The country has recorded 1,074 SARS-CoV-2 infections so far. Of the total, 691 were locally-transmitted cases, including 551 linked with Da Nang city since the latest coronavirus wave hit the locality on July 25.

As many as 999 patients have recovered while the fatalities remain at 35. Most of the fatalities were the elderly with serious underlying health conditions.

Among the patients still under treatment, three have tested negative for the virus once, four twice and 12 thrice.

There are 16,829 people having close contact with confirmed cases or coming from the pandemic-hit regions under quarantine at present, including 272 in hospitals, 10,995 in other quarantine sites, and 5,562 at home.

As the COVID-19 pandemic can return at any time, the Ministry of Health recommended people wear face masks in crowded places, and wash hands with soap or hand sanitiser regularly./.

Indonesian media praise Vietnam’s success in curbing COVID-19 spread, economic growth

Indonesian media have applauded Vietnam’s success in curbing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, which helps the country’s economy to expand.

In a recent interview, Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam Ibnu Hadi affirmed that the key to Vietnam's success is fast decision-making from the Government which receive support and are closely observed by all levels of society.

COVID-19 has indeed hit the world economy, including Vietnam, Ibnu said, pointing out that Vietnam's economy is still growing positively. While economies across the globe contract due to the pandemic, Vietnam posted a growth of 3.82 percent in the first quarter of 2020, the diplomat stated.

Even though Vietnam was hardest hit by COVID-19 outbreaks in Q2, the country’s economy increased 0.36 percent.

Vietnam recently adjusted down its economic growth target to 2 - 2.5 percent this year due to the pandemic, but the forecast still remains positive compared to other countries in the region, the Ambassador said.

According to Ibnu, Vietnam's economy is quite dependent on exports. But thanks to accurate evaluations and projections, the Vietnamese Government has devised measures to cushion the negative impact of COVID-19 by creating optimal conditions for exporters during the pandemic period and boosting the production of key export items such as garment, footwear and medical equipment.

As a result, the economy remains resilient and enjoys positive growth which has gained admiration of various countries in the region and the world, the diplomat noted.

During its second wave of infections, Vietnam also quickly rolled out preventive measures in confirmed outbreaks instead of imposing large-scale restrictions, which kept the economy running, he added. 

So far Vietnam had recorded 1,069 positive cases, with 35 deaths, and 999 patients have recovered.

Over 350 Vietnamese citizens return from US, Japan

More than 350 Vietnamese citizens came home from the US and Japan on a repatriation flight of Vietnam Airlines on September 26-27.

The passengers included children under 18, the elderly, people with illnesses, pregnant women, workers whose contracts have expired, students without accommodation due to dormitory closure and those in difficult circumstances.

Vietnam’s representative offices in the US and Japan exerted efforts to help Vietnamese citizens move to airports in San Francisco and Narita, and sent staffs to help them with pre-departure procedures.

Security, safety and hygiene measures were rigorously taken during the flight to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Upon their arrival at Van Don Airport in northern Quang Ninh province, all the crew members and passengers were given medical check-ups and put under quarantine in line with regulations.

In the time to come, more repatriation flights will be arranged to bring Vietnamese citizens home, depending on their demand and domestic quarantine capacity.

COVID-19: Vietnamese stuck in Japan celebrate full-moon festival

The Vietnamese Buddhist Association in Japan and Hana’s Charity have recently organised a full-moon festival at a community centre in Chiba prefecture where many Vietnamese citizens stuck by COVID-19 are staying.

Apart from the festival, the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan and the association have carried out an array of activities at the centre like providing airport transportation services and calling for food donations from Japanese localities.

Currently, 58 Vietnamese are staying at the centre, which was transformed from the dormitory of the Meiyuu Japanese language school, about 40km from Tokyo.

The centre represents a joint effort by the embassy, the association and the Kyodai charity group to help Vietnamese citizens who are stranded or meet difficulties caused by the pandemic.

Put into operation in August, it provides free services for the Vietnamese in need.

Philippines sees improvement in battling COVID-19

The Philippines logged 2,747 new COVID-19 cases on September 26, bringing the national count to 301,256, according to the country’s Department of Health.

The Philippines has the largest number of infections across Southeast Asia, with a death toll of 5,284 and 232,906 recoveries. Metro Manila is the worst-hit region with an additional 1,115 cases being reported on the day.

More than 3.37 million people have to date been tested for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19.

Philippine Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said there is an "improvement" in the country's critical care utilisation rate in the last two weeks, adding that there has been a "slow decongestion" in hospitals, including in Metro Manila.

The rate in Metro Manila has gone down to about 60 percent from a high of up to 81 percent in August, meaning hospitals have the capacity to take in more COVID-19 patients, she said.

The transmission rate has dropped to less than one and the country health department is closely monitoring 1,963 virus clusters in hospitals, jails, and densely populated communities.

Despite the improvement, Vergeire said the government needs to continue to strengthen the health system in its efforts to slow the spread of the the virus.

The Philippines continues to recruit more health workers, including doctors, nurses and medical technologists, to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The health department said a total of 9,133 health workers contracted the virus, including 60 deaths.

Metro Manila remains under general community quarantine until September 30. The government will announce whether to ease or retain the lockdown status for the following weeks before the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Indonesia had 4,494 new infections and 90 deaths to report on September 26, lifting the total to 271,339 and 10,308, respectively.

The country records the highest number of fatalities across the region.

Over 270 Vietnamese citizens return from Russia

Over 270 Vietnamese citizens were flown home from Russia on a repatriation flight of Bamboo Airways on September 26 as a joint effort of competent authorities of both nations.

The passengers included children under 18, the elderly, people with illnesses, pregnant women, workers whose contracts have expired, and students without accommodation due to dormitory closure.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Russia sent staff to help the citizens with pre-departure procedures at the airport in Vladivostok.

Security, safety and hygiene measures were rigorously taken during the flight to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Upon their arrival at Can Tho International Airport in the city of the same name, all the crew members and passengers were given medical checkups and put under quarantine in line with regulations.

In the time to come, more repatriation flights will be arranged to bring Vietnamese citizens home, depending on their demand and domestic quarantine capacity.