Japan, Vietnam, and COVID-19

This article is about news relating to COVID-19 in Japan and Vietnam

1. Japan is preparing to provide COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam

Japan is preparing to supply Vietnam with COVID-19 vaccines as the country is struggling to procure enough doses for its citizens under a critical situation of a resurgence of infections since late April.

Upper House lawmaker Masahisa Sato, who heads the ruling party's Foreign Affairs Division, said that the government has started negotiating with Vietnam. Japan is expected to donate doses of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca PLC of Britain.

On Japan's side, the number of daily infections has come down steadily since the government extended a state of emergency for major cities.

Reference:

Bloomberg (2021, June 06). Japan is preparing to provide COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam. The Japan Times. Retrieved June 06, 2021 from https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/06/05/national/vietnam-japan-vaccines/

2. Japan during first week of Coronavirus state of emergency extension

The Japanese authorities have extended the state of emergency in nine prefectures, including Tokyo and Osaka, to June 20. Here are some changes in these provinces.

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, one of the most well-known parks in Tokyo, reopened on Friday. The number of visitors per hour is reduced to 2,000 until the emergency extension expires. Closing time is also limited from 6 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Same as Tokyo, Okinawa is making efforts to control the situation. Stricter regulations have been implemented, such as requesting big companies to close areas that provide unimportant goods. Even food stores had quite few buyers.

On a positive side, the government is promoting vaccination for the country. Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo said the authorities will try their best so that every citizen can get vaccinated safely and effectively.

Reference:

First weekend after state of emergency extended. (2021, June 6). NHK. Retrieved from https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210605_15/

3. Vietnam sets up vaccine fund amid biggest outbreak of COVID-19

On Wednesday (23/5), Vietnam’s government agreed on setting up a special fund for the vaccine against COVID-19. Despite the fact that Vietnam has successfully dealt with this severe pandemic for more than 1 year, Vietnam is now witnessing an increase in COVID-19 cases. According to experts, the new outbreak is more difficult to handle because of new infections and the rapid spread of the virus among factory workers. Therefore, it is essential for Vietnamese citizens to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Last Saturday night (5/6) there was a ceremony to formally announce the foundation of the COVID-19 vaccine fund. After the fund has started receiving money from everyone, it could raise more than 10 billion VND in just 30 minutes. However, the fund may need to be around 25000 billion VND to buy 150 million doses of vaccine for 75 million people. If you want to support, please find more information at reliable sources like VnExpress, Tuoi Tre, etc.

References:

Ra mắt Quỹ vaccine Covid-19. (2021, June 5). VnExpress. https://vnexpress.net/ra-mat-quy-vaccine-covid-19-4289696.html

Vietnam sets up vaccine fund amid biggest outbreak of COVID-19. (2021, May 26). Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/vietnam-sets-up-vaccine-fund-amid-biggest-outbreak-covid-19-2021-05-26/