How COVID-19 has pushed companies over the technology tipping point—and transformed business forever

In just a few months’ time, the COVID-19 crisis has brought about years of change in the way companies in all sectors and regions do business. According to a new McKinsey Global Survey of executives,1 their companies have accelerated the digitization of their customer and supply-chain interactions and of their internal operations by three to four years. And the share of digital or digitally enabled products in their portfolios has accelerated by a shocking seven years.2 Nearly all respondents say that their companies have stood up at least temporary solutions to meet many of the new demands on them, and much more quickly than they had thought possible before the crisis. What’s more, respondents expect most of these changes to be long lasting and are already making the kinds of investments that all but ensure they will stick. In fact, when we asked executives about the impact of the crisis on a range of measures, they say that funding for digital initiatives has increased more than anything else—more than increases in costs, the number of people in technology roles, and the number of customers.To stay competitive in this new business and economic environment requires new strategies and practices. Our findings suggest that executives are taking note: most respondents recognize technology’s strategic importance as a critical component of the business, not just a source of cost efficiencies. Respondents from the companies that have executed successful responses to the crisis report a range of technology capabilities that others don’t—most notably, filling gaps for technology talent during the crisis, the use of more advanced technologies, and speed in experimenting and innovating.3 Tiếp tục đọc “How COVID-19 has pushed companies over the technology tipping point—and transformed business forever”

Vietnam endures world’s ‘worst weather impacts’: experts

By Viet Anh   October 20, 2020 | 02:42 pm GMT+7 VNexpressVietnam endures world’s 'worst weather impacts': expertsHouses are submerged in flood waters in Thua Thien Hue Province, central Vietnam, October 10, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Vo Thanh.

Experts believe flooding in central Vietnam is a result of complex, future “new normal” weather patterns.

“According to our global assessment of current meteorological conditions, Vietnam is experiencing the worst weather impacts in the world at present,” said Grahame Madge, a spokesman for U.K. Met Office that provides critical weather services and world-leading climate science.

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Flooding death toll swells to 29 in central Vietnam

By Nguyen Quy   October 13, 2020 | 01:37 pm GMT+7 VNExpressFlooding death toll swells to 29 in central VietnamPeople row boats on a flooded street in Hue in central Vietnam, October 11, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy.

The death toll from floods and landslides triggered by prolonged heavy rains in central Vietnam has climbed to 29 as of Tuesday morning.

Twenty three had succumbed to floodwaters, three had lost their lives in boating accidents, with the remaining three were killed by electric shock while cleaning out their homes, according to the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.

Tiếp tục đọc “Flooding death toll swells to 29 in central Vietnam”

COVID-vaccine results are on the way — and scientists’ concerns are growing

Researchers warn that vaccines could stumble on safety trials, be fast-tracked because of politics or fail to meet the public’s expectations.
A protester holds a placard that says 'Freedom No Lockdown Masks Tests Vaccine'.

Protesters call for an end to COVID-19-based restrictions in Sacramento, California.Credit: Stanton Sharpe/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty

Several ongoing coronavirus-vaccine trials could announce game-changing results next month. But as anticipation grows, concerns are growing about whether the vaccines will clear safety trials, what they will achieve if they do and the risk that the approval process will be influenced by politics, or at least seem to be. Tiếp tục đọc “COVID-vaccine results are on the way — and scientists’ concerns are growing”

Covid Lays Bare the Flaws in Asia’s Booming Megacities

asiafoundation.org

August 19, 2020

Throughout modern history, pandemics—like wars, earthquakes, catastrophic fires, and other sweeping calamities—have fundamentally shaped and transformed cities. In the early 20th century, the Spanish Flu bore witness to the dangers of concentrating people in dense urban housing. In its aftermath, city governments in Europe and the Americas embraced new urban planning strategies to make cities healthier and more livable. Their efforts focused on creating more parkland and giving cities green “lungs.” More recently, the 1994 outbreak of pneumonic plague in Surat, India, led to the establishment of a citywide system to monitor public health, while the 2003 SARS outbreak prompted Singapore to improve its medical infrastructure. Tiếp tục đọc “Covid Lays Bare the Flaws in Asia’s Booming Megacities”

Haj pilgrimage in Mecca downsized due to coronavirus pandemic

Muslims began the annual haj pilgrimage this year on July 29, 2020 in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. But the 2020 pilgrimage is very different because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Only about 10,000 residents of the kingdom were selected to join, instead of the usual millions of pilgrims who arrive from around the world. As part of the ritual, the Kaaba’s sacred black stone is normally kissed, but that practice as well as other activities have been banned. The pilgrimage will last through to August 2, 2020.

