a living by informal jobs so they do not have access to the social safety net. Since 2015, an additional 700,000 Nepalese have fallen into the poverty line. High density of the population, the proportion of people who are malnourished and have no income are factors that increase the risk of COVID-19 more easily and make medical care almost impossible. Although Nepal has increased its border controls and imposed blockades in heavily affected areas, including the capital, Kathmandu, experts fear that is not enough to keep the virus from spreading. As fast as a wind from the Kathmandu valley to the foot of Mount Everest. Meanwhile, the Maldives archipelago has an economy dependent on tourism, so it reopened the border to international tourists since July 2020 after 3 months of blockade, becoming the first country to celebrate. welcome foreign tourists in the midst of a pandemic still raging around the world. Until India’s other neighbors have begun to close their borders and impose a travel ban, resorts in the Maldives still welcome Bollywood stars and Indian citizens who want to visit the island nation. avoid the domestic epidemic crisis. As a result, early May, the Center for Medical Emergencies (HEOC) Maldives said hospital admissions had tripled in just a few days and that a new variant of the virus could have entered the island nation. In Sri Lanka, in the early days of May, the number of new infections in the day quickly exceeded the peak of the first wave in February. Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi admitted this was the result of mass gatherings in New Year’s Eve (April 13-14), when many people go to the streets to celebrate and go shopping. In Pakistan, schools and restaurants have been closed, shops have shortened hours of operation and troops have been deployed in response to the epidemic. But every night, groups of devout Muslims flock to temples across the country to pray, though Pakistani authorities have tightened restrictions on and banned travel during Eid al- Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Pakistan has recorded more than 861,000 cases and nearly 19,000 deaths, but the testing system in the country is very limited while the health care infrastructure is sagging, prompting experts to warn of epidemics. much worse. Home to half of the world’s poor, South Asian countries lack adequate public health facilities and are increasingly scarce in the medical supplies needed during a pandemic outbreak today. The countries in the region depend on India, the largest country in South Asia, for medical equipment and especially vaccines. However, India is also facing a serious shortage of both anti-epidemic products. The current very low vaccination rates in South Asia are one of the reasons the virus spreads “out of control”. According to UNICEF data, in most countries in the region, less than one tenth of the population is vaccinated. About 1.7 million out of nearly 30 million Nepalese people have just received the first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Among them, 380 thousand people received the second shot. It is also worrying that investment in public health in most countries remains modest. According to World Bank (WB) data, in 2017, Sri Lanka invested about 2% of GDP in public health, Bangladesh at 2.27% of GDP, the figure in Pakistan was 2.9% and 3 , 19% are in Bhutan, while the US is 17.06%, Austria is 10.4%, and Brazil 9.47%. Due to limited investment in health, most South Asian countries are “ragged” in the pandemic. For example, Nepal has about 1,600 hospital beds with active treatment and less than 600 ventilators, on average 0.7 doctors will care for 100,000 people. Sri Lanka, at a rate of 3.6 hospital beds for every 1,000 people and 1,200 people with only 1 doctor, quickly fell into overcrowding due to the pandemic. Cremation of patients dying from COVID-19 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Photo: THX / TTXVN Moreover, since South Asia is one of the two regions with the highest poverty rates in the world (along with the southern Sahara), experts warn the consequences of this outbreak for South Asia will be. very cruel. According to the World Bank, COVID-19, which has been raging for more than a year, can push an additional 115 million people deep into poverty and most of the “new poor class” will be concentrated in South Asia. It can be said that the “terrible storm” COVID-19 that swept through India has also swept into other poor countries of South Asia. Dr. Netra Prasad Timsina, of the Red Cross of Nepal, warned “what is happening in India right now is the terrible future of South Asian countries” if we do not take drastic action. IFRC Asia Pacific Director Alexander Matheou also affirmed, “We need to act now, quickly to have hope of preventing this disaster,” because the virus “does not distinguish borders and strains are spreading throughout Asia “. South Asia is the region that accounts for 25% of the world’s population and whether the region can overcome the COVID-19 crisis will determine the “success or failure” of the fight against the global pandemic.

Many states in southern India are warning to stop sharing medical oxygen with each other, protecting all that is available as their hospitals increasingly “swell” because of the increased number of COVID-19 cases. leap. At an Andhra Pradesh hospital, the family of COVID-19 patients went into a rage when the hospital treating their loved ones suddenly had their oxygen supply interrupted. These are the best evidences of the recurring tragedy in India itself. Despair that enveloped New Delhi – the capital of India, over the past few weeks has now spread across the country. Rural areas with poor health infrastructure are slowly feeling the devastation caused by the COVID-19 tsunami. According to the New York Times , it seems that the COVID-19 crisis in India is entering a new phase. Workers deliver oxygen tanks to a hospital in the states of Jammu and Kashmir. (Photo: AP) The number of COVID-19 cases in New Delhi and Mumbai is slowing down. But elsewhere are now really taking the COVID-19 blow. People questioned New Delhi, home to many of India’s top hospitals and packed with the country’s elite that can’t even handle the massive surge in cases, what will happen in the regions. poor countryside. On the night of May 10, a government hospital in Andhra Pradesh fell into a state of oxygen depletion. Doctors frantically call the providers to ask for help. But when the source could not be found, 11 patients died. The families of the patients, after learning of the news, entered the intensive care unit, screaming and smashing the equipment. TV images show the women holding their heads in despair. Doctors and nurses had to flee and wait for the police to arrive. Despite the aid of other countries, India still has a serious shortage of medical oxygen. More than 20 hospitals were depleted of oxygen, nearly 200 patients died from lack of oxygen. Vaccine campaign is being accelerated, but supply is not enough demand. Many vaccination sites in the states have run out of vaccines and people are still unable to schedule vaccinations. When the COVID-19 tsunami shows no signs of cooling down, the wave of criticism against Prime Minister Narendra Modi has intensified. Many people thought that he declared the victory of the epidemic too soon, causing the country to fall off guard. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) remains India’s most powerful political organization by far. But the solid wall the party has maintained over the years is showing some cracks. When the second wave of COVID-19s began to strike India, the country almost split into two extremes. New Delhi, Mumbai – the two largest cities in India warned that the number of new infections increased continuously with the infection rate up to 36%. In rural areas, the epidemic has also spread but has not yet strongly exploded, leaving many people leisurely. Currently, the situation in New Delhi and Mumbai is improving. On May 11, New Delhi reported 12,481 new infections, half the number of cases recorded on April 30. The positive rate for COVID-19 decreased to 19%. A mass cremation site on the banks of the Ganges River in Allahabad city, Uttar Pradesh. (Image: Getty Images) In Mumbai, the commercial capital of India, the incidence of infection decreased from 25% to 7%. People began to believe that the epidemic was about to end – something they didn’t dare to think about a few weeks ago. Last month, many hospitals in New Delhi were closed due to lack of oxygen. People are not allowed to be hospitalized to die right in front of the emergency room, in front of the hospital gate, or even on the street. When the situation was less stressful, these hospitals accepted the patients again. At the beginning of April, the infection rate in many rural India was only one digit. But now, this number is skyrocketing. “It’s hard to imagine what’s going on in the rural areas, where infection rates rose from 8% in early April to almost 27% on May 11. “, Professor Rijo M John went to the Indian Institute of Management in Kerala state. According to Mr. John, rural India does not carry out testing much and many patients may be dying because they do not receive treatment. On May 11, Modi’s government dispatched an “oxygen express train” to bring liquid oxygen to COVID-19 hotspots in the southern region. But states need more than that. A few weeks ago, several southern Indian states agreed to share oxygen supplies with each other. This week, some started mentioning ceasing to cooperate. The state government of Kerala says it cannot supply oxygen to neighboring states as it needs to retain the entire supply for the state’s growing demand. Tamil Nadu also made a similar statement, claiming he could not be shared with his poorer neighbor, Andhra Pradesh. Earlier this week in the village of Chausa, Bihar state, people panicked when they found dozens of bodies floating mysteriously on the banks of the Ganges River. No one knows who these people are or how their bodies got there. Even on the evening of May 10, images of decomposing bodies in colorful, bulging and floating bodies floating on the river shook the Indian media. Suspected bodies of COVID-19 have been washed ashore in the Ganges river in the past few days. (Photo: PTI) About 30 bodies have been found, most likely, of patients with COVID-19, officials say. Meanwhile local people said they saw about 100 bodies. “I’ve never seen so many bodies,” Arun Kumar Srivastava, a doctor in Chausa said. When the uneasiness of the villagers of Chausa had not passed, their neighbor witnessed the same scene. Villagers in Gahmar village, Uttar Pradesh state found more than 50 bodies of patients with COVID-19 washed up on the banks of the Ganges River as they passed their villages. Krishna Dutt Mishra, an ambulance driver in Chausa, said many poor people were throwing their loved ones into the river when the cremation price increased from $ 27 (more than 600,000 dong) to 200 dollars (more than 4.6 million dong). At many cremation sites, staff in some places charge five or even 10 times more than the usual price. For many families, this is too much for them.

The deadly “tsunami” called COVID-19 is sweeping across the Indian subcontinent, leaving tragedies that scare the world. With each passing day, India has recorded more tragic records of the number of people infected with COVID-19 as well as the number of deaths from this deadly virus since the outbreak of the epidemic in China more than a year. before. For days in a row, the number of people infected with COVID-19 has reached a world record, exceeding 300,000, while the number of deaths steadily exceeds a terrible threshold of 3,000 people per day. This South Asian nation’s health system showed signs of not tolerating the aggressive attack of COVID-19. Hospitals refused to accept patients with COVID-19 because they were completely overloaded. Newspapers reported that patients who reached the hospital gate died there because they were not admitted. Many hospitals deplete their oxygen supply, causing the death of patients to be abnormally high. Photo: LG In particular, hospitals such as Gorakhpur have had to make the painful option of withdrawing the ventilators of elderly patients who have not improved after a long period of treatment. to give oxygen to young patients with a greater chance of life. The crematoriums were nearly melted down by not turning off the fire for 24 hours a day. And even when running at full capacity, the crematorium could not handle the number of corpses caused by COVID-19, causing people to organize cremation in open areas. The pictures of the crematoriums burning red fire day and night are like scenes from horror movies about hell. The world is horrified by the tragic scene, at the dire consequences caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in India. The frightening thing is that it seems that these deadly scenes are not yet the culmination of the pandemic. Many experts make gloomy predictions about the number of people infected and dying in India will continue to rise and peak in the days of May 2021. Meanwhile, the lack of oxygen continues to put enormous pressure on the oxygen plants. Once considered a drugstore in the world, a source of vaccines against COVID-19 for other countries, now India itself is in a shortage of vaccines, having to import … All signal a gloomy future before the epidemic in this South Asian country. Wrong chain Because a country that only a few weeks ago confidently thought that it had entered the final stage of the war against COVID-19 and successfully controlled a pandemic, is now suddenly engulfed in a “tsunami”. This death? In March 2020, India is one of the rare countries in the world implementing a national blockade to fight pandemics, a harsh measure not easy to take for a country with 1.3 billion people. This measure may have had serious consequences for the Indian economy as well as the well-being of the people. However, for the Indian authorities at that time, the threat of COVID-19 was the greatest one, existing and must be prevented at all costs, from spreading it. This strong measure has yielded positive results. The number of deaths is much lower than experts predicted. The number of daily infections also plummeted after reaching a peak of 100,000 per day in September 2020. It was at that time that began a series of mistakes that would cost India a hefty price point later. The first is the erroneous belief that India can achieve a state of public immunity to easily overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. This belief stems from studies that suggest that the majority of Indians, except for the rich and middle-class, from working outdoors a lot, absorb a large amount of vitamin D, thus increasing the body’s ability. resistant to viruses. These theorists claim that the low mortality in the late 2020 period supports this point. But, they have not learned a valuable lesson from countries like Sweden or the UK, which have had time to misplace their beliefs in community immunity and thus have suffered painful consequences. pain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. After a period of social “relax” with belief in community immunity and as a result, the number of infections and the death rate skyrocketed compared to other countries with the same social conditions, gender. These countries are forced to formally admit mistakes in terms of policies, leading to tragic consequences for society. The mistakes made by these countries in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrate that in critical moments, the right policy is needed and is more valuable than a single dose of vaccine. fabricated). If the policy is wrong, not only a few individuals but the whole society will have to pay the price. But, the second mistake is the main cause of the current humanitarian tragedy in India. Until early 2021, the Indian authorities acted as if the COVID-19 pandemic ceased to exist. Large rallies are allowed. In particular, despite the risks of transmitting COVID-19 in a crowded environment, Indian officials have allowed millions of believers to participate in religious festivals with the policy of “belief in God will win. fear of viruses ”. A typical example of this phenomenon is the Kumbh Mela festival, one of the holiest Hindu pilgrimage ceremonies that take place on the banks of the Ganges River with millions in attendance. Most of the millions of people gathered in this place without masks, without spacing, turning such festivals into “super infectious” events, the ideal environment for the virus to spread at breakneck speed. , sowing invisible death would turn tragedy for days afterward … For whom the Bell Tolls! The world has not underestimated the magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic in India. Until the tragedy struck, the prospect of a global catastrophe stemming from a pandemic raging in India emerged. Considered to be the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, India has participated in the vaccine supply chain for poor, developing countries around the world. Currently, preliminary statistics show that up to 92 developing countries depend on supplies of vaccines from India. The COVID-19 pandemic broke out in India on a large scale, creating a favorable environment for the mutant virus to form new strains. By the time India was caught in the midst of COVID-19, which led to a shortage of vaccines and a slow pace of vaccination, it was natural that Indian authorities tightened exports of COVID vaccines. -19 abroad. Before the outbreak of the pandemic, India joined the COVAX program to provide equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine. Until the COVID-19 “tsunami” hit, India froze vaccine exports, including for the COVAX program, to save vaccines for use to meet domestic demand. As a result, the worldwide supply chain of vaccines is under enormous pressure; At least 92 poor countries that received vaccines from the COVAX program were severely affected. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), India’s withdrawal from the program to worry about domestic issues caused COVAX to lack 90 million doses of vaccine planned for 60 low-income countries in March and April. Another, more significant concern is that the widespread outbreak of COVID-19 in India, with many untreated people, has been a favorable environment for the virus to mutate, creating new strains, which are more virulent, and “smarter” to adapt to human-made vaccines. It is also worth mentioning that new variants of the COVID virus in India have been discovered and have entered dozens of countries around the world, posing a big challenge to the global health network. for example, countries with weak health systems themselves. Realizing those risks, the world has frantically rushed in to help India overcome the aftermath of the pandemic. The US, UK, and United Arab Emirates (UAE) are rushing to send breathing machines and vaccine materials, while a number of other countries have also pledged to assist India to overcome the crisis. France, New Zealand and Spain pledged to share some of their dosages with the COVAX program to help reduce vaccine shortage tensions for poor countries due to India’s withdrawal from the program. Even China, which is in a state of border dispute with India, has announced it will send the vaccine to its neighbor, but did not say how much and when to send it. It seems that, in the meantime, helping India is also helping me! Please do not ask who is the bell for your soul, the bell for your soul!
Yen Ba

