As the pandemic is developing complicatedly in Vietnam as well as the world, in order to support poor and disadvantaged people infected with COVID-19, poor people and workers in quarantined and locked down areas, and people returning home without a job, the VRC Central Committee calls on VRC chapters at all levels nationwide to encourage officials, members, volunteers and youth to help the affected people.
Specifically, the chapters will call on their officials, members and volunteers to disseminate information on the pandemic situation and persuade people to seriously take COVID-19 prevention and control measures.
For provinces and cities severely affected by the pandemic, they will actively update the numbers of cases and deaths, affected areas, damage and people's needs; implement emergency relief activities; and maintain voluntary blood donation activities in a flexible form.
On May 26, Vietnam documented 235 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of domestic infections to 4,597, including 3,027 since April 27.
* The Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank) on May 26 donated a total of VND38 billion (nearly US$1.65 million) to finance the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines in 10 cities and provinces.
Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City received VND5 billion each while Da Nang, Vinh Phuc, Dien Bien, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, and Lang Son were each given VND3 billion.
Vietcombank was the most recent to fund vaccine procurement in response to the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV)’s call for domestic lenders to contribute resources to the COVID-19 fight.
It joined three other banks - BIDV, Vietinbank and Agribank - in donating a combined VND100 billion to help the country purchase more vaccines.
Additionally, HDbank, the Sovico Group, and SHB have contributed a total of VND75 billion to the COVID-19 vaccine fund, while the T&T Group has donated one million doses of vaccine.
The fourth batch of AstraZeneca vaccine arrived at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport on May 25, bringing the total number of doses delivered to Vietnam by the UK-based pharmaceutical firm to 2.9 million.
By the end of 2021, Vietnam will have received about 110 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, including 38.9 million under the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX), 30 million from AstraZeneca, and 31 million from Pfizer/BioNTech.
However, the ministry targeted having enough 150 million doses to inoculate 75% of the Vietnamese population as directed by the Politburo and the Government.
As of May 25, the country had administered over 1.03 million shots, primarily to frontline workers.