Reopening international flights during COVID-19: a new real-time big data dashboard applied to Vietnam

Mở lại các chuyến bay quốc tế trong thời COVID-19: sử dụng dữ liệu lớn theo thời gian thực tại Việt Nam

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Our big data dashboard offers information that is useful for policy makers as they consider reopening their economies gradually to the rest of the world.[[/tweetable]] It allows them to weigh the respective importance of safety, financial gains, and mobility not only in their own country but also in the countries they might reconnect with. 
We use Vietnam as an example to demonstrate how our big data dashboard could help policymakers weigh the respective importance of safety, financial gains, and mobility in their decision to reopen borders. Photo: © Hau Dinh/Shutterstock/World Bank

Tiếp tục đọc “Reopening international flights during COVID-19: a new real-time big data dashboard applied to Vietnam”

Nhà Chống Lũ giới thiệu “Sổ tay Nhà An Toàn”, ngày 18/7/2020 tại C Space, Tp. Hồ Chí Minh

NCL-truyền thông.png

GIỚI THIỆU CHƯƠNG TRÌNH

Chỉ còn một vài tuần nữa, mùa mưa lũ hàng năm sẽ đến. Trong bối cảnh thiên tai diễn biến ngày càng phức tạp, ngày càng nhiều hộ gia đình cần được đảm bảo một cuộc sống an toàn, được hướng dẫn, lưu ý và hỗ trợ kỹ thuật xây dựng nhà ở an toàn. Vì lý do này, chương trình “Nhà Chống Lũ” đã dành thời gian soạn thảo và mạnh dạn chia sẻ những kinh nghiệm đã tích lũy qua “Sổ tay Nhà An Toàn”.

“Sổ tay Nhà An Toàn” bao gồm chi tiết các mô hình nhà có khả năng thích ứng với các loại hình bão lũ điển hình tại Việt Nam, thông qua các nghiên cứu chi tiết tại nhiều vùng dự án mà chúng tôi đã thực hiện trong các năm 2013-2019. Chúng tôi mong muốn, thông qua cuốn Sổ tay này, người dân, chính quyền địa phương, các tổ chức phi lợi nhuận, các chuyên gia và các cá nhân quan tâm có thể tham khảo và áp dụng được mô hình nhà ở phù hợp, có khả năng thích ứng tốt với bối cảnh thiên tai tại địa phương và ngân sách gia đình. (Link tải về “Sổ tay Nhà An Toàn”: https://song.org.vn/nha-chong-lu-so-tay-nha-an-toan/)

Tiếp tục đọc “Nhà Chống Lũ giới thiệu “Sổ tay Nhà An Toàn”, ngày 18/7/2020 tại C Space, Tp. Hồ Chí Minh”

Covid-19 in Vietnam — the fear, the tears, the pride and the debt

medium.com

FollowJun 21 · 5 min read

A friend elsewhere in Asia has an elderly parent in the UK. Chatting online she told me she’d read about this “slow-motion grief” affecting people as a result of the Covid-19 situation.

She told me she went on runs and cried through them. I admitted too I wasn’t sleeping. The smallest thing would make me emotional. I couldn’t think too far into the future because it all seemed too dark.

After Wuhan, things moved pretty quickly in Vietnam. Our little one’s nursery closed. Masks became compulsory. Track and trace was in full swing. An app was launched that offered various features. Most significantly, you could basically press a button and people in hazmat suits would appear.

Infected people were hospitalised. People who had come into contact with infected people were remotely quarantined. People who had come into contact with people who had come into contact with infected people were quarantined. People who had… well you get the picture.