With the record-high new Covid-19 cases, a nation of 1.3 billion people needs huge amounts of medical oxygen every day to cater to the treatment of its patients. This has caused a boom in the black market oxygen trade, where only the very rich can afford it, and families desperately looking for oxygen for loved ones with Covid-19 are susceptible to scams. “On the black market, an oxygen tank, which costs between $ 81 and $ 135 depending on size, is currently being pushed up to $ 812 to $ 1,354. This condition is an indirect cause of the death of patients who have no relationship or money, ”said Divyansh Pandey (25 years old) volunteer in the state of Uttar Pradesh, said. Medical oxygen in India has become an expensive commodity due to the soaring cases of Covid-19. Photo: Getty. The average price of a medical oxygen on the black market, about $ 1,080, is higher than the average monthly income of 1% of the country’s richest people. Conventional drugs, which cost $ 67, are now pushed up to $ 810. Pandey has helped dozens of Covid-19 patients find hospital beds, medical oxygen, oxygen generators and essential medicines. Pandey said he was forced to consider the supply from the black market after repeatedly failing to find and buy the items at the original prices. “The saddest thing is that the black market is openly open and hoarders casually sell it on social media. Non-governmental organizations and official sources often distribute these items for free or sell at original prices, but in small quantities and often out of stock quickly, sometimes within an hour. ” Crisis India currently records more than 20 million cases of SARS-CoV-2, more than 220,000 deaths. Experts say the reason for this dire number is the lack of beds and medicine. “When demand is too much and supply is insufficient, we are forced to sell imported oxygen generators for 10 times the price,” said an anonymous supplier at the Delhi black market. According to data submitted by the Indian government to the Supreme Court, the country has three times more medical oxygen than it needs in 12 states, with about 16,000 tons of liquid oxygen to meet the estimated demand of 4,880. tons last week. However, activists point out that the system only monitors hospital resources, not those needed by Covid-19 patients in home isolation. Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that oxygen production has increased 60% to address the crisis, volunteers and suppliers pointed out that problems such as transportation and logistics could hinder the arrival of oxygen cylinders. people’s hands. The price of medical oxygen in the black market has been pushed up many times because of the high demand. Photo: AFP. The lack of oxygen has even made many Indians recklessly experiment with making oxygen at home. At the end of April, many YouTubers posted videos showing people how to make oxygen using easy-to-find sources, available at home. Many of these are new high school students. “We created oxygen in the lab before using electrolysis and easy-to-find chemicals like potassium permanganate and hydrogen peroxide,” said Kirtharth Tiwari (16), whose video received more than 50,000 views. . Then, Tiwari also made the next video instructing people how to filter oxygen to use, avoiding the risk of an exothermic reaction by using a cold storage bag. “Two people reached out and said that following my instructions worked,” said Rahul Soni, another YouTuber with more than 300,000 video views. However, experts warn against doing such experiments at home because it can lead to dangerous explosions. YouTube has removed both videos for violation of community guidelines. Last week, the Delhi High Court ordered the state government to cut back to stop the proliferation of a “black oxygen” market. However, the situation is still developing complicatedly.

Shopping malls will be allowed to open from 11am to 9pm, while convenience stores across the capital will be closed from 10pm to 5pm the next day. The barber shop can only provide trimming and washing services. In addition, gatherings of 20 or more people will be prohibited. The capital Bangkok is at the center of the third Covid-19 outbreak in Thailand and one of 18 localities listed by the government as “red zones”, where the opening hours of certain facilities is limited. Thailand on April 24 at the same time recorded the highest number of new Covid-19 cases and the number of people dying from this pandemic on a daily basis. The Government of Thailand’s Covid-19 Situation Center (CCSA) on April 24 confirmed an additional 2,839 new cases, of which only 12 were imported, bringing the total number of cases in the country. now to 53,022 cases. The CCSA also confirmed eight more patients died of Covid-19, bringing the total number of people who did not survive the epidemic to 129 cases. Of the new infections recorded on April 24, the capital Bangkok accounted for the largest number with 1,582 cases, followed by Chiang Mai (151 cases), Chon Buri (119 cases), Nonthaburi (96 cases), and Samut. Prakan (84 cases), Pathum Thani (59 cases), Samut Sakhon (57 cases), Surat Thani (46 cases), Nakhon Sawan (38 cases) and Songkhla (34 cases). According to CCSA statistics, since April 1, Thailand has recorded a total of 27,000 Covid-19 cases, of which 56% are in Bangkok. The number of people killed from this pandemic nationwide since the beginning of the month has reached 43 cases.

“ When I got a positive result, I was shocked. And then I realized that my adventure was over “Ness said.” My dream is to go to the top of the mountain and enjoy the scenery there “. Some climbers have tested positive for COVID-19, but the Nepalese government says no infections have been reported on Everest. (Photo: CNN) Polish climber Pawel Michalski then posted on Facebook an article “30 people have been evacuated” from the campsite and found positive for COVID-19. Some climbers are quarantined in their tents, as there have been a few confirmed cases of COVID-19 in early childhood, Everest ER, a volunteer organization that provides aid to climbers. canopy off the campsite. Nepalese government regulations prohibiting climbers from sharing photos of others without consent restricted information coming from the mountain, but rumors are spreading as more cases are reported. infected, and not just at Everest. At least 19 people have been evacuated from the climbing camps in Dhaulagiri – the world’s seventh highest peak – 345 kilometers west of Everest, according to Mingma Sherpa, president of the Seven Summits Trek Company. Seven people had a positive result and another 12 had to be tested after symptoms appeared, he added. Nepalese Army spokesman Major General Santosh Ballave Paudel said three cleaners at the Dhaulagiri campsite had COVID-19. One person was evacuated on Wednesday and the other two will be evacuated during clear weather. Climbers are worried that Nepal will close Everest again, said Lukas Furtenbach, an expedition chief. “ I guess there will be more infections ”Furtenbach told CNN from his campsite at Mera Peak, south of Everest. “ Everyone is worried about a message from the Department of Tourism that says: ‘You all have to go home’ “. Patient number 0 on Mount Everest According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, Nepal’s economy is mainly based on tourism revenue, generating 240.7 billion rupees ($ 2 billion) in 2018. Those who want to climb mountains must have a license. from the Nepal Tourism Board in Kathmandu and the cost falls to around 11,000 USD. Many Nepalese people depend on tourism and climbing services for a living. In 2018, Nepal’s tourism industry supported more than 1 million direct and indirect jobs. After canceling last year’s mountaineering tours due to the pandemic, Nepal’s Tourism Ministry granted 408 permits to Everest climbers this year. But there will be more than 408 people making their journey of exploration stopping at the campsite and along the mountainside, followed by a climbing support team consisting of chefs, guides and geographic assistants. Phuong. This will complicate the efforts to create “bubbles” and social distance. “ The campsite is a miniature city ”, Said Alan Arnette, veteran observer, who reached Mount Everest in 2011 and now runs a climbing website. Furtenbach estimated there were about 1,200 people staying at the campsite this year. These conditions make the stretching more difficult. “ Usually there will be lots of social activities, events, campsites, groups visiting and making new friends. ”, Said Furtenbach. Now, most travel agencies are trying to maintain the “bubble” of isolation. Some Sherpas and local staff have to give up their usual habit of going home on holidays. Many expedition teams have had to travel longer distances without a break to spend as little time as possible at Everest. Some climbers have tested positive for COVID-19, but the Nepalese government says no infections have been reported on Everest. (Photo: CNN) Viruses can attack quickly Ness – the first case of COVID-19 infection on a publicly identifiable Everest – said he began to feel sick five days after the group’s trip to the campsite. “ I feel sick … I have a headache in the mountains, maybe a little fever, I don’t know, but the oxygen in my blood is very low “. “ At the campsite, my health got worse every day “, Ness said, adding that doctors finally asked to take him to the hospital and there he knew he had COVID-19. The positive results beat Ness’s three years of training for the journey, but he considers himself lucky for making a quick recovery. “ I thought if I got COVID-19 in Kathmandu, I wouldn’t get seriously ill – because I recovered very quickly after leaving the mountain. “, I said. “ But it’s terrible to be infected at 5,500 meters above sea level “. Confronted with confusion Reports of COVID-19 infections have resulted in a tense atmosphere at the Everest campsite. “ We get emails from other teams, trying to decide whether to go home or not, because it’s clear things are getting serious. “, Said Adrian Ballinger, an expedition leader who withdrew from the Everest expedition because of concerns about COVID-19. “ I heard the guide, the Sherpas and one of the helicopter companies talk about how many COVID-19 rescues they were doing. “, I said. As the rumors swirled, concerns also increased due to the lack of in-site test kits. “ We hope the government will confirm cases, keep things transparent, maybe even send a support team to the campsite to do mass testing to find the super people. infection “, Said Furtenbach, head of the expedition. “ I think every travel agency will be happy to pay for this. It will probably save the climbing season, because it would be risky to have more and more infections causing this season to end sooner. “. A sign encourages those outside to stay away from the camp. (Photo: The Washington Post) Everest ER, an aid service run by the Himalayan Rescue Nonprofit, wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday that there have been reports of nagging coughs during this climbing season. . “ This year has been a difficult year due to the COVID-19 pandemic “, Said Everest ER. “ We cannot afford rapid on-site tests at this time “. Talking about the Seven Summit Treks expedition at Everest, Mingma Sherpa said his group has departed from Camp 2 and is expected to arrive at Camp 4 on Thursday. “ If we run the Covid-19 test among climbers, some of them will probably be positive for the virus. But until now no one has any serious health complications except the common cold and cough “Mingma said. Lukas Furtenbach at the beginning of the journey to conquer Mount Everest. (Photo: CNN) Seven Summit Treks Company has 130 customers registered to climb Mount Everest this spring. According to CNN, many Everest climbers do not want to talk to journalists about the COVID-19 situation because they fear they will be denied a climbing license in the future. This has made it more difficult to estimate the number of people infected, and rumors continue to circulate, even among mountain climbing groups. “ I know people who used to have COVID-19, those infected have come to Kathmandu and now they are recovering, and I know there are people who have not had any cases in their camps. “, Says Arnette, describing his conversations with climbers in recent weeks. “ We were all trying to figure out what was going on and we were all confused “, He added. Ethical issue Of all the parts of the world that are facing COVID-19, Mount Everest is probably the worst. “ Everyone’s respiratory system is having difficulty and overactive, so it is much more susceptible to upper respiratory tract disease. ”Said Ballinger, the head of the expedition. Climbers face an intense physical warfare with every step of the mountain, he said. “ You cannot sleep in the highlands, so you will feel tired for many days without sleep. You cannot eat, because the digestive system is considered unnecessary because anything you put in your stomach makes you feel nauseous. “, I said. Persistent coughing spells that are so common during journeys at Everest – known as the Khumbu cough, named after the valley leading to Everest – make detecting COVID-19 especially difficult. “ Your entire body is working to the limit, so the virus will be a real threat to your health and even life. “, expedition chief Furtenbach said. And evacuation can become more dangerous once the teams have left the campsite and continue on up. “ If the weather worsens and someone begins to have complications, evacuating without a helicopter would take days and be very dangerous. ”, Said Furtenbach. For now, however, the spirit for the journey is still intact. “ Everyone was delighted “, Furtenbach said.” We had customers who waited for two years and it was their life’s dream “. Furtenbach’s team brought their own COVID-19 test kit to Everest and regularly checked team members. (Photo: CNN) But Nepal and its neighbor India are being engulfed in a dire second wave of COVID-19. Nepal recorded the highest number of cases per day on Wednesday. So some climbers are also considering whether or not to continue. “ I think we’ll start to see some climbers leave because they only feel they are doing it morally wrong, when the Kathmandu outbreak was too strong. ”Ballinger predicted. “ The villagers are sitting there with thousands of oxygen tanks “. “ If more and more cases come to a campsite, the authorities in Nepal will have to do something about it “, Added Furtenbach, again proposing an early end of the climbing season. “ I think they tried to do the right thing, they tried to save the climbing season. But maybe that’s not the right thing to do “.

