HCMC – The fall in new daily Covid cases continued today, May 11, as the Ministry of Health reported 2,758 new infections, down 96 against yesterday.
Hanoi again took the lead in new cases, with 538. Nghe An came next with 178 cases, Phu Tho with 159, Bac Ninh with 130 and Bac Giang with 101. The remaining provinces had less than 100 cases each.
Today saw two Covid deaths and 2,589 patients recovering from the disease, sending the country’s death toll and recoveries so far to 43,060 and over 9.3 million, respectively.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh yesterday asked the Health Ministry to consider adjusting its 5K rule (masking, hand washiing, physical distancing, no gathering, and health declaration) as the Covid situation has changed for the better.
The 5K rule, which was introduced by the Health Ministry in August 2020, is no longer appropriate as the country has brought the pandemic under control and achieved a high vaccination rate. However, the ministry has only scrapped the health declaration mandate for domestic travel from April 30 this year, while no adjustments to the 5K rule have been made.
Covid patients having to undergo quarantine is a hindrance to the socioeconomic recovery in many parts of the country. The requirement that people arriving in Vietnam from abroad must show proof of a negative Covid test is seen as unnecessary.
In early March, the ministry suggested stopping announcements of daily new Covid cases to avoid causing public concern, but the suggestion has yet to be heeded as of now.
The Health Ministry was also told to ramp up inspections into and control of fake Molnupiravir antiviral drugs in the local market.
