Five COVID-19 patients are successfully discharged from hospital on June 29. (Photo: baotainguyenmoitruong.vn)
The three were recently released, including cases No.344, No.346, and No.348, in addition to one six-years-old boy, with many Vietnamese citizens being repatriated from Sweden and Finland. Once the group arrived at Noi Bai International Airport, many tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus on June 19.
Elsewhere, the country’s other two COVID-19 patients, No.351 and No.352, returned from Kuwait on flight KU1513 and tested for the virus on June 24th.
The entire group was immediately placed into quarantine upon arrival.
Members of the group had originally tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease, before later being re-discharged and formally discharged from the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi.
Each of the cases now remains in a stable health condition, therefore displaying no symptoms of the virus, such as a fever, a cough, or shortness of breath.
Each of the five patients will now be placed into isolation in order to undergo a mandatory 14-day observation period in an attempt to ensure that there is no possibility of the virus reoccurring or being transmitted among the wider community.
As of June 29th, the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi had given treatment to 182 COVID-19 patients, including 18 foreigners. Furthermore, 176 patients have gone on to make a full recovery, with the remaining six currently undergoing treatment.
Vietnam has also gone over 74 consecutive days without any locally transmitted COVID-19 cases.
Most notably, as many as 335 individuals out of the nation’s total of 355 COVID-19 cases have since gone on to make a full recovery from the virus, equal to 94.4% of all patients, with no deaths recorded as a result of the virus so far.
National flag carrier brings 280 overseas Vietnamese in Europe home
National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines conducted a special flight between June 28th and June 29th with over 280 Vietnamese citizens returning home after being left stranded in France and other European countries due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.
Photo: VNA
According to the Voice of Vietnam, the arrival of the repatriation flight comes after joint support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, the Vietnamese Embassy in France, alongside relevant agencies from both nations.
Passengers boarding the flight were made up of minors under the age of 18, the elderly, sick individuals suffering from underlying diseases, pregnant women, guest workers whose labour contracts had been terminated, and students without residence due to the closure of their living accommodation.
To successfully arrange the flight amid the complicated COVID-19 situation in Europe, the Vietnamese Embassy in France has been working closely with local authorities to assist citizens with necessary procedures before they boarded the aircraft.
Moreover, Vietnam Airlines strictly implemented security, safety, and epidemiology measures for the duration of the flight to protect the health of passengers and prevent the possible spread of the virus.
Upon arrival at Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh province, every passenger and crew member on board the flight underwent medical check-ups and were subsequently transferred into quarantine facilities according to regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control.
In line with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s instructions, Vietnamese authorities, Vietnamese representative agencies abroad, and domestic airlines will continue to conduct similar flights to bring overseas Vietnamese nationals back to the homeland in the coming months.
GDP growth rate hits six-month record low
Vietnam’s gross domestic product (GDP) increased 1.81 percent during the first six months of 2020, the lowest first-half growth pace since 2011, Vietnam News Agency quoted the General Statistics Office (GSO) saying that.
Vietnam's economy expanded 1.81 percent in the first half of 2020 (Photo: VNA)
At a press conference on June 29th, the office reported that in the second quarter alone, the GDP rose by just 0.36 percent year on year, which was also the smallest expansion in Q2 during the 2011 - 2020 period.
This was attributed to the fact that the economy was hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic in Q2, when the Government ramped up social distancing measures, the GSO noted, adding that the agro-forestry-fisheries sector grew 1.72 percent, industry - construction rose 1.38 percent, while the services sector contracted 1.76 percent between April and June.
During the six months, the agro-forestry-fisheries sector recorded a growth rate of 1.19 percent and contributed 11.89 percent to the overall economic growth. The respective figures for industry – construction are 2.98 percent and 73.14 percent, and the services sector 0.57 percent and 14.97 percent.
GSO Deputy General Director Nguyen Thi Huong said facing complex developments of COVID-19 that have negatively affected all socio-economic aspects, the whole political system, the Government and the Prime Minister have given the top priority to the pandemic fight and showed the determination to protect people’s health and lives, even at the expense of economic benefits.
This is the solid foundation for the Vietnamese economy to sustain growth and avoid contraction, she said, adding that the data show all-level authorities, enterprises and people’s success in concurrently combating the coronavirus, maintaining production and business activities, and gradually bringing the economy to the pre-pandemic status./.