Tiếp tục đọc “Covid-19 in Vietnam — the fear, the tears, the pride and the debt”

How Vietnam managed to keep its coronavirus death toll at zero

By Nectar Gan, CNN Updated 0716 GMT (1516 HKT) May 30, 2020

But there’s one overlooked success story — Vietnam. The country of 97 million people has not reported a single coronavirus-related death and on Saturday had just 328 confirmed cases, despite its long border with China and the millions of Chinese visitors it receives each year.
This is all the more remarkable considering Vietnam is a low-middle income country with a much less-advanced healthcare system than others in the region. It only has 8 doctors for every 10,000 people, a third of the ratio in South Korea, according to the World Bank.

Tiếp tục đọc “How Vietnam managed to keep its coronavirus death toll at zero”

Tư liệu lịch sử: Phỏng vấn Hồ Chí Minh năm 1964

Đây là buổi trả lời phỏng vấn của Bác Hồ với phóng viên thuộc văn phòng phát thanh truyền hình Pháp (ORTF). Video được thực hiện vào ngày 5 tháng 6 năm 1964, và buổi phỏng vấn được trích từ bộ phim tài liệu sản xuất năm 1964 của Pháp có tên là “Hai miền Việt Nam : Bắc Việt” (Les deux Vietnam: Vietnam du Nord).

Europe has kept down pandemic unemployment — and the U.S. hasn’t. Here’s why.

A closed sign is posted in the window of a store because of the coronavirus, in an outdoor mall, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
A closed sign is posted in the window of a store because of the coronavirus, in an outdoor mall, in Dedham, Mass. (Steven Senne)
April 24, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. GMT+7

For the first time, the U.S. government is subsidizing companies to hold on to their workers. However, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that Congress passed to fight unemployment in the coronavirus economic crisis is having trouble delivering benefits. Its first round of funds was quickly exhausted.

Tiếp tục đọc “Europe has kept down pandemic unemployment — and the U.S. hasn’t. Here’s why.”

How Blood Sugar Can Trigger a Deadly Immune Response in the Flu and Possibly COVID-19

Glucose metabolism plays a key role in the cytokine storm seen in influenza, and the link could have potential implications for novel coronavirus infections

How Blood Sugar Can Trigger a Deadly Immune Response in the Flu and Possibly COVID-19
Influenza and COVID-19 infections can trigger an out-of-control immune response involving molecules called cytokines. An illustration of interleukin-4, a cytokine involved in allergic response, is shown here. Credit: Juan Gaertner Getty Images

Many of the people dying in the novel coronavirus pandemic appear to be harmed more by their own immune system than by the virus itself. The infection can trigger a cytokine storm—a surge in cell-signaling proteins that prompt inflammation—that hits the lungs, attacking tissues and potentially resulting in organ failure and death. But this phenomenon is not unique to COVID-19; it sometimes occurs in severe influenza, too. Now a study sheds light on one of the metabolic mechanisms that help orchestrate such runaway inflammation. Tiếp tục đọc “How Blood Sugar Can Trigger a Deadly Immune Response in the Flu and Possibly COVID-19”

Vietnam’s response to coronavirus crisis earns praise from WHO

Chris Humphrey and Bac Pham

7news.com.au – Monday, 13 April 2020 12:18 pm

Despite sharing a border with China, Vietnam has, with a combination of early decisive action, extensive testing, vigorous quarantining and social unity, so far avoided the devastation seen in Europe and the United States.

With coronavirus infections in the mere hundreds, Vietnam’s response to the crisis has earned praise from the World Health Organisation.

Official statistics show there are currently more than 75,000 people in quarantine or isolation. The country has so far conducted more than 121,000 tests, from which only 260 cases were confirmed.

Empty streets in central Hanoi, Vietnam amid concerns of the spread of the Coronavirus.

Empty streets in central Hanoi, Vietnam amid concerns of the spread of the Coronavirus. Credit: Linh Pham/Getty Images Tiếp tục đọc “Vietnam’s response to coronavirus crisis earns praise from WHO”