This scene seems to clearly illustrate the devastation of the Covid-19 epidemic on the tourism industry of the Golden Temple, especially on an island famous for its never-sleeping nightlife, which once attracted about 15 million. visitors per year, according to New York Times. Just a few weeks ago, Phuket seemed ready for a comeback. After a year away from foreign tourists, the Thai government decided to allow vaccinated visitors to Phuket in July without going through quarantine. This is part of a project called the Phuket Sandbox. However, the land of the Golden Temple is facing the worst outbreak of Covid-19 since the pandemic began, partly due to the rich people coming to Phuket, Bangkok to party without adhering to the social gap. Due to the epidemic, Phuket’s beaches are deserted even at the time of year attracting tourists. The number of new daily reported infections increased from 26 on 1 April to more than 2,000 just three weeks later. In early December 2020, Thailand had only 4,000 cases of Covid-19. For months, Thailand’s strict quarantine, blockade and mandatory masking measures have helped limit the spread of the epidemic despite having a significant impact on the economy. But in the latest outbreak, the country’s government responded slowly. In Phuket alone, it was not until April 22, when cases of SARS-CoV-2 were recorded at a record high, did the local government begin to request Covid-19 screening for those arriving on the island. On April 18, the Thai tourism minister admitted that Phuket reopening on July 1 seems unlikely because it will depend on the anti-epidemic situation in Thailand. Bleak In preparation for Phuket Sandbox, the Thai government has provided a variety of vaccines to the island, in hopes of gaining public immunity by the summer. As of mid-April, more than 20% of Phuket’s residents have been vaccinated. However, the picture is still very bleak. Usually at this time of year, the golden sands of Patong Beach will be overflowing with foreign tourists. But now, they are almost abandoned, where some local residents line up for Covid-19 tests. On the way, reptiles can freely move around without fear of being hit by traffic. The absence of international tourists makes life difficult for local residents in Phuket. In mid-April, the Songkran festival is seen as a rehearsal for Phuket’s revival. Instead of foreign visitors, hotels try to attract wealthy locals who, if not for the pandemic, would have gone to Hokkaido (Japan) for a vacation or to shop in Paris (France). However, rather than preparing for a comeback as a tourist paradise, the Songkran festival seems to have spoiled the island’s chances of reopening in July. At the festival in Patong and other beaches in April, thousands of wealthy Thais party, wear bikinis more than masks. To them, Covid-19 is just a virus that can infect vegetable vendors or manual labor, not the upper class. However, subsequent viral test results showed how wrong their thinking was. Many local workers had to line up to receive food assistance due to loss of jobs during the epidemic. The outbreak of the epidemic after months of economic difficulties is also causing the majority of Phuket’s residents to suffer. Just watching a 3-year-old elephant nibble on a cane nearby, Jaturaphit Jandarot lay slowly swinging in a hammock, with nothing else to do. Before the pandemic, he and other elephant managers on the outskirts of Patong used to bring in more than 100 tourists a day, mostly from China. “I am delighted to know they will open Phuket to foreign tourists. Thais do not ride elephants, “Jandarot said. But no matter what the tourism situation, the elephants still need to be fed. . “Of course, we want to welcome people to Phuket, but when they do not defend themselves and bring Covid-19 here, I am somewhat angry,” said Huda Panan, a primary school teacher. Being a taxi driver, unemployed for a year. At one point, mosques in Phuket distributed food to the local people. The long line of people quickly ran out of food. “We can wait a little longer to improve Phuket situation, but not too long,” said Panan.

In February 2021, health care and epidemiologists in India were delighted to see that the pandemic-related figures have all been plummeting. The number of Covid-19 cases has decreased, and the number of oxygen ventilators is sufficient for the patient. Experts at that time predicted that India had overcome the second wave of epidemics. However, in April, “lucky god” suddenly disappeared. Pictures of a series of corpses waiting to be cremated in turn flooded social networks. Hospitals lack bed and oxygen is severe. Many sick people and desperate families turned to buying medicine at the black market. Meanwhile, many others suffocated painfully in the hospital from lack of oxygen, according to the report Washington Post. The number of new cases in India has hit a record in the past few days. There is no indication that the number of infections will decrease in the near future. Temporary crematoriums are being massively erected in India. Photo: Reuters. Gathering people Back in early February, India had just over 13,000 cases a day, while the population was 1.4 billion. India has acquired a community immunity. Up to the present time, India has become the focal point of the global epidemic and receives great attention from the international community. On April 29, the country recorded 379,257 new cases of Covid-19 and 3,645 people died from the pandemic, marking the worst day ever of the pandemic in India. To date, the number of Covid-19 cases in the country has reached 18.38 million, including 204,832 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health of India. Experts commented that community immunity in India may not exist as previously assessed. The Naga Sadhus – Hindu ascetic “saints” – carry a sword or trident, leading devotees to participate in the Kumbh Mela festival on March 11. Photo: Reuters. The new wave of epidemics has made the poor now even more afflicted. Not only that, it is also reaching the rich class in Indian society. Although the rich tried to isolate society during the first wave of epidemics, they could not avoid this epidemic either. Crowds of people also play a huge role in spreading the virus. Blockade and quarantine restrictions are believed to have been lifted too soon in the world’s second most populous country. Residents are allowed to organize major parades. Hindu festivals attract tens of millions of pilgrims. These people often gather in cramped locations without protection. Random tests at pilgrimage sites recorded thousands of new infections. Even while the epidemic was peaking, the people of India were still not following the rules. Thousands of people gathered at the Ganges River to perform the ritual of bathing the river. They believe that the waters of the Ganges can save them from disease. “People let their guard down when India launched the vaccination campaign in January. People have returned to a normal life, traveling,” said Ramanan Laxminarayan, an epidemiologist at Princeton University. calendar, organizing a family wedding and without any restrictions, even wearing a mask “. New variant Scientists are still debating the role the new variants will play in making the pandemic in India unbelievably bad. Variation B.1.1.7, first discovered in the UK, is currently the dominant variant in the Indian state of Pubjab. Many studies show that B.1.1.7 is 40 to 70% more contagious than the original virus. At the same time it also makes the patient more likely to die. A medical worker walks over the bodies at a mass cremation point in Delhi on April 26. Photo: Reuters. Another variant, B.1.617, is present in the majority of patients in the state of Maharashtra. This variant is called a “double mutation” when it contains up to 2 official mutations found in two other strains. However, to date there is no official study showing whether B.1.617 is more transmissible than other variants. India also does not have the ability to decode the genetic sequence of B.1.617. Besides that, Brazilian and South African variants are also found in India. Why India lacks oxygen? Usually India’s hospitals and medical clinics use only 15% of the liquid oxygen produced in this country. However, until now, nearly 90% of the country’s supply has been transferred to health care facilities. Some Indian states do not have factories for the production of liquid oxygen. These regions must rely on supplies from other states. It takes two hours to fill a full tank with oxygen. This caused a long queue of trucks outside the factories. Even after full, oxygen trucks can only drive at 40 km / h and only move during the day. People in India are struggling with an unprecedented wave of Covid-19. Photo: AP. In October 2020, the Indian Ministry of Health announced plans to build a plant for more liquid oxygen production. However, only 33 out of 162 factories have been built so far. Prime Minister Modi also announced plans to build 551 other oxygen liquefaction plants on April 25. Even so, it would still be too late for the dying of hypoxia patients across India. “We told the authorities that we are ready to increase capacity, but we need financial support,” said Rajabhau Shinde, director of a small oxygen plant in Maharashtra. India decided to provide vaccines to anyone over the age of 18, starting May 1. The country also limits the number of exported vaccines and concentrates on domestic distribution. Several cities and states have announced new blockade restrictions. The government ordered a curfew, banned travel, and banned unnecessary activities. However, authorities believe that blockade is only the last resort. He refused to issue a nationwide blockade. A woman and a relative after her husband died of Covid-19. Photo: Reuters. The Indian government sends oxygen trains to all regions of the country. Military medical equipment stores were opened to deal with the urgent shortage. Armed forces have been deployed to hospitals. The world immediately rescued India Countries have already begun to take measures to help India. Singapore, Germany, UK sent oxygen-related devices on April 26. France, Russia and Australia will send medical aid. China and Pakistan have offered to help. The European Union has worked with member states to provide oxygen and medicines. The World Health Organization (WHO) will send more staff and supplies to India. The White House on April 28 said it would provide $ 100 million in aid to India, including 1,000 medical oxygen cylinders, 15 million N95 masks and one million Covid-19 rapid test kits. “Just as India sent support to the United States when our hospitals were stressed in the early stages of a pandemic, the United States is determined to help India in times of need,” the White House statement said. download on the website on April 28 clearly. The US is lifting a ban on sending raw materials abroad, enabling India to produce more AstraZeneca vaccines. President Biden is mobilizing a team of health experts and funding the expansion of India’s vaccine production capabilities. Doctors Without Borders welcomed the US move. The organization calls on the US government to ask pharmaceutical companies to “share technology and know-how.” However, the companies rejected this request. The crematorium and hospital were packed with people amid the Covid-19 wave in India The number of new Indian Covid-19 cases increased by more than 360,000 on April 27. In addition, the number of deaths increased exponentially, causing the crematorium to operate day and night.

