“I have a strategy and I will publish it.” Biden said when asked about the vaccine strategy for the world before boarding Air Force One to fly to the UK for the G-7 summit. The US will donate 500 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to the world. (Photo: CNN) Sheet The Times said Mr Biden would appear alongside Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla to make the announcement. According to the AP , of these 500 million doses, 200 million doses will be shared this year. The rest will be donated in early 2022. Washington Post was the first newspaper to publish this information. Many newspapers later cited sources confirming the above information. The US is facing increasing pressure to draw up a plan to share vaccines with the world as its vaccine campaign is inching towards the finish line. Last week, the White House announced plans to allocate the first 25 million doses of the vaccine, with 19 million going to COVAX and 6 million to current COVID-19 hotspots including India. These vaccines are among the 80 million doses of vaccines the US has pledged to share with the world this month.

“I was like a kid on a plane for the first time. I look out the window a lot,” Jakkrit told VICE . Jakkrit isn’t the only one crossing international borders in search of vaccination sites. From Thailand to Mexico and European countries, the rich are booking vacations and vaccinations in the US. Broadcaster Jakkrit vaccinated in Virginia (USA). Photo: Jakkrit Yompayorm. Travel combined with vaccination This is the first time Jakkrit has flown out of Thailand since the pandemic broke out in March 2020. Looking around from his seat, he saw that there weren’t many people on the same flight as him. When the plane took off, the 34-year-old man was not only nervous because he was about to be vaccinated against Covid-19, but also extremely excited about his first foreign trip in a long time. On May 8, he was vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine in Virginia (USA), then stayed for a while. Currently, this vaccine is not available in Thailand. In recent months, the land of the Golden Temple has also struggled to increase vaccination in the country. According to some reports, depending on the state in the US will require or not require identification documents certifying citizenship. According to the Wall Street Journal, Hundreds of Thais are booking “vaccine tours” to the United States – where tourists pay about 2,400 USD/person to spend 10 days in California. This is an attractive option for those who want to combine convalescence with the need for vaccination. Many Thais take advantage of this opportunity to travel and enjoy after a long time sitting at home. Photo: iStock. On May 17, Anucha Burapachaisri, a spokesman for the Thai government, said that authorities are aware that Thai nationals are traveling to Europe and the US for vaccination. “We recommend that any Thai who intends to travel abroad, especially to the EU and the US for vaccinations, should carefully check the country’s immigration regulations and public health measures. that family first”, he shared with VICE . Still, many would rather face the long commute and potential obstacles abroad than wait for a vaccine at home. Bee, a 34-year-old Thai woman, said she decided to go to the US with her friends because she “didn’t know when it was time to get vaccinated” back home. The Golden Temple country currently has the lowest vaccination rate in Southeast Asia – only about 1% of the population has received the vaccine so far. “Moreover, we also need to be able to travel. It sounds crazy, but we really wanted to travel,” she said. Bee’s group of friends plans to depart for Miami (Florida state) at the end of May – where they will receive a free Covid-19 vaccine, and attend a hip-hop music festival with the participation of artists A. $AP Rocky, Travis Scott and Post Malone. Bee said her vaccination appointment has been confirmed. Like broadcaster Jakkrit, she will get the Pfizer vaccine. Tired of waiting Currently, the Golden Temple country is facing a new wave of Covid-19 although the country has successfully prevented the epidemic in 2020 with strict measures such as wearing masks, closing borders and social distancing. As of May 17, the total number of Covid-19 infections reached more than 111,000 people, with 565 deaths Bangkok Post. Vaccination rates in Thailand are currently the lowest in Southeast Asia. Photo: Sakchai Lalit/AP. In the latest wave of infections alone, Thailand recorded an average of 2,000 new positive cases per day – a number many times larger than last year. Many foreign nationals living and working in Thailand also quickly find a way to return to their homeland for the same reason: they do not trust the country’s vaccine deployment plan. Kevin Cummings (66 years old) is one of them. “The shortage of vaccines and jobs in this country compared to the simple vaccination schedule in the US makes us think and consider. We really hope there is a positive signal in Thailand, not worse, but who can predict what?”, he said. As the pandemic continued into its second year, Jakkrit himself was tired of “just hanging around the apartment”. That was the reason why he booked a ticket from Bangkok (Thailand) to the US. After being vaccinated, the male announcer not only felt more relieved, but also encouraged when Thai people went abroad to get vaccinated like him if they had economic conditions. “Vaccines are the only weapon that helps us fight the SARS-CoV-2 virus. But it would be even better if people had the choice to get the vaccine they feel most confident in,” he said.

Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine vial. Photo: Reuters. The European Commission, on May 28, approved the use of the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer and its partner BioNTech for children 12 years of age and older, paving the way for the implementation of vaccinations for children of all ages. widely within the bloc, after similar decisions were made by the US and Canada. The decision came after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) advocated the use of the vaccine in children aged 12 to 15 years earlier. This vaccine has been used in the European Union for people 16 years of age and older. For the 12-15 age group, the two doses of the vaccine are also given at least three weeks apart, as with adults, the EMA said. According to the EMA, each EU country will decide whether and when to provide the vaccine to adolescents. While awaiting the decision of the EMA, on May 27, Germany outlined a plan to provide vaccines for children from 12 years old from June 7. Italy also said that it is preparing to expand its Covid-19 vaccination campaign to people over 12 years old. Immunizing children and adolescents is seen as an important step towards achieving “herd immunity” and taming the pandemic. On May 28, Japan also joined other countries that decided to give the Pfizer vaccine to children as young as 12 years old. Since March, Pfizer and Biontech have released trial data showing that their Covid-19 vaccine is 100% effective in protecting against infectious disease in a trial of 2,260 adolescents aged 12 to 15 years. .

Tokyo’s overlapping messages have drawn criticism, as the country lags behind countries like the US in vaccinations. Japan has recorded about 695,000 new coronavirus infections and 12,000 deaths. The country is facing a new wave of infections in the context of the Tokyo Olympics approaching. Many Japanese prefectures are still in a state of emergency to limit the spread. Tokyo has contracts with three suppliers, under which it will have 120 million doses of AstraZeneca, 50 million doses of Moderna (to be completed by the end of September) and is negotiating an additional 50 million doses, along with 194 doses of Pfizer calculated. until the end of this year. With this number, Japan will have enough vaccine to vaccinate the entire population of 126 million people, according to Japan Times . On May 21, the country approved the use of the Moderna vaccine for people 18 years of age and older, but AstraZeneca has not yet been approved for the public. The Japanese government’s vaccination program is using the Pfizer vaccine, while the Moderna vaccine will be rolled out from next week in Tokyo and Osaka. Many concerns when using vaccines The biggest barrier to new vaccine doses available in Japan is the screening process, which evaluates efficacy and safety based on clinical trial data. Like other covid-19 vaccines, doses of AstraZeneca are classified as an emergency measure in pandemic response in Japan, used only when the Health Ministry allows the city governments. The licensing action requires a separate approval process, which includes a subcommittee on vaccines from the Ministry of Health meeting to discuss the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Japan in a broader context based on: fruit; alternatives from Pfizer and Moderna; Japanese immunization schedule and potential side effects. Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine is shipped in Tokyo, Japan, February 16. Photo: AP. However, the road to deploying vaccines in the real world is still fraught with thorns, due to growing concerns about potential side effects of vaccines. There have been reports of a small number of people receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine developing blood clots, including in some cases death. This condition usually occurs in younger age groups. The UK reported 79 cases of AstraZeneca vaccination at the end of March, out of 20.2 million doses administered. As a result, 19 people died, of which 11 were under the age of 50. This has led some countries to restrict vaccination of the elderly – a direction that seems unlikely for Japan. The plan is still open Japan has given the Pfizer vaccine to the elderly and will start providing the Moderna vaccine at mass vaccination sites on May 24. The country has guaranteed enough doses for more than 122 million people, of which more than 110 million people aged 16 and over are allowed to receive the vaccine. Vaccination site for people 65 and older in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan on April 12. Photo: Kyodo. Given that Japan already has sufficient supplies for the vaccination campaign for the elderly, with a goal of completing it by the end of July, the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for this age group in Japan is unlikely. On May 21, the vaccine subcommittee continued to discuss what should be done with the AstraZeneca vaccine. It is not yet clear when a decision will be made on the matter, the Health Ministry said. With so many people waiting to be vaccinated, one expert argues that the government should not ignore any vaccine. Otherwise, the Japanese public, with the exception of the elderly, will not receive any vaccines until the fall. “We may not even get there by the end of the year,” Gakushuin University economics professor Wataru Suzuki wrote in a commentary for Nikkei . “Certainly people who want to be protected from the virus as soon as possible have a need to be vaccinated, similar to those who want a vaccine passport to be able to travel abroad on business, and the Ministry of Health is going too far by how to eliminate options,” he argued. Where will 120 million doses go? The Japanese government has reached an agreement to purchase 120 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, all manufactured in Japan, using undiluted solutions from the United States. Of these, 30 million will be manufactured by Daiichi Sankyo and KM Biologics, and 90 million doses will be manufactured by JCR Pharmaceuticals. However, it is not clear how many of these vaccines have been produced Nikkei Asia. Imports and production begin this spring. Daiichi Sankyo and KM are both preparing to ship the vaccine once it is approved by the government. The mid-range drug maker has started production using equipment and technology from AstraZeneca. JCR has announced plans to build a new factory. The US and Japan will have to find a way to handle the 120 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine developed by the Universities of Oxford and AstraZeneca without any plans to use them. Photo: Reuters. AstraZeneca says its completed vaccine can be stored in the refrigerator for at least half a year at 2-8 degrees Celsius. It’s uncertain at this point how many vaccines are ready to be manufactured. If there is no decision on where to use the vaccine in the next six months, the stockpile could expire. The US has yet to start rolling out the AstraZeneca vaccine. However, the country has agreed to purchase 300 million doses and already has shipments ready to deliver. Currently, the US plans to ship the unused vaccine elsewhere.

