News (1) to (6) / Report by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
News (1)
Vietnam develops local covi vaccine Nanocovax and covi eye drops Nanocovi
Image courtesy : Lao Dong
Vietnam plans to distribute its SARS-CoV-2 (covi, CCP virus) vaccine Nanocovax to local hospitals before 2022 once clinical trials have successfully completed and results for safety vaccination are certified.
Vaccination of Nanocovax involves two doses and costs less than 21.93 USD per person.
Developed based on recombinant DNA/protein technology by Ho Chi Minh City-based Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC (Nanogen, in short) in 2020, it has been effectively tested on monkeys, mice and hamsters.
According to Nanogen, besides Nanocovax, the company is developing eye drops meant to resist covi as well. The product is named Nanocovi.
Nanogen did not reveal when Nanocovi eye drops will be available in local and overseas markets.
The Nanocovi eye drops are necessary as SARS-CoV-2 may harm the eyes indirectly through covid-induced excessive inflammation, low oxygen levels in the blood (condition known as hypoxia) and thrombosis (blood clotting).
News (2)
Results of clinical trials Phases 1 and 2
Nanocovax clinical trials of Phase I on 40 volunteers at Hanoi Military Hospital have completed with no side-effects reported by the Vietnamese media.
According to Nanogen on 25 May 2021, clinical trials of Phase 2 show perfect immunity after doses (75 mcg, 50 mcg, 25 mcg, 3 mcg). The experts are confident the antibodies are likely to neutralize virus variations.
According to Nanogen, well-managed side-effects are typical including swelling, rash, itch and fever.
The first and second phase of the clinical trials on humans begins on 10 December 2020 and 20 January 2021. The third phase, scheduled for August 2021, will involve 13,000 volunteers across Vietnam.
News (3)
Calling for Vietnamese volunteers for clinical trial Phase 3
Refs: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/05/29/vietnam-hybrid-variant-covid-virus/, https://thesmartlocal.com/vietnam/nanocovax-covid-vaccine/, https://www.vir.com.vn/volunteers-receive-second-shots-of-nanocovax-vaccine-82200.html, https://www.facebook.com/nanogenjsc/
News (4)
More infectious and difficult to be immune! Vietnam’s new variant virus
The Ministry of Health of Vietnam announced that a new variant virus has been discovered in Vietnam!
According to Vietnamese media VnExpress, the new variant virus has the characteristics of two variant viruses first identified in India and the United Kingdom. Not only is it more infectious, it is also less likely to be neutralized by human immune system antibodies, but this new virus, yet to be recorded in the GISAID and Outbreak databases, is particularly infectious in the air.
News (5)
Threat of Vietnam's covi variant to Southeast Asia, Taiwan and CCP
The covi variant from Vietnam is bringing new changes to the pandemic. Currently, Vietnam has domestic flights and international passenger flights to Taoyuan, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. It also has land transport links with CCP China, Cambodia and Laos. Therefore, these countries must watch out for the new covi variant, and not only B.1.1.7 and B.1.617.2.
The outgoing passenger flights to Singapore from Ho Chi Minh City are operated by Jetstar Asia and Scoot while Singapore Airlines flies to and from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Singapore frequently.
News (6)
The completely new hybrid strain of SARS-CoV-2 appeared in Vietnam
A new virus strain, a hybrid between B.1.617.2 and B.1.1.7, with a fast spreading rate and strong dispersion in the air, is being recorded in Vietnam.
Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said the above at the National Online Conference on the situation and urgent solutions to prevent and control Covid-19, in the morning of 29 May 2021.
Mr. Long said that currently, sequencing the virus genes on patients in Vietnam shows that there are two common strains, Indian and British. In which, strains from India are most common, in Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Hanoi while other strains appear in Danang and some other localities.
However, medical experts discovered a new strain that has a hybrid between the two strains above. On the Indian strain there are genetic mutations of the British strain.
"The Ministry of Health will announce this strain on the world gene map," Mr. Long said.
According to Minister Long, the characteristics of this epidemic are rapid transmission, the virus spreads widely and strongly in the air. The rate of elimination of pathogens is also very fast.
When cultured in the laboratory and in the external environment, the virus concentration in the oropharyngeal fluid increases very quickly and spreads very strongly in the air environment. Therefore, the number of cases of this wave increased very quickly and spread in a short time.
As at Hosiden Bac Giang company, the air environment is narrow, poorly ventilated, crowded, with nearly 1,000 infected people out of 4,800 workers. This is a prime example of rapid spread. The infectious cycle of this virus strain is only 1 to 2 days, i.e. after those days there is another F layer infected. The number of infections that can be transmitted is exponential.
"This is one of the reasons why the epidemic in Bac Giang and Bac Ninh is difficult to control despite the implementation of many drastic anti-epidemic measures," the Minister emphasized.
Up to now, Vietnam has recorded a total of 7 covi strains including B.1.222, B.1.619, D614G, B.1.1.7, B.1.351, A.23.1 and B.1.617 .2.
The fourth wave of epidemics has broken out in Vietnam since 27 April 2021. The total number of community infections is 3,595, recorded in 33 provinces. The 5 provinces with the most cases are Bac Giang 1881, Bac Ninh 736, Hanoi 356 cases (of which the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases 90 cases, 50 cases at K Hospital), Danang 155, Vinh Phuc 89. Ho Chi Minh City with 69 covid cases, ranks sixth in the country.
Refs: news.tvbs.com.tw/world/1518587?from=Copy_content, https://vnexpress.net/viet-nam-xuat-hien-bien-chung-ncov-lai-hoan-toan-moi-4285841.html
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