From England, more than 8,000 km away from home and 5 time zones, Anuja Vakil struggled for 12 days to manage and care for his father who was in critical condition. Mr. Jatin Bhagat is fighting Covid-19 at a hospital in Ahmedabad, Gujarat state, in western India. Ms. Vakil felt that her father was very lucky because he was finally hospitalized for treatment. The number of new infections and deaths caused by Covid-19 in India has increased continuously, making the overseas Indian community extremely concerned about their loved ones. Photo: Reuters. Before that, Vakil had to call everywhere to find a bed for special care for his father. Followed by the defiant costs, only hoping to get the therapeutic injection. Finally there were countless hours of phone calls with doctors, family and friends to resolve procedural issues. “I pray for my father every day,” Ms. Vakil said. The helplessness is halfway around the world India is currently in the serious Covid-19 crisis, the number of new infections daily for nearly two weeks has been continuously over 300,000, even up to 400,000 today. This number is expected to continue to increase, along with the common pain and anxiety of the Indian community around the world. According to UN figures in 2020, about 17 million Indians are far from home, and millions more have relatives in India. Accordingly, overseas Indians are considered the largest overseas community in the world. In the latest census in America, the country has about 4.8 million people of Indian descent. From afar, they watched in horror as their homeland was devastated by disease every day, heavier than any other country since the attack of Covid-19. For many people, their pain is accompanied by the greatest fear of their hearts: being unable to be around, not being able to help loved ones in times of need most. Anuja Vakil, who lives in England, has had to scurry to take care of her critical father a hospital bed in her hometown in India. Photo: New York Times. Indians all over the world are working diligently to find ways to help sick loved ones back home. Many people and organizations even collect money to buy oxygen generators, connect those who need care with their doctors, and use social media to share resources. Aid from the overseas Indian community is starting to arrive in India, with government aid from the UK, the US, Germany, Australia, among other countries. However, the return to relatives is very difficult. Ms. Vakil tries to focus on these positives. She said the Indians in her neighborhood in London were very enthusiastic to help. Some of her friends in New York also had relatives sick. She and they both try to revive the spirit of the family by daily video calling. Father Vakil couldn’t speak because he had to breathe, but he always nodded in response when she spoke. She could see the small wrinkles in the corners of his eyes every time she tried to make him laugh. Though he wanted to go home to take care of his father directly instead of talking on the screen, Vakil seemed unable to. “My sister told me to go home, but she didn’t understand it was very difficult,” Vakil said. The Indian community lives in large numbers in Southall, England. Photo: New York Times. India was added to Britain’s “red list” last week. This means that nearly all direct flights from the UK to India are suspended. Some people returning to the UK from India are subject to compulsory quarantine for 10 days at the expense of expensive hotels. On May 1, the US said it would begin to restrict movement to India. Travel restrictions, high costs, work obligations and the fear of getting a virus have left many people unable to return. As Covid-19 infections continued to rise, many people reported painful conversations with friends and family at home. They were helpless as they watched the horrors unfold in their homeland halfway around the world. “Every time I call back, someone dies” Jyoti Minocha, a writer and teacher living in Fairfax, Virginia, USA, is concerned about her mother and sister in New Delhi. She lost a cousin. Currently, she calls every day to find out about the situation of her relatives. “The street is as quiet as a ghost, my sister said. The only sound one can hear is the ambulance siren, ”Ms. Minocha said. “I talk to my mother almost every day,” said Ansh Sachdeva, 23, a student at the University of Bolton in northwest England. But every time I call back, I hear that someone dies, someone is infected ”. The Indian member of a Sikh church in Southall, London, provided thousands of meals a week to the community during the outbreak in England. Photo: New York Times. Sachdeva says in the New Delhi neighborhood where his family lives, not a single family is without sick people. He returned to India in November 2020 to help look after his parents and grandparents. Then they became infected. Now, I worry they will re-infect. More worryingly, travel restrictions could prevent him from returning if that happens. In January, Sachdeva’s mother also expressed concern when he returned to England. At that time, the country was experiencing the second wave of Covid-19. “For them then, the Covid-19 in India had ended.” But not! Many Indians abroad anxiously watch over their homeland as the government allows sports competitions in crowded stadiums, crowded election campaigns, and the attractive Kumbh Mela festival. millions of people participate. Following the brief joy after defeating the first wave of Covid-19, the number of infections began to increase exponentially. In England, the Indian community seems to be able to feel the pain of the people. In a residential store in Harrow – a community in northwest London inhabited by native Indians, two employees painfully recounted they had just lost loved ones last week. Harmeet Gill, 31, was born and raised in London, but had a paternal background in the northern Indian state of Punjab, also experiencing the same pain. His family is still extremely close and regularly in contact with relatives in India. “It was a double blow. We went through the Covid-19 crisis here, and we thought ‘Well, at least India is protected’. They are very anti-epidemic, ”said Gill. Harmeet Gill had a few relatives who died in his hometown because of Covid-19. Photo: New York Times. Then a little while later, bad news came. On April 26, his uncle in India passed away because of Covid-19. His aunt was hospitalized on April 29. Shortly before the second outbreak, his whole family had to return to India to mourn an uncle, the head of the family. “It is impotence. It shouldn’t have happened this way, ”he said. Gill, a volunteer at a Sikh temple in London, commented: “The terrifying scale of the pandemic shows that we have been paralyzed by it.” The temple was a center of aid during the UK’s plague, offering thousands of meals a week. Now, members at the temple are now looking for ways to help their homeland. Indian doctors living abroad also provide medical expertise and advice to dozens of friends and family members. Many people wake up early to respond to text messages asking for help, and some even call video counseling. The chaplain’s account of the funeral for 150 Covid-19 patients before cremation Every day, Hindu cleric RamKaran Mishra performs a funeral for about 150 people who have died from Covid-19 at the Ghazipur crematory facility east of New Delhi, India.

A continuous red-fire manual cremation in India. Photo: Reuters For the fourth day in a row, on April 25, India set a global record for the number of new infections, stemming from a new virus variant sweeping, overwhelming every effort by the populous nation. world number 2. According to AP, the report of the Indian Ministry of Health on April 25 recorded 349,691 new cases, bringing the total number of cases in this country to over 16.9 million cases, the second most in the world after the US. In addition, there were 2,767 deaths in the past 24 hours, pushing the number of COVID-19 deaths in India to 192,311. Experts say that the actual death toll could be much greater, since it does not include suspected cases, and many deaths from COVID-19 are attributed to underlying medical conditions. . The Indian crisis is most evident in cemeteries, cremations and cremations, or in heartbreaking images of a series of suffocating patients on their way to a hospital due to lack of oxygen. India set a world record for the fourth consecutive day with the number of new infections reaching nearly 350,000 people. Photo: Reuters Cremation sites in the Indian capital New Delhi are running out of space and fiery cremation rigs lit up all night in other heavily affected cities. In the city center of Bhopal, a number of cremators have increased their capacity from a few dozen bodies to over 50 a day. However, bodies awaiting cremation still have to wait. At the city’s Bhadbhada Vishram Ghat crematorium, workers said they cremated more than 110 people on April 24, although figures from the city government of 1.8 million people only report the total number of deaths. because COVID-19 that day was 10 people. Mamtesh Sharma, a location official, said: “The virus is devouring the people of our city like a monster.” Watch the video of the painful scene of disinfection and cremation of the body of the COVID-19 victim in India (Source: Sky news) The massive influx of bodies has forced cremators to skip all the personal rituals and rituals that Hindus believe will help liberate souls. “We burned the bodies as soon as we arrived,” said Mr. Sharma. It was as if we were in the middle of a war. A monk rushed out of the cremation area of ​​COVID-19’s body after the ceremony. Photo: Getty Images Cremation of the body of COVID-19 victim with firewood in New Delhi on April 24. Photo: Reuters A grave digger at the largest Muslim cemetery in New Delhi, where 1,000 people have been buried during the pandemic, said more bodies are now being moved than last year and that the site will soon run out of space. The situation is equally dire at hospitals that are already packed with patients. People desperately wait in line to die, sometimes they stop breathing in the outer streets while waiting to see a doctor. Indian health officials are currently looking to expand intensive care areas and increase oxygen supplies. Patient COVID-19 was taken to a hospital in New Delhi. Photo: AFP A manual cremation ground for victims of COVID-19 in New Delhi. Photo: Getty Images Hospitals and patient families themselves struggle to procure the scarce medical equipment that is being sold at exponentially increasing prices. The crisis contradicted the government’s statement that “no one in the country will be left without oxygen,” in an April 24 statement by Indian Attorney General Tushar Mehta before the Supreme Court of Delhi. The crisis of the new COVID-19 wave is a huge failure for a country that only in January, Prime Minister Modi declared victory over the epidemic and is proud to be the “pharmacy of the world” – home global vaccine production, which is a model for other developing countries. Off guard against the spike in infections, the federal government has asked industrialists to increase production of oxygen and other drugs that are in short supply. However, health experts say India has a whole year to prepare, but they have not. People wait in line to pump more oxygen into the tank, to save patient COVID-19. Photo: DailyMail Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases at the Medical University of South Carolina (USA), said the Indian government had “reacted very passively to this situation instead of actively”. Ms. Kuppalli said that the government should be using 2020, when the virus is better controlled, to prepare plans to tackle in the event of an outbreak, while at the same time “stockpiling drugs and developing relationships. Public-private partnerships to support the production of essential resources in the event of such a situation ”. “Most importantly, they should look at what’s going on in other parts of the world and understand that the possibility of India in a similar situation is only a matter of time,” said Ms. Kuppalli. Associate Professor Kuppalli called the Indian government’s early statements on pandemic victory a “mistake”, as it encouraged people to relax prevention measures when they should have continued to adhere to it. strict spacing, wear masks and avoid crowds. People waiting to be vaccinated against COVID in Mumbai, India Photo: AP Containers of oxygen were transported on board, delivered to India. Photo: Reuters Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing criticism for allowing Hindu festivals and massive election rallies, which experts suspect has contributed to the speed of the spread. of the virus. In such an election rally just two weeks ago, Modi could barely hide his joy when declaring to supporters in the state of West Bengal: “I have never seen such a large crowd.” . At that time, SARS-CoV-2 had begun to strike again and experts warned that a fatal increase was inevitable. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on April 25 that the US was “deeply concerned” about a serious COVID-19 outbreak in India. “We are working around the clock to deploy more supplies and support to our friends and partners in India as they bravely fight this pandemic,” said Mr. Sullivan on Twitter. Neighboring Pakistan also expressed support for people in India. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said it offered to provide relief assistance including breathing apparatus, oxygen supply unit, digital X-ray machine, personal protective equipment (PPE) and related items.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched the largest immunization campaign in human history with the aim of distributing vaccine doses to 190 countries and limiting the risk of dangerous mutations. However, this project is currently racing against time. The man trying to save the world now stands in a Connecticut kindergarten, USA. He puts his laptop in front of him and sunlight is shining through the window into a crib. Benjamin Schreiber is barefoot and his hair is messy. The 46-year-old seems to have just woken up, but almost every day, he gets up from sunrise. His job is one of the most important and difficult in the world. As the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Deputy Head of Immunization Team (UNICEF), Schreiber is responsible for ensuring that 2 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine reach people in the poorest countries, the most distant. In an online meeting with colleagues in Germany, Panama and Haiti, Schreiber discussed his “headache” for the day: The situation is stagnant in two countries. Countries that buy the most Covid-19 vaccine. Photo: Duke Global Health Innovation Center Referring to a country where outsiders are difficult to reach, Schreiber said: “It is not clear how things are going”. In the remaining country – Haiti, the first potential vaccine shipment has been delayed. The vaccination team appears to be ready, but political and social issues are hindering shipping. Fuel in Haiti is expensive, roads are poor, budgets are miscalculated. Many people do not believe in Western aid, others do not understand Covid-19. There are discussions like this every day Schreiber. On a small scale, it often involves questions about the proper way to cool vaccines, about ingenuity in dealing with governments. However, at the core of the matter has always been global justice. The new strain corona virus has spread to every continent and infected at least 128 million people. It has ruined economies and destroyed families. Up to now, a global medical emergency has been in effect for more than a year. Citizens in some developed countries have been protected from the corona virus and many others in Africa, Asia and Latin America are still waiting to be vaccinated. Carrying vaccines to remote areas in Nepal. Photo: SPIEGEL To date, nearly 600 million doses of the vaccine have been used around the world. However, nearly two-thirds of them are used in six countries. About 60% of Israelis, less than half of Britons and one-tenth of Germans have been vaccinated at least once. In Namibia, where a population of more than 2 million people, less than 1,500 people have been vaccinated. In some other countries, no one has been vaccinated yet. Earlier this year, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned of a “moral disaster”. An effort has been made to prevent that disaster. A global mechanism, called COVAX, was born to support the equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines to countries. WHO launched the initiative a year ago and a vaccine consortium called GAVI and the Alliance for Pandemic Readiness Innovation (CEPI) also joined. Almost every country in the world participates in COVAX. Many countries and regions have attempted to smooth the infection curve of Covid-19. Photo: John Hopkins University COVAX’s goal is that 92 of the poorest member countries get vaccines as fast as 98 rich countries. The rich countries pay more for the initiative and the poorest countries get discounts or free vaccinations, with each country vaccinating a fifth of its population by the end of the year. It is UNICEF’s responsibility to ensure that vaccines reach their destination. The new strain corona virus is constantly changing. Most changes do not affect the degree of danger posed by the virus, but some mutations, like the strains that occurred in Brazil and the US, do. And the more the number of countries experiencing uncontrolled outbreaks, the more likely the world will have to deal with the next mutation. So how do you vaccinate those most threatened, such as the elderly, the sick, and health care workers around the world? How can COVAX achieve its ambitious goals? Graph of increasing Covid-19 cases among countries. Photo: Bloomberg A group of German magazine Der Spiegel reporters have followed the vaccine around the world. They went to vaccine factories in India, to warehouses in Copenhagen, Denmark. It all goes to the end: The vaccine is delivered to health workers in Malawi, who received their first shot in March. The reporters also witnessed a German at a kindergarten. in the US to plan vaccine distribution. Schreiber has been with UNICEF for 8 years. His biggest challenge last year, he said, was preparing nations for a short period of time. COVAX’s goal is to ship about 2 billion doses of vaccine by the end of this year, corresponding to about 850 tons of vaccine per month and 1 billion syringes. Thousands of cooling boxes have to be transported to the most remote corners of the world by jeeps, boats, drones and even donkeys. Even in normal years, UNICEF vaccinates nearly every child around the world. However, UNICEF has never faced a global pandemic. The Republic of Seychelles is currently leading the world because there are enough vaccines for 63.1% of the population. Photo: Bloomberg. Immunization campaigns are usually planned many years in advance, but this time only a few months. Vaccine recipients are diverse, some have been successful, some have failed, some have only a few hundred thousand people, some have more than a billion. Countries were asked by UNICEF to explain in writing how they intend to manage the logistics of vaccinations. Schreiber read over 100 of these lengthy plans, mostly twice. He corrects and makes suggestions for improvements. Most of the time, things go well, but sometimes it doesn’t. The governments of Tanzania, Eritrea and Madagascar are still debating that Covid-19 is a dangerous disease. However, the effort paid off. On February 24, the first shipment of COVAX landed in Ghana. The first shipment to Haiti is also planned. By the end of March, UNICEF had distributed 20 million doses of the vaccine to 47 countries.

