With 5,271 patients given the all clear during the day, the number of recoveries rose to 9,997,136. Meanwhile, there are 78 patients in serious conditions needing breathing support.

One death from COVID-19 was recorded in the past 24 hours, lifting the total number of fatalities 43,095.

On August 9, an additional 438,272 doses of vaccines were administered, raising the total number of doses of COVID-19 vaccines injected to 249,288,604.

Chairman of the People’s Committee of Hanoi Tran Sy Thanh on August 9 signed a dispatch asking localities across the city to speed up the COVID-19 vaccination among local residents.Along with speeding up the work on students in local schools in line with the Ministry of Health’s guidance, the localities were requested to complete it among the children between 5 and 12 years olds in August.

They were also asked to finalise the administration of the third and fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccines to adults soon and hasten the injection of the third dose among the people aged from 12 to 18.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked ministries, agencies and localities to maintain vigilance against COVID-19 while addressing a meeting in Hanoi on August 6.

Speaking at the meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, the leader stressed the significance of vaccination, and urged ministries, agencies and localities, particularly the Ministry of Health, to step up the communication work.

The resurgence of COVID-19 outbreak must be prevented, said Chinh, who is also head of the committee, emphasising the three pillars in the fight – testing, quarantine and treatment.

Given the appearance of new epidemics, the PM said it is necessary to ensure resources, the quality of preventive health care and medical infrastructure, and enhance grassroots health care.

AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is estimated to have prevented 232,766 deaths in Vietnam, an independent assessment of vaccine effectiveness showed.

The analysis conducted by Airfinity, a health data firm, covers the period from December 8, 2020 to December 8, 2021 and shows that more than 72 million doses were delivered to Vietnam, making AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine one of the most used in the country.

AstraZeneca’s vaccine was the first COVID-19 vaccine approved by the Ministry of Health, and the first to be supplied in large quantities to support Vietnam’s national vaccination campaign and pandemic response effort.

Nitin Kapoor, Chairman and General Director, AstraZeneca Vietnam and Asia Area Frontier Markets, said: “This data reaffirms that vaccination is the fastest way to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, and that our vaccine is highly effective in preventing serious illness and death. AstraZeneca remains committed to collaborating closely with the Vietnamese Government, Ministry of Health, and our partners to protect people’s lives, in addition to achieving our mutual long-term goal of strengthening health system sustainability and resilience.”

Ho Chi Minh City’s Health Department has requested the setting up of more vaccination points, particularly targeting children aged 5-18 and vulnerable groups, following a sign of increasing number of COVID-19 recorded in recent days.

Official statistics showed that the southern metropolis logged 152 new cases on August 2, compared to an average of about 100 cases a day in just a week ago.

Nguyen Thanh Phong, head of the infection department at the municipal hospital of tropical disease, said the current number of COVID-19 patients hospitalised at the department has doubled that of last week. The unit is now treating 20 patients, most of them have underlying conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and chronic renal failure.

Phong said a mobilisation of more medical staff from other departments for the treatment might be needed if the number of patients continues to rise.

T.Huong

Source: Vitic/VNA