Covid-19 situation:

Vietnam Nationwide

• The new coronavirus variant named Omicron triggered global alarm as Vietnam rushed to suspend travel from southern Africa countries.

• There are about 1.5 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses donated by Japan arrived in Vietnam on November 26.
• A batch of 2,074,410 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine donated by the U.S. to Vietnam touched down in Vietnam on November 26, according to the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam.
• Vietnam received about 1.40 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine donated by France on November 28.
• Can Tho City, located in Mekong Delta, announced a record 1,310 coronavirus infections on November 26, according to the local health department. The city had logged over 900 cases daily in the preceding three days.
• Mekong Delta provinces are tightening up Covid-19 restrictions again as they witness a resurgence of new cases daily, especially in Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, and Soc Trang.

Ho Chi Minh City

• In HCMC, over 1,400 new patients were hospitalized daily and the number of new cases is staying at that level by the day. Ho Chi Minh City is witnessing a surge in Covid-19 deaths, with the number at 60-70 daily in the last week, almost triple compare to October. The rate is particularly high among people aged over 50 or underlying health conditions.
• The HCMC Department of Health has suggested that Covid-19 patients be allowed to pick private doctors to be treated at home at no more than VND200,000 ($8.80) per visit. This is a main feature of a draft plan on private healthcare sector participation in Covid-19 treatment.
• With many Covid19 treatment centers set up in the past to tackle the pandemic dismantled or reverting to their original functions after the 4th wave subsided, the remaining facilities are now working at maximum capacity to cope with the new flood of patients.
• Manufacturing companies in HCMC are offering higher salaries and benefits to attract workers as their year-end order books bulge, but are getting few applications amid the lingering fear of Covid-19, creating labor shortage during year-end time.

Hanoi

• Hanoi for instance recorded over 200 new cases daily during the past week, a far cry from just 20 when it started to reopen late last month.
• Hanoi Committee Party on December 1 stated it had agreed to a proposal to treat and manage mild and asymptomatic Covid-19 cases at home. Management plans and drug distribution would be managed by medical authorities to minimize the number of cases that need to be hospitalized.

Khanh Hoa (Nha Trang)

• Prolonged heavy rain accompanied by flood-discharged hydroelectric power caused many residential areas in Nha Trang to be submerged in water, in some places more than a meter deep, on the morning of December 1.
• 3,157 Covid-19 vaccine doses were administered in Khanh Hoa Province on December 1, raising the total to 1,859,540, including 896,958 second shots. 95,088 kids aged 12 to 17 have received the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, accounting for 83.21%, according to the Provincial Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.
• Khanh Hoa Center for Disease Control reported 394 new cases of Covid-19 in Khanh Hoa, including Nha Trang City (141), Ninh Hoa Town (100), Van Ninh District (15), Cam Lam District (17), Dien Khanh District (10), Cam Ranh City (34), Khanh Vinh District (9) and Khanh Son District (68) on December 2.

Da Nang

• Da Nang Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on December 1 announced the decision to treat mild Covid-19 cases at home as part of a trial in December. Once the trial is completed, the Da Nang Department of Health would review results before applying it officially. Throughout the past days, Da Nang has recorded around new 65 cases daily.
• Da Nang is one of five localities that fully vaccinated foreign tourists are allowed to visit under the trial program, the others are Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Quang Nam, and Quang Ninh provinces.
• A non-stop flight from San Francisco landed at Da Nang International Airport on Wednesday, marking the first regular direct service from the U.S. to Vietnam operated by a domestic carrier. Initially, the airline will conduct two flights per week from Ho Chi Minh City to San Francisco using the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350.