The relative of a Covid-19 patient died in a collapse in a graveyard in Jammu, India. Photo: AP Pictures spread dizzying on social networks and television showed relatives of patients desperately asking for oxygen outside hospitals, or crying on the streets because a loved one with Covid-19 died while waiting. treated. ABC News cites a woman who fell in love with her brother’s death at the age of 50 after being rejected by two hospitals and died of oxygen without a replacement vessel. The woman mourns the death of a member of her family from Covid-19 outside a crematory in New Delhi. Photo: Reuters India has just set a global record for the fifth consecutive day of new infections, mainly due to a new variant of SARS ‑ CoV ‑ 2. The shock wave denied any early claims about the pandemic victory that the officials of this country had made. According to Worldometers website, the number of corona virus infections in India in the past 24 hours was 354,531 people, bringing the total number of cases nationwide to more than 17.3 million. The number of deaths due to the epidemic rose to 195,116, an increase of 2,806 from a day earlier. The number of deaths can be very large, as the above statistics do not include suspected fatal cases. Medical staff taking care of a Covid-19 patient in Virar, near Mumbai. Photo: AP The current health crisis in India is most evident in overcrowded graveyards and crematoria, and in images of patients dying on the road from lack of oxygen. Burial sites in the capital New Delhi are full. The crematoriums in many cities burned nonstop day and night. In the central city of Bhopal, some crematoriums have to increase their capacity, but the list of corpses waiting for is growing longer. At the Bhadbhada Vishram Ghat crematory in a city of 1.8 million people, workers said they cremated more than 110 people on April 24. A Covid-19 patient cremation ground in New Delhi. Photo: AP “The virus is devouring the people of our city like a monster” – ABC News quoted an official named Mamtesh Sharma with sorrow. The influx of bodies brought in has caused cremators to bypass procedures and rituals for Hindu devotees. “We just cremated the bodies, as if we were in a war,” said Mr. Sharma. And in New Delhi’s largest Muslim cemetery, the body was so overfilled that the curator’s manager, Mohammad Shameem, was concerned that “we would run out of burial sites soon.” A Covid-19 patient cremation ground in New Delhi. Photo: AP The situation in hospitals was no less grim. The patients were so desperate to wait for treatment that they were lying on the street, looking forward to seeing a doctor. Indian health officials are trying to expand emergency spots and provide more oxygen but supplies are running out, while they are struggling to buy already scarce medical equipment. What’s happening in India right now is a huge setback for a country, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi just declared a pandemic victory in January, and is proud to be “the pharmacy of the world.” world “, the global producer of the vaccine, and is seen as a model for other developing countries in the prevention of Covid-19. People wait for the Covid-19 vaccine in Mumbai. Photo: AP Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, assistant professor of medicine in infectious diseases at the Medical University of South Carolina, said the Indian government should have used the past year, when the disease was well controlled, to store medicine and developing systems to cope with the risk of a new pandemic. “Most importantly they should observe what is going on in many other parts of the world and understand that it is only a matter of time before they fall into a similar situation,” Kuppalli said. Instead, the Indian government’s early victory statements encouraged people to relax while they should have continued to strictly adhere to anti-epidemic measures such as wearing masks and not crowding. Thanh Hao

But all hospitals are full. “We couldn’t find a hospital bed for him, but I couldn’t take him home, after all, under this condition”, Naharshetivar responded to local television, wearing a towel instead of a mask. They drove industriously for 24 hours. “He’s running out of oxygen.” He looked at his father. After 24 hours driving his father from hospital to hospital, Naharshetivar didn’t know how much longer he could do this. He looked urgently into the camera camera of the TV station and pleaded: “If I can’t give my father a hospital bed, is there a doctor that only needs to give him a shot? Can you help my father die painlessly?” People cremate those who have died because of COVID-19. (Photo: Getty) More than 1,200 kilometers away from the capital New Delhi, many COVID-19 patients die on stretchers outside the hospital overnight. Relatives tried to bring them in but could not make it in time. In Western Gujarat, a man cried painfully next to the body of his family – a cancer patient had just been tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and died in a parking lot when the hospital was overloaded. Some people argue and blame each other. Horrifying scenes are unfolding in hospitals and clinics across India. The country’s health system struggled as the number of COVID-19 cases skyrocketed. On April 22, India confirmed nearly 315,000 new infections in 24 hours – the highest number of cases per day in the world. In the following days, the record constantly being “shattered” in the epidemic is like a “tsunami” that can make anyone unlucky to fall. The disruption of the medical system brings with it fears that law and order will also wobble: oxygen trucks must move under police protection to deal with looting. The black market for selling medical equipment is “vibrant”. Vaccine theft was stolen from a hospital warehouse in Haryana but returned it with an apology. Police say the thief may have been planning to steal anti-virus drugs – drugs are also in serious shortage in this country. Some Indians have a self-sufficient inventory of oxygen at home, thinking that even trying to go to the hospital won’t do any good. Social media is full of desperate calls for help from bed seekers, oxygen, antivirals, vaccines. One longtime journalist even tweeted directly about his oxygen depletion levels until his death. The body of a person who died from COVID-19 was taken to the cremation site. (Photo: Getty) “I’ve never felt so hopeless or helpless”, Dr. Trupti Gilada said on Facebook. She cries while squatting in her car outside the Mumbai hospital, where she works. “We are seeing young people as well. We have a 35-year-old on mechanical ventilation. Please pray for our patients.” Vertical chart On the charts, the sudden increase in the number of cases in India is almost erect, rather than an ascending curve. This bewildered development hit the heads of Indians not long after their cases plunged to a record low in February. Dr. K. Srinath Reddy, epidemiologist and public health specialist working on a technical team that advises the Indian government on COVID-19, said: “Here many people, from the general public to the policymakers, are convinced that India will not have a second wave. Unfortunately, they have let their guard down. It is clear that society is open – tourism. , local elections, religious gatherings, weddings – have led to super contagious events. And the emergence of variations has also certainly increased this pace. “ The number of daily COVID-19 cases in India, the chart starts to “climb up” from mid-March 2021. (Source: Times of India) Last month, the Indian Ministry of Health announced it had detected 771 variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the country, including a “collection” of variants identified first in the UK, South. African and Brazilian, as well as the new variant is called “double mutation”. In that variant, Indian scientists say they are working on two mutations that could increase the virus’s infectivity and help it avoid vaccines. Fears are heightened when Indian media reported fully vaccinated people who are still ill, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, 88. He was hospitalized for COVID-19 almost three weeks after a second dose of vaccine on April 3. As of April 20, his condition had stabilized. However, experts say concerns about the reduced efficacy of the vaccine have yet to be scientifically proven. It is not clear how sick people were, or what of the hundreds of SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating throughout India. The country’s Ministry of Health said it has so far distributed 132 million doses of vaccine to a population of nearly 1.4 billion people. That means less than 10% of India’s population has received one dose and less than 2% have received 2 doses. On April 20, the Indian government released data showing that only 0.03% or 0.04% of fully vaccinated people tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. India has been using two vaccines with high efficacy rates in clinical trials: Oxford – AstraZeneca and another produced by Indian company Bharat Biotech. Cruel record Bodies were piled up in the morgue. The crematorium is not running at full capacity. According to official data, the number of new cases in India on April 25 increased by 352,991. However, this may not be the complete number, according to NPR . The number of deaths caused by COVID-19 in India also broke the record, 2,104 people on April 22, and 2,812 people on April 25, not to mention many deaths outside the hospital and not being tested. “The second wave of COVID-19 comes like a storm”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. The Indian government announced it would extend the vaccination population from May 1 to anyone over 18 years old. But in early April, hundreds of clinics across the country ran out of vaccines. Many people who came to the appointment saw signs posted at the hospital gates indicating the vaccination room was closed. It was a shock to the nation that prides itself on being the world’s largest producer of vaccines. India once exported COVID-19 vaccine, but now there are not enough vaccines for domestic use. (Illustration) Unlike the first phase, on January 20, Prime Minister Modi ruled out the possibility of continuing to block the country and told the states that blockade should only be used as a last resort. His government is facing criticism for allowing large numbers of events to unfold during the epidemic. In March 2020, when the number of cases was relatively low in India, Modi imposed the largest national blockade in the world. Residents are only notified 4 hours in advance. And the economic costs are staggering: India’s economy slumped by nearly 24%, migrant workers starved to death on the streets. This week, amid new restrictions imposed in the capital Delhi, one of the main bus stops here is once again filled with migrant workers, as they try to escape the city to return home. Social distance continues to become a luxury.

The world has exceeded 147 million Covid-19 patients, of which more than 3.11 million people died. The report also found that more than a billion doses of the vaccine have been injected globally. Sheet New York Times “Even though one billion doses of vaccine have been injected, Covid-19 has spread to almost every country in the world”. Because the number of one billion doses is not enough compared to estimated nearly 8 billion people in the world. According to the data of Our World in Data (Oxford University, UK), 82% of the dose of vaccine administered is in high-income and middle-income countries. Only 0.2% of the dose is allocated to low-income countries. “Fire pan” Covid-19 in India Data of New York Times This shows that India is the country with the number of Covid-19 cases accounting for only one third of the world. On average, this country has an additional 260,000 people infected with nCoV every day. The unusual increase in India is attributed to the double mutation. More than 2,000 people die from Covid-19 every day, bringing the total number of fatal illnesses to over 200,000. Experts say these numbers could in fact be more and more terrible. The luxury thing for India right now is oxygen, oxygen tanks. Thousands of patients died on the way to the hospital or lack of oxygen to breathe, the medical facilities were overwhelmed, the crematorium was burning everywhere. The Indian Serum Institute is the largest producer of vaccines in the world, but the proportion of people in the country vaccinated against Covid-19 is surprisingly low. Approximately 8.6% of the population received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine. Health experts are concerned that transforming the COV strain in India could create a “domino storm” for other countries around the globe. The double mutation was more contagious, while the vigilance in many places began to let the guard down. Another hot spot in Asia is the Philippines. After Indonesia, the Philippines became the second country in Southeast Asia to have the number of Covid-19 cases exceeding the one million mark. According to the AP The Philippines’ Ministry of Health recorded 8,929 new cases on April 26, bringing the country’s total number of cases to 1,006,428, including 16,853 deaths. Philippine health officials are looking at the possibility of prolonging the blockade in the Manila metropolitan area. A Covid-19 patient awaits admission to hospital in South Delhi, India. Photo: Atul Loke / The New York Times. Many new strains appeared Data from New York Times shows that more than 50% of Israel’s population has been vaccinated with 2 doses of Covid-19 vaccine. It is the country with the fastest immunization rates and speeds in the world. Israel is also expected to be the first country globally to achieve public immunity. In the UK, where the virus strain B.1.1.7 was found, nearly two-thirds of people 18 years of age and older were vaccinated against at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine. Compared to its population size, the UK is the country with the lowest proportion of people with Covid-19 in Europe. In the US, the country’s officials have just confirmed that they will aid India with the Covid-19 vaccine, after the tragedy that this place is suffering. According to the Guardian, The US will share 60 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine because it has enough demand for the people. Professor Barry Bloom, former rector of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, said: “India has been caught off guard when the number of Covid-19 cases has decreased and they subjectively believe that the epidemic is over. The US and other countries should learn from this when deciding on all policies during a pandemic. Dr. Robert Murphy, Executive Director of the Institute of Global Health, Northwestern University, believes that the United States has a great responsibility for sending unused vaccines to other countries. “We have to think globally and how we can help other countries. If not, we will never be able to put out the whole fire. ” The number of new US nCoV infections every day in the US is falling sharply, but still at an alarming rate. Experts found this trend to be similar to last year when the US seemed to have suppressed the translation, when it suddenly spiked the number of cases again. One was vaccinated by AstraZeneca at Milan Military Hospital. Photo: Alessandro Grassani / The New York Times. Last week, scientists at Texas A&M University (USA) also discovered 3 new virus strains: BV-1, BV-2, and BV-3, analyzed from samples of students and lecturers in the school. . In particular, strain BV-3 is a mixture of more than one strain of SARS-CoV-2. Experts are still not clear about their virulence, but they fear this will be the cause of the upcoming outbreaks. The proportion of new cases of SARS-CoV-2 in most South American countries is high. In Brazil, the number of new patients has begun to decline but remains at an alarming rate, especially since the country has not been able to control the processing of the highly contagious strain P.1. By the morning of April 27, Brazil had recorded more than 14.3 million people suffering from Covid-19, nearly 391,000 deaths. In Europe, the vaccination rate is slower than that of the US and Canada, the number of nCoV infections is still especially high in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden … In particular, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has just issued an injunction. spread across the country from the evening of April 29 to the end of May 17 in order to limit the spread of Covid-19. Turkey has recorded a sharp decrease in the number of new daily nCoV infections from 63,000 (recorded on April 16) to below 39,000 (statistic on April 25). However, the daily number of deaths from Covid-19 has remained above 300 people in the past week. In addition, on the evening of April 26, the European Union (EU) announced a lawsuit against vaccine pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca because it said that the company did not keep the vaccine supply agreement. According to the Bloomberg, AstraZeneca recently delivered 25% of the Covid-19 vaccine that the EU is expected to receive by the first quarter of 2021. At the same time, the company also plans to provide the EU with about 70 million doses in the second quarter, compared with 180 million. expected in the contract, according to the statement dated 12/3.

