To fight a fever

Thousands of panels glinting in the sun stretch into the sea off Singapore, part of the land-scarce city-state's push to build floating solar farms to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Singapore is using water-based panels to boost its solar energy use four-fold to around two percent of the city's power needs by 2025 It may be one of the world's smallest countries, but the prosperous financial hub is among the biggest per capita carbon dioxide emitters in Asia. And while authorities have been pushing to change that, renewable energy is a challenge in a country with no rivers for hydro-electricity and where the wind is not strong enough to power turbines. So the tropical country turned to solar power -- however, with little land space in a place half the size of Los Angeles, it has resorted to setting up energy plants off its coasts and on reservoirs. "After exhausting the rooftops and the available land, which is very scarce, the next big potential is … [Read more...] about Space-starved Singapore builds floating solar farms in climate fight

The Hanoitimes - The MoH is working with the COVAX to arrange for another shipment of 1.3 million doses to arrive at Vietnam in March. The Ministry of Health (MoH) would mobilize all resources to carry out Vietnam’s largest vaccination program yet with an estimated of 100 million doses. Local volunteer vaccinated with domestic Covid-19 vaccine named Nanocovax in Hanoi. Photo: Ngoc Tu Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long made the statement at an online conference discussing plan for the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination program held today [March 6]. “With the country’s first Covid-19 vaccine doses set to be administered on March 8 in the northern province of Hai Duong, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, there would no doubt be side effects, but this is not the reason for Vietnam to stop the vaccination program,” stated Long. According to Long, Covid-19 vaccines are developed and manufactured in the shortest time in the history of vaccine development, so the … [Read more...] about Vietnam ready for its first vaccination program on March 8

The Hanoitimes - An addition of VND4.54 trillion (US$196.5 million) was mobilized to help mitigate impacts from natural disasters, flooding and African swine fever. The Vietnamese government has spent nearly US$1 billion for disease control and disaster response, including VND17.9 trillion (US$774.7 million) to aid the Covid-19 fight and support people affected by the pandemic, according to the Ministry of Finance (MoF). The government expects a fiscal deficit of VND343.67 trillion (US$14.82 billion) next year. Photo: Chien Cong. The government also allocated VND4.54 trillion ($196.5 million) to help mitigate impacts from natural disasters, flooding and African swine fever, while nearly 32,950 tons of rice from national reserves were allocated to people in provinces and cities hit by natural disasters. Under the severe covid-19 impacts, state budget revenue in the first 11 months of 2020 was estimated at VND1,260 trillion ($54.53 billion), or 83.4% of … [Read more...] about Nearly $1 billion spent for Covid-19 control and disaster response

The hospital’s medical staff includes doctors, nurses and employees who are working in the Department of Infectious Disease D, Emergency Department, Department of Medical Examination, Department of Social Affairs, Molecular Biology Laboratory, Adult Intensive Care and Anti-Poison Unit; heads and deputy heads of departments along with the Board Of Directors. The health workers of the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases will be the first persons in the Southern region that are on the priority groups for vaccination, said the Ministry of Health. The HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases is one the 21 Covid-19 treatment facilities nationwide, having the highest risk of transmission. The city has not currently seen a cluster of community transmission cases. Therefore, the municipal authorities have determined nine priority groups for coronavirus vaccination in the first phase with 44,175 people, including 285 healthcare workers; 388 members of health teams to conduct random Covid-19 … [Read more...] about First 900 healthcare workers of HCMC to be vaccinated against Covid-19

Vietnam got through 2020 as one of only a few to fulfil the dual goals of containing the COVID-19 pandemic and developing its economy. This achievement can be attributed to the determination and effort of all sectors, most notably science and technology. Ten national science and technology projects were approved during the COVID-19 outbreak, including the cultivation and isolation of SARS-CoV-2, test kit production, studying COVID-19 vaccines, and using robotics in hospitals and quarantine camps. Scientists have not been alone in innovation during the COVID-19 fight. They have been backed by the Government and enterprises. Many people, even those without any academic qualifications, have contributed science and technology innovations to help the country fight the pandemic./. VNA … [Read more...] about Sci-tech strengthens Vietnam’s shield against pandemic