Oxygen infusion is an important treatment for lethal virus positive patients. However, on April 22, 6 hospitals in India announced this essential item. According to the Indian Express If the country of 1.3 billion people continues to report hundreds of thousands of new cases every day, the demand for medical oxygen cylinders will rise sharply in 12 states of India. The case crisis caused the price of these medical devices to skyrocket. According to the Times of India , to buy an oxygen tank, the buyer has to spend 250–330 USD. Even, many advertisements for selling oxygen cylinders with prices ranging from 400–460 USD appeared rampant on social networks. Share with AFP On April 22, an Indian man said he had to pay $ 600 per bottle of oxygen, which was nine times higher than before the outbreak. According to World Bank data, the total annual income of the people of India is only about $ 2,120. The number of Coivd-19 infections in India has skyrocketed, making the price of medical oxygen cylinders extremely expensive here. Photo: Getty. The World Health Organization (WHO) said that the demand for medical oxygen is skyrocketing in 25 countries around the world, especially Africa. More than half a million patients with Covid-19 require oxygen therapy every day, meaning hospitals need 1.1 million oxygen cylinders to use within 24 hours. Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Egypt, Nigeria and other countries all declared a shortage of oxygen tanks as the number of cases increased. Worth mentioning, families of critical patients are forced to find and buy medical oxygen cylinders on the black market to save their loved ones’ lives. According to the Guardian, in Peru by 2020, the price of an oxygen tank was once pushed up to $ 1,000. In the UK, the Washington Post notes that a woman pays $ 1,300 for an oxygen tank, 1,000% more expensive than usual. According to the New York Times The 7-fold increase in the demand for medical oxygen in Mexico has enabled the black market to thrive. There are disputes and blocking of oxygen vehicles in some places, local reports say. Not long after, the price of medical oxygen cylinders sold on the black market had tripled. Brazil also experiences medical oxygen deficiencies during times of alarming number of cases. In Manaus, a city in Brazil, to buy a 50-liter oxygen tank, families have to pay nearly $ 1,200, 6.5 times more expensive than usual. However, the black market is not the only reason why the price of this medical device soared. Traffic and infrastructure are also factors that make this happen. Medical oxygen is usually produced by factories and cooled during transportation. In developed countries, oxygen is usually transported in a liquid form, making them less space-consuming and saving on transportation costs. However, the underdeveloped countries are only capable of transporting medical oxygen as a gas. Compared to the central hospital in London, hospitals in Kenya and Nigeria have to pay five to ten times more to buy a medical oxygen tank, according to the Press Bureau in the UK. According to the The Times At Mexico’s most difficult times, an oxygen tank cost more than $ 800, 10 times the cost of a US hospital. According to the Indian Express Most states in India have diverted oxygen production. Instead of serving industrial needs like the manufacture of steel, iron and glass, oxygen will be used largely for medical purposes. However, transportation in the country of 1.3 billion people remains a major obstacle. In particular, the centers of medical oxygen production are concentrated mainly in the East, while the demand for this item is increasing in other areas. The logistics costs were padded, pushing the price of an oxygen tank five times, from about $ 5 to $ 26. All India Radio News said the Indian police have been straightforward to prevent the proliferation of the “black oxygen” market. The state government of Uttar Pradesh announced that it would invoke the National Security Act and the Black Society Act to combat these marketing practices. In addition, in response to the crisis, India is planning to import 50,000 tons of medical oxygen. At the same time, the country is also setting up the “Oxygen Express” train to supply states severely affected by the epidemic. This train will depart from the Bokaro steel plant, carrying liquid oxygen. The Indian government has received much criticism for not upgrading its infrastructure from scratch to avoid the current shortages. “We did not plan this shortage even though we knew the second crisis was coming,” Dr. Lalit Kant, an epidemiologist, told the BBC.

Seemapuri cremation site blazed as cases of the SARS-CoV-2 virus increased dramatically in New Delhi, India. Photo: Indian Photo Agency According to The Guardian (UK), the COVID-19 “tsunami” that swept through India is causing the number of cases and deaths in this country to increase exponentially. Cremators across the capital New Delhi are struggling to process the increasing number of bodies brought in. Many families of victims of COVID-19 deaths have to wait up to 20 hours to cremate each body because the crematoriums are full. In New Delhi, photos taken on April 27 show smoke rising from dozens of crematoriums in a parking lot that has been turned into a temporary cremation site. Elsewhere, workers had to build temporary crematoriums on vacant land outside crematoria. In addition, parks and many other empty spaces were also utilized. Workers build a temporary crematorium in a park on the grounds of a crematorium in New Delhi Photo: Getty Images “People are dying, dying out,” said Jitender Singh Shanty, who coordinates more than 100 cremations a day at a site east of the city. If more bodies were received, we would cremate the streets. There are no more vacancies here. We never thought we would see such horrible scenes ”. Worker building temporary crematorium in New Delhi Photo: Getty Images Previously, the BBC (UK) also reported that Indian officials had requested to cut trees in the park for firewood to cremate COVID-19 victims. The staff at the cremation site also had to work harder than usual. They were so busy that family members of the COVID-19 victims had to come in to help, like bringing firewood to a funeral pyre. Lines of corpses of COVID-19 victims await cremation at the Subhash Nagar crematory, in New Delhi on April 27. Photo: ANI At the Sarai Kale Khan cremation site in New Delhi, staff are handling approximately 60-70 bodies a day. This facility was originally capable of handling only 22 bodies. As a result, 27 new crematoriums have been built at this crematorium and dozens more are being added in a nearby park. Officials are also looking for more space near the city’s Yamuna River, as the COVID-19 death toll is expected to be even higher. Geeta Colony Cremation Site in New Delhi, India. Photo: India Today An employee at the Sarai Kale Khan crematorium shared that they were operating continuously from early morning to midnight. The Ghazipur crematorium in East Delhi had to build an additional 20 crematoriums in the parking lot. The situation is similarly tense, according to NDTV, about 25 other cremation and burial sites in the city. Sarai Kale Khan cremation site built 70 new crematoriums on the hideout when large numbers of corpses came here every day. Photo: India Today In the past 24 hours, India set a world record for new infections again, with 362,902 cases, while there were 3,285 new deaths, according to worldometers statistics site. According to CNN, India has recorded a total of more than 17.9 million cases of COVID since the outbreak of the pandemic, but the real number, according to experts, could be 30 times higher, which means that half a billion cases. Health officials and scientists in India have long warned that COVID-19 infections and reported deaths were negligible for a number of reasons, including poor infrastructure. , human error and low testing rate. India has pledged to provide emergency medical assistance amid overcrowded hospitals that continue to be unable to accommodate more patients due to a lack of beds and oxygen supplies. The country also imported 20 frozen vehicles and sent them to the states in an effort to address the shortage of oxygen vehicles. Many countries around the world, including the UK, Germany and the US, have also pledged to provide emergency medical aid to India in the context of the country’s health system struggling with COVID cases. -19 spike.

Photo: Getty Images On October 5, 2020, the GISAID global database shared the genetic makeup of the mutant virus B.1.617 for the first time. India is the country with the most patients infected with B.1.617, followed by the UK, then the US, so far there are a total of 22 countries infected with different degrees. It is not clear what country B.1.617 is from. There are two misunderstandings that should be avoided: one is the concept of the B.1.617 mutant strain originating from India, the other is the term “double mutation”. India is only a country with many patients infected with B.1.617 but no evidence of this mutant virus originated from India. The term “double mutation” is used to refer to two mutations, E484Q and L452R. According to the evolutionary principle of all viruses, strain B.1.617, when sequencing its genes, scientists found there were many different mutations. But there are two mutations that have caught the most attention of scientists; that is, the E484Q mutation could help the virus evade the immune system, and the L452R mutation could help the virus spread faster. In fact, the evolutionary virus had so many mutations at once, so two mutations like strain B.1.167 are not uncommon, and were even frequent in SARS-CoV-2 during pandemics. . Can not say “double mutation” B.1.617 is doubling the danger. The E484Q mutation is similar to E484K – a mutation previously found in the virus variant in the UK, South Africa and Brazil. Similarly, mutation L452R appeared in variant CAL.20C causing disease in the state of California (USA). Scientists disagree with the term “double mutation” when referring to variant B.1.617 because it is misleading that if two mutations occur, the danger level will increase. double. Variation B.1.617 not too dangerous Most experts believe that the mutant virus strain B.1.617 is not the cause of the epidemic in India out of control. Dr Jeffrey Barrett, COVID-19 genomic research director at the Wellcome Sanger Institute (UK), said that variant B.1.617 is less severe than variants in the UK, South Africa and Brazil. On the extent of the spread, Mr. Barrett argues, it is clear that this variation has increased the frequency in India creating a huge and tragic wave, but it will take months to reach the present dangerous state, which This suggests that variant B.1.617 is less contagious than the UK mutant. Professor Richard Neher, who leads the research group on viral evolution at the University of Basel (Switzerland), also said that variant B.1.617 is not more severe than other variants. Although B.1.617 is causing a serious, out-of-control crisis that threatens to collapse the health system in India, according to Dr. Christian Drosten, Head of Virology at Charité Hospital (Germany), There is no reason to worry too much about the B.1.617 variant being called a “double mutation”. Virology experts shared that the B.1.617 variant was no more dangerous than the variants that appeared in the UK, South Africa and Brazil. Vietnam once appeared outbreaks due to the B1.1.7 variant of the UK occurred in Hai Duong, Quang Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and some other localities, but we have controlled and extinguished completely. B.1.617 has become the “tsunami” that knocked down the Indian giant, but with Vietnam, will we once again win? My answer is: Vietnam has won against B.1.617 again. Deadliest day For India, yesterday was the deadliest day with 3,293 deaths, bringing the total number of deaths from COVID-19 in the country to 201,187. Ambulances line up for hours in the New Delhi capital to take the bodies of COVID-19 victims to the temporary crematoriums in the park, the parking lot where the bodies were cremated, Times of India reported. Subjective, off guard India has had 215 new infections and 1 death every minute, and world records are being set every minute. With more than 18 million patients and nearly 200,000 deaths, India became the second most affected country in the world, only temporarily behind the US. The reason for the disaster was not due to sudden B.1,617. But due to some inaccurate information that has created the illusion, such as India has achieved excellent herd immunity, excellent epidemic control, a series of “humanitarian vaccine” policies are praised by the world. The Indian government prides itself on crushing the epidemic curve. In early 2021, the government’s anti-epidemic measures were loosened, and people’s guarding is inevitable. Google tracks the flow of people across countries. Accordingly, since January this year, Indians shop and move much more, the density of people is quite high in public areas, on public transport, the frequency of activities of people are close to normal status when the epidemic has not happened. When people are subjective, personal protective measures such as wearing a mask, measuring body temperature, disinfecting, and keeping social distance are almost not complied with. That is a significant factor contributing to the rapid spread of the epidemic. A series of exciting activities in the locality, such as campaigning, rally, election, demonstrations of farmers, even holding a big wedding are also opportunities for COVID-19 to break out. Before the serious epidemic in India, on April 28, State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc paid a visit to Indian President Ram Nath Kovind. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh paid a visit to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On the same day, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son sent his greetings to Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. But the most unfortunate is probably related to the traditional festivals, especially the Kumbh Mela festival with a huge influx of Hindu pilgrims, estimated in the hundreds of millions, stretching through April. During the festival, nearly 5 million people jumped into the Ganges and baptized, every day about a million people join the pilgrimage to pray, they squeeze their shoulders like wings and do not wear masks because they think that India has exempted. community epidemic, while in reality both the infected person and the person being vaccinated are less than 10% of the population.

India is facing the worst Covid-19 outbreak in the world in recent weeks. An ambulance carrying patients queued for admission to the state Covid-19 hospital in Ahmedabad City, Gujarat state, April 22. (Photo: AP) Medical staff assist in bringing patients of Covid-19 into hospital in Ahmedabad City. (Photo: AP) Last Friday, hospitals in the capital New Delhi signaled for help to the government when the supply of oxygen was only enough to use for a few hours. (Photo: AP) India’s hospital system falls into a shortage of hospital beds and medical oxygen when there are hundreds of thousands of new infections every day. This South Asian country can produce at least 7,100 tons of oxygen / day, including the amount of oxygen for industry. In theory, with the above mentioned output, India could meet the current oxygen demand. The main problem is that medical oxygen is not delivered in time to the hospital to save the patient. This delay stemmed from the location of the production units and distribution systems. (Photo: AP) Medical staff removed the patient from the scene of the fire at Vijay Vallabh Hospital for Covid-19 treatment in Virar, near Mumbai, April 23. Thirteen patients died from the incident. (Photo: AP) People queue for medical oxygen refills in New Delhi. On April 21, at least 24 people with Covid-19 disease in western India died after running out of oxygen supplies supplied to their breathing apparatus. (Photo: AP) To address the serious shortage of medical oxygen, the Indian government has mobilized the country’s railway industry to organize high-speed trains that carry oxygen from steel mills to areas where the epidemiology is most critical. Over the past 24 hours, these special trains have transported nearly 150 tons of oxygen. (Photo: AP) The government also uses Indian Air Force cargo planes to transport empty containers to production centers. After being filled with oxygen, the tank will be transported to localities by road. The Indian armed forces are importing 23 German oxygen-producing mobile devices. In addition, the government has ordered the conversion of argon and nitrogen storage tanks into oxygen tanks. According to experts, in the coming days, the number of cases in India will continue to increase strongly, the country will have to solve two problems of oxygen production and distribution simultaneously. (Photo: Xinhua) According to the latest statistics, the state of Maharashtra accounts for 27% of India’s 2.5 million Covid-19 cases that have not been cured and 33% of India’s more than 190,000 deaths. Mumbai City plans to build 16 facilities in 12 hospitals in the area to produce oxygen from the air. It is estimated that this plan will require a cost of 12 million USD. (Photo: AP) Residents wait for the Covid-19 vaccine at an immunization center in Mumbai, April 24. According to experts, along with increasing supplies of medical oxygen, drugs and other medical supplies, boosting Covid-19 vaccination will help India get out of the current dangerous wave. India has the strength of one of the most vaccine-producing countries in the world. According to the ANI news agency, India will start the third phase of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign on May 1, with all 18 years of age and older. Residents can register for the vaccination from April 28. According to India’s Health Ministry data released yesterday, the country has injected 138,379,832 million doses of vaccine since the start of vaccination on January 16. (Photo: AP)

Covid-19 in Vietnam on the morning of April 29: There were no new cases, a total of 2,865 cases, more than 38,500 people were in quarantine. (Source: VNA) Newsletter Covid-19 on the morning of April 29 of the Ministry of Health said, from 6 p.m. to 6 p.m. to 6 p.m. on April 29: Vietnam temporarily did not recognize new Covid-19 cases. The total number of cases in our country is still 2,865 – As of 6 am on April 29: Vietnam has a total of 1570 cases of Covid-19 due to domestic infections, of which the number of new cases since January 27 to now: 910 cases, only Hai Duong has 726 ca, Quang Ninh (61 cases), Gia Lai (27 cases), Hanoi (34 cases), Bac Ninh (5 cases), Bac Giang (2 cases), TP. Ho Chi Minh City (36 cases), Hoa Binh (2 cases), Ha Giang (1 case), Dien Bien (3 cases), Binh Duong (6 cases), Hai Phong (4 cases), Hung Yen (3 cases). 10 provinces and cities (Hoa Binh, Dien Bien, Ha Giang, Binh Duong, Hung Yen, Bac Giang, Gia Lai, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh and Ho Chi Minh City) have not reported cases of Covid-19 for 75 days. in the community; Hanoi 71 days and Hai Phong 65 days, Hai Duong 35 days there are no cases of Covid-19 infection in the community. Thus, after 12 o’clock passed, Vietnam has temporarily not recognized any more Covid-19 patients. Number of quarantined people: Total number of people in close contact and entry from the epidemic area under medical monitoring (isolated): 38,513, of which: – Concentrated isolation at the hospital: 528 – Concentrated isolation at other establishments: 22,970 – Isolation at home, residence: 15,015. Treatment situation: Among Covid-19 patients being treated at health facilities across the country, there are 48 patients who have been negative for SARS-CoV-2 virus 1-3 times, including: 13 cases negative for the first time; Number of second negative cases: 15 cases; the number of third negative cases was 20 cases. The number of Covid-19-related deaths in our country so far is 35 cases, these are patients with many serious underlying diseases, including in Da Nang (31 cases), Quang Nam (03) and Quang Tri. (01). Immunization information: An additional 92,445 people were vaccinated against Covid-19 on April 28. Up to 4:00 p.m. on April 28, a total of 1 and 2 vaccinations of Covid-19 vaccinations had been carried out in the provinces / cities for 425,638 health workers who were directly treating Covid-19 patients. Medical staff perform tasks such as taking samples, testing, tracing, members of Covid-19 community groups, Steering Committee for epidemic prevention at all levels, police forces, the military. Details of 92,445 people who were injected at 56 provinces / cities and medical facilities of the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Defense on April 28, 2021 were as follows: – 1st: 1- Quang Ninh: 460 people 2. Ministry of Public Security: 2,418 people Phase 2: 3- Hanoi: 3,765 people 4- Hai Phong: 163 people 5- Thai Binh: 73 people 6- Nam Dinh: 1,280 people 7- Ha Nam: 651 people 8- Ninh Binh: 108 people 9- Bac Giang: 4,085 people 10- Bac Ninh: 924 people 11- Phu Tho: 1,188 people 12- Vinh Phuc: 766 people 13- Hai Duong: 7,840 people 14- Hung Yen: 1,604 people 15- Thai Nguyen: 547 people 16- Bac Can: 353 people 17- Quang Ninh: 2,480 people 18- Hoa Binh: 1,706 people 19- Nghe An: 9,507 people 20- Ha Tinh: 647 people 21- Lai Chau: 230 people 22- Lang Son: 1,714 people 23- Tuyen Quang: 422 people 24- Ha Giang: 897 people 25- Cao Bang: 1,225 people 26- Yen Bai: 728 people 27- Lao Cai: 1,335 people 28- Son La: 234 people 29- Dien Bien: 887 people 30- Quang Binh: 313 people 31- Quang Tri: 934 people 32- Thua Thien – Hue: 978 people 33- City. Da Nang: 274 people 34- Quang Nam: 1,619 people 35- Quang Ngai: 560 people 36- Binh Dinh: 1,050 people 37- Phu Yen: 396 people 38- Khanh Hoa: 1,023 people 39- Binh Thuan: 1,419 people 40- Ninh Thuan: 777 people 41- Kon Tum: 1,683 people 42- Gia Lai: 2,558 people 43- Dak Lak: 3,657 people 44- Dak Nong: 562 people 45- TP. Ho Chi Minh City: 11,107 people 46- Tien Giang: 77 people 47- Lam Dong: 2,340 people 48- Can Tho: 1,069 people 49- Soc Trang: 2,020 people 50- Ben Tre: 526 people 51- Tra Vinh: 1,188 people 52- Vinh Long: 831 people 53- Dong Thap: 4,326 people 54- Binh Phuoc: 851 people 55- Kien Giang: 207 people 56- Ca Mau: 592 people 57- Bac Lieu: 1,163 people 58- Hau Giang: 108 people In order to live safely with the Covid-19 epidemic, the Ministry of Health recommends that each citizen must comply with the 5K principle of the Ministry of Health: Masks; Disinfection; Range; No Convergence and Medical Claims. 5K rule (According to the Ministry of Health)

India ‘broke the game’ in the second wave of Covid-19 India is being devastated by the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. In just 24 hours, the number of deaths due to the country’s pandemic reached 2,000 people and more than 300,000 new cases. Every night, fire blazed brightly on the banks of the Ganges River. Not the flames of traditional Hindu festivals, they are the cremations of the bodies of the victims who died for Covid-19, a horrifying symbol of the unprecedented humanitarian tragedy taking place in India. Degree. From urban to rural areas, patients die in the despair of relatives, because they cannot find an empty hospital bed. The supply of oxygen and medicine was depleted, leading to countless cases of robbery of medical supplies from the hospital. At cremation facilities, crematoriums are always red for 24 hours, but countless dead bodies are still waiting in line, according to the report. Financial Times . Staff at a cremation facility in New Delhi. Photo: AFP. The epidemic wave is unprecedented The grim reality has sparked a flame of public anger over the authorities’ preparations. Just two months ago, India appeared to have successfully controlled the epidemic. However, as of April 22, India broke the world record for the number of new infections per day with 312,732 virus-positive cases. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata party allegedly put political interests above public health after holding a series of large-scale rallies, as well as allowing a Kumbh Mela festival of millions to be held. attendees in the midst of the second epidemic wave. A new strain is suspected of being behind the current wave of terrible epidemics, leading experts to fear India is on a path similar to Brazil – a country where the health system and economy have been brought down by the corona virus. down. “The health system is not well prepared for this epidemic wave. A lot of people in government across the country are not thinking of this new wave of epidemics. Some miraculously they assume we are already.” over the pandemic, “said Srinath Reddy, chairman of the Indian Community Health Foundation. Although the mortality rate is still relatively low, other indicators are pointing to a worsening crisis. Both the number of new infections and the positive rate are growing at the fastest rates in the world. The rate of infection increased from 3% last month to 16% now. Relatives kneel and cry beside the body of a patient who has died of Covid-19. Photo: AP. In the capital New Delhi, there are more new infections every day than in any other city. Every 5 days, the number of Covid-19 cases doubles. In many areas, the number of infected people outstrips the hospital’s ability to service. In the city of Nagpur, the proportion of patients requiring intensive care is 353 people per million people, higher than anywhere in Europe. Meanwhile, in the financial capital Mumbai, the rate is 194 patients per million population. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that many deaths from Covid-19 have not been fully counted. According to media reports in seven counties in the states of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, at least 1,833 bodies have been cremated with Covid-19 in recent days. However, only 228 deaths from Covid-19 have been officially recorded. In the Jamnagar district in Gujarat, 100 people died of Covid-19, but only one case has been officially reported. People died everywhere The state of Uttar Pradesh, home to 200 million people, is one of the poorest states in India. The situation in the capital Lucknow shows that India’s medical infrastructure is on the brink of collapse. Local media said that at King George’s College of Medicine alone, up to 50 patients lined up for a hospital bed. Shivi Shah is a resident of Lucknow. When her brother was positive for corona virus last week, Shah decided to send his parents to his home to avoid the worst scenario. But it was all too late, for both Shah and father. After only 3 days, her father began to lose his eyesight. 45 minutes after the emergency call, an ambulance arrived at the Shah’s house, but the car was not equipped with enough medical equipment to treat her father. The man later died on the way to the hospital. The cremation facility staff members hand-clasped the dead body of Covid-19 before placing it in the crematorium. Photo: Daily News. Unable to find a place to bury his father’s body, Shah continued to receive bad news about his mother. Her mother passed away just a few hours later in her sleep. By this time, both the Shah and his son had a fever, they were waiting for the results of the Covid-19 test. “None of us have ever seen tragedy and death like what’s happening. The situation is much worse now than last year, so many people die on the street, or die in their own homes, before. was seen by a doctor or got the test results, “said Seema Shukla, a nurse at the Sanjay Gandhi Medical Institute in Lucknow. “From early morning to midnight, my phone rang continuously. My relatives and friends desperately begged for help, they needed everything, ventilators, hospital beds, nurses, oxygen tanks, medicine. men, “said Shukla. Officials warn a new strain of strain is likely to be the cause of the current wave of epidemics, strain B.1.617 was first discovered in India in March. Scientists are doing more research on this strain, suspecting it is more contagious and resistant to vaccines. Jeffrey Barrett, an expert from the Wellcome Sanger Genetic Research Institute, said the number of cases in India gave a very dark picture, but scientists are still uncertain whether the B.1.617 strain is. is the cause or not. Up to this point, experts have mostly criticized a part of the unconscious population and the complacent, subjective attitude of the Indian government for leading to a bad spread in the second wave of epidemics. Vineeta Bal, an expert from the National Institute of Immunology in India, says the cause of the current crisis has even deeper roots. The collapse of the health system is the result of years of government neglect to public health infrastructure, Bal said. Over the years, India’s health spending has lagged far behind the world average. “The problem is not only the current government but also the public health system for the past 50 years. The situation will not be resolved in a single year of crisis. The health system has been left indifferent. very, many years, “said Mrs. Bal. Santosh Kumar, son of party leader Bharatiya Janata in Lucknow, said he was isolated at home with his family. All four members of Mr. Kumar’s family have Covid-19. “The whole system has collapsed. The rest of the government here are in quarantine. People have to find out for themselves what medicines they can take and what they can do to save themselves”, Mr. Kumar said.

New York Times sent reporters to cremations across India and found that the number of deaths caused by Covid-19 was higher than official figures. According to experts, Indian politicians and health officials missed many cases, both unintentional and intentional. The victim’s family also contributes to conceal the disease status of the deceased, making the situation even more complicated. “This is a data disaster,” says epidemiologist Bhramar Mukherjee from the University of Michigan. “From all modeling calculations done, we believe that the actual number of deaths is 2 to 5 times higher than reported”. The actual situation of the cremation ground In a cremation ground in the city of Ahmedabad, capital of the state of Gujarat, western India, fire was lit night and day to serve the cremation of the dead. Mr. Suresh Bhai, an employee here, said he had never seen so many deaths. However, in the section of cause of death on the file, he did not enter Covid-19. “Oops, sick, sick, sick …”, Mr. Suresh said. “That’s what we write.” Indian people pray after the death of a loved one caused by Covid-19. Photo: The New York Times. Mr. Suresh said that this order was issued by his superiors. These people declined to comment on the incident. Cremation is an important part of Hindu farewell rituals. This is considered an act to help the soul be released from the body. The staff at the cremation site said they felt exhausted. These employees also shared that they have never seen so many deaths at the same time today. In the industrial city of Surat, Gujarat state, some of the iron frames used for cremation have melted due to overuse. In the city of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh state, the authorities had to make use of the park to cremate the body. The price of subjectivity Not long ago, India seemed to be on the right track in the prevention of the Covid-19 pandemic, when cases and deaths were under control. Facing this achievement, both Indian officials and people proved subjective and did not continue to take measures to prevent epidemics. But the worst has only just begun. The number of more than 300,000 new infections a day exceeds the capacity of the Indian health sector. The beds are seriously overloaded. A hospital bed with dozens of people lined up for use. There was a time when hospitals in the capital New Delhi only had enough oxygen for a few hours. Cremation of the dead in India. Photo: The New York TImes. Countless Indians are on social media pleading for beds, medicine and oxygen to breathe. The cremations were red and red regardless of day and night. There were times when dozens of bodies were cremated at once. Meanwhile, India’s vaccination campaign is having problems. Only 10% of people in this country get at least one vaccine, even though India is the leading manufacturer of vaccines in the world. According to the Washington Post , the rate of people who have had two injections in India is only 1.4%. Medical experts believe that part of the cause comes from the mutant virus strain B.1.617. This is called a “double mutation” strain, which carries the mutation of two other mutant viruses. This makes B.1.617 both more contagious and more difficult to control than conventional viruses. “Cremation sites have never been so crowded” Residents of Bhopal city, Madhya Pradesh state, say cremations have never been so crowded. Bhopal officials recorded 41 deaths related to the Covid-19 outbreak in mid-April 13 days. New York Times At the city’s crematorium and cemetery for victims of Covid-19, the death toll amounted to more than 1,000 during that same period. “Many deaths have not been recorded. This number is increasing, ”said Dr. GCGautam, a cardiologist in Bhopal. According to him, the government did so because it did not want to create a wave of panic among the people. A similar situation was observed in Lucknow and Mirzapur, the main cities of Uttar Pradesh state. In the state of Gujarat, the local Sandesh newspaper pointed out that the number of deaths per day is about 610, many times higher than the 73-121 number announced by the government. The rapid increase in the number of deaths caused the cremation grounds to become crowded. Photo: The New York TImes. There are many reasons leading to this situation. Subjectively, according to epidemiologist Bhramar Mukherjee from the University of Michigan, some families do not want to have to bury their loved ones with the strict process of handling the bodies of Covid-19 patients. Objectively, some states are said to have received requests from the central government, where they have to slightly reduce the numbers from reality. In addition, even in the pre-pandemic years, only about a fifth of deaths have been forensically examined. This means that the cause of death of the majority of Indians is not recorded in official records. For his part, Mr. Suresh Bhai continued to work diligently. “Every day, my cemetery has to deal with 15-20 patients of Covid-19 who have died,” he said amid the flare of the flames. India ‘broke the game’ in the second wave of Covid-19 India is being devastated by the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. In just 24 hours, the number of deaths due to the country’s pandemic reached 2,000 people and more than 300,000 new cases.

Actual casualties are 2-5 times higher The second wave of Covid-19 in India quickly pushed the country into a total crisis, overloading hospitals, depleting oxygen supplies, desperate lines of people not being treated by doctors and there is evidence that the actual death toll is much higher than officially reported, according to the New York Times. Every day the Government of India records more than tens of thousands of new infections – a world record high – more new cases than any other country to date. However, experts say those numbers, no matter how staggering, represent only a small fraction of the true spread of the pandemic that puts the country in a state of emergency. Millions of people dare not even step out the door for fear of spreading the disease. Indian people mourn in front of a cremation site. Photo: NYT The sudden increase in new infections in recent weeks, with a newer variant, is raising suspicions about the actual number of deaths from India’s Covid-19 – currently reported to be 200,000. , with more than 2,000 people dying every day. Investigations from cremation facilities across the country revealed a large number of deaths from Covid-19 far exceeding the official figure. According to analysts, politicians and hospital managers can reduce this number. “It was a complete data massacre,” said Bhramar Mukherjee, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan who has followed India closely. “From all the models we have done, we believe that the actual death toll is 2 to 5 times what is reported.” At one of the major cremation sites in Ahmedabad, a city in the state of Gujarat, western India, flames blazed through the night sky, burning 24 hours a day, like an industrial factory never. Turn off. On April 24, Indian officials reported nearly 350,000 new infections, while the number of deaths continued to increase. At a hospital in New Delhi, doctors said 20 patients in critical condition died after oxygen pressure dropped. Doctors claim that severe oxygen scarcity is the cause of the soaring death toll. In Bhopal, a large city in central India, where the disaster of gas leaks in the 1980s caused thousands of deaths, residents said this was the “busiest” time in cremation zones. since that disaster. Over the course of 13 days in mid-April, Bhopal officials reported 41 deaths related to Covid-19. But a survey by the New York Times found the number of deaths at the same time to more than 1,000. A similar phenomenon took place in Lucknow and Mirzapur – major cities in the state of Uttar Pradesh – and across Gujarat, during the same time period, authorities reported between 73 and 121 Covid-related deaths. -19 per day. But detailed figures compiled by one of Gujarat’s leading newspapers – Sandesh – indicate that the number is many times higher, around 610 people per day. What’s happening in India? Months ago, India appeared to have effective epidemic control. After the stern blockade orders that prevented the first outbreak from being eased, India no longer recorded a large number of cases. Officials and citizens have begun to be subjective and act as if the worst days are over. Now, countless Indians have been forced to go to social media to send an emergency (SOS) calling to give them bed, medicine or “some oxygen to breathe”. At the same time, India’s Covid-19 vaccine campaign is also facing difficulties. Less than 10% of Indians have received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, even though the country is the world’s leading producer of the vaccine. Severe Indian needs have had a ripple effect around the world, especially in poorer countries. The country had planned to export millions of doses of vaccine but so far this has stopped completely due to severe shortage of vaccines in the country. This also affects when some countries have to divert imports from other countries Doctors are concerned, this terrible wave originated from the emergence of a virus variant “double mutation” – B.1.617. This variant contains genetic mutations found in two other uncontrolled versions of the SARS-CoV2 virus. One of the mutations included in the highly contagious variant was the cause of California (USA) struggles earlier this year. The other mutation is similar to the one found in South Africa and is thought to make the virus more resistant to the vaccine. However, scientists warn that it is too early to know for certain how dangerous the new variant emerging in India is. The results can be worst when combined with the ability to spread faster and more difficult to control. This is worrying scientists across the globe as high-rate vaccinated countries are easing and starting to be subjective. Because of the failures in India, Brazil and elsewhere that there is a risk that the virus could mutate to “beat” existing vaccines.

Passenger at Changi International Airport, Singapore, on March 15, 2021. Photo: AFP / VNA According to the Vietnam News Agency reporter in Singapore, in addition to the above regulations, those who have recently come to India and have not completed the 14-day quarantine period to 23:59 p.m. on April 22 will have to undergo concentrated isolation for another 7 days. These individuals will have to undergo 3 PCR tests: on arrival, on the 14th day and before the end of the quarantine period. In recent days, India has continuously recorded the highest number of new infections and daily deaths ever. In the past 24 hours, the South Asian country recorded 332,503 cases and 2,256 deaths. These are the number of new infections and deaths caused by COVID-19 in a day at levels not seen since the outbreak of the pandemic. According to worldometers.info, as of the morning of April 23 (Vietnam time), India had a total of 16.2 million cases, of which 186,928 died. In addition, the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) on April 22 announced that 17 workers at the Westlite Woodlands dormitory were found to be re-infected, although there is no evidence that these cases are related. epidemic in India or with a new strain of virus appearing there. Therefore, preventive measures for COVID-19 will be tightened for migrant workers to minimize the risk of re-infection in those who have recovered from the disease. Accordingly, all new migrant workers from higher-risk countries and regions will be placed on quarantine for 14 days at quarantine facilities. After they test negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, they will be sent to the Migrant Labor Referral Center (MWOC). In the past, these workers had to stay on quarantine for only 4 days at the quarantine facilities before being sent to MWOC during their remaining quarantine period. As for the newly arrived migrant workers whose test results have antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, they will have to undergo a bi-weekly screening regime. Previously, they were exempt from this requirement. As of April 29, recovered workers living in dormitories or those working in the construction, marine and processing industries living in Singapore will have to undergo periodic inspections. about 9 months, or 270 days, from the date they get COVID-19.

India ‘broke the game’ in the second wave of Covid-19 India is being devastated by the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. In just 24 hours, the number of deaths due to the country’s pandemic reached 2,000 people and more than 300,000 new cases. The data for the new infections that India reported in January and February 2021 was overwhelmingly positive, as the country of more than 1.3 billion people recorded a dramatic drop from the first peak. by 2020 it will be more than 100,000 cases, down to less than 10,000 cases / day. The data reported later on cases and deaths both seem to have a miracle happening. With more than 312,000 new cases of Covid-19, on April 22, India broke the US record and became the country with the highest number of cases of Covid-19 daily in the world. Photo: New York Times. Jishnu Das, a medical economist at Georgetown University, USA, told NPR in the early February interview: “Not that India is testing less or the data is being underreported. At first, the number of infections skyrocketed and then suddenly disappeared. Hospital intensive care units (ICUs) have been reduced. All indicators represent the decline of the pandemic. ” However, a pandemic has not disappeared so easily. It may take years to figure out the reason for that illusion, but clearly India missed the true rate of cases earlier this year, even at a time when people were celebrating the decline. decrease of the disease, until it is too late. Although it is thought that the cause is the newly discovered strain of Covid-19 in India, this wave of rise is due to the failed combination of social management, weakness in India’s health system. and policy decisions. Before the second wave – likened to a tsunami – swept the world’s second most populous country, the virus was believed to have been suppressed in India, even some regions believed to be moving forward. community translation. Besides, as the vaccination is in progress, many people have reason to believe that the situation can be controlled. Experts say that it seems that India has made the same mistakes with other countries, including the UK, after the first wave reached its peak. The countries would then return to normal and would be severely attacked by the second wave. Dr. Chandrakant Lahariy wrote in an article for India Today last week: “The second wave of Covid-19 has come a few months after the second wave in other countries where the same situation happened somewhere. mid to late 2020. There is no reason to believe that the situation will be different in India. ” “Although lax in social governance is noted, from February to April 2021, the government is also not determined to enforce measures to prevent public health epidemics. With the enacted Covid-19, it was the policymakers and elected leaders that let loose for the crowds. Among them were festivals, like Holi at the end of the month. 3, Kumbh Mela in Haridwar (March and April), election demonstrations in 5 states (March to April) “. On the other hand, India, the world’s largest producer of vaccines, has repeated the same mistakes that have occurred in the US and elsewhere, assuming that vaccination alone is enough to control Covid-19. Prime Minister Narendra Modi then stressed that social distance remains an “ultimate optimal” measure. In fact, from the UK experience, the combination of active immunization, containment and surveillance offers the best chance of mitigating the impact of the pandemic. There are three key factors: First, without effective surveillance, Covid-19 will make use of those blind spots to spread again. Second, even in the midst of the immunization movement of India, when many people are not vaccinated Covid-19 remains a strong threat, possibly putting pressure on the health system. The third and final lesson is about leadership. Actions that promote improved public awareness and encourage prejudice against normalization have a real impact in public health emergencies that depend heavily on encouraging people to be more careful.