The root cause is believed to be 30 years of not trying to clear people’s doubts about vaccine side effects, according to the above article. Nikkei Asia 10/5. The landmark court ruling of 1992 During the 1980s, Japan possessed world-leading vaccine technology for the treatment of chickenpox, encephalitis, and pertussis. These technologies are licensed to the US and other countries. But vaccine development in Japan came to a near complete halt following a 1992 court ruling ordering the government to compensate people for side effects after vaccination. The Japanese people see this as a landmark ruling that opens the way for victims to seek compensation on a broader scale. A Japanese official injects a vaccine against Covid-19. Photo: Reuters. The Japanese government did not appeal the ruling. Vaccination was also no longer mandatory after the government revised the law in 1994. Since then, vaccination rates in Japan have declined as parents become more concerned about side effects. The AIDS crisis also has a negative impact. In 1996, a Japanese health ministry official was convicted of negligent manslaughter following a scandal involving HIV-contaminated blood products. Despite the government’s efforts to hold responsible, the incident still made officials in Japan feel that they would suffer the consequences if anything happened, while the politicians were unharmed. Gaps in policy Japan is currently facing a “vaccine gap”. In the US and Europe, the product licensing process takes only a few years, but in Japan it is more than 10 years. The Japanese Ministry of Health has issued a special license for the Pfizer vaccine to be administered to the elderly, but this licensing process only applies to foreign vaccines. Meanwhile, the US administration has accelerated vaccine development since the 2001 anthrax attack. When there is a public health crisis in the country, the US Department of Health and Human Services will coordinate with other agencies. research institutes and pharmaceutical companies to respond appropriately. The agency also supports development budgets, clinical trials, as well as emergency approvals. The global vaccine market is growing by nearly 7% per year. New vaccines are released every time a new deadly infectious disease emerges, such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Ebola. The mRNA technology used in making vaccines has been studied for the past 20 years and is being applied to fight Covid-19. But private companies in Japan can hardly solve this problem alone because of the lack of motivation to promote the development, purchase, or stockpile of vaccines. Japan currently does not have a domestically produced vaccine. Photo: AFP. “There is a gap in the vaccine because there is still a gap in policy,” said Tetsuo Nakayama, a professor at Kitasato University in Tokyo. One can mention the case of UMN Pharma, a Japanese biotech company that uses new technology to develop flu vaccines. UMN Pharma used to spend more than $100 million to build a manufacturing plant, but the company’s application for a license was rejected in 2017. The grounds for the rejection were that the product “lacked clinical importance” compared to vaccines. available. UMN Pharma currently has negative total assets and is owned by Shionogi – another Japanese pharmaceutical company. The vaccine made by UMN Pharma has been approved in the US. This has led one in the Japanese vaccine industry to question whether anyone still wants to make new vaccines in the country. Complicated legal regulations Technology and research talent are also flowing outside of Japan. “Japan has a lot of regulations but it has a weak support system,” said one virus expert. The country has only two research facilities that can handle the most dangerous viruses. But one of the two establishments has only recently reopened because it was previously opposed by the local people. Public Administration Reform Minister Taro Kono was appointed on January 18 as the person in charge of Japan’s vaccination campaign. Photo: Japan Times. Vaccine research in Japan is subject to complicated regulations by many ministries. Experiments involving gene editing are limited to the Cartagena Protocol. This is an international legal document on biosafety management with genetically modified organisms that Japan has approved. Meanwhile, Europe exempts pharmaceutical companies from applying the Cartagena Protocol. The United States has not yet ratified this document. Japanese manufacturers even ignore the domestic market. Takeda Pharmaceutical, for example, has no plans to license its dengue vaccine in Japan. The same thing happened with the vaccine made from tobacco leaves of Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma company. In the immediate future, Tokyo has quickly appointed a minister in charge of the Covid-19 vaccine. But products made by AnGes, Shionogi, and other Japanese companies are not expected to be approved before 2022.

Unithai Trip Company in Bangkok offers travel programs from 75,000 baht to 200,000 baht ($2,400 to $6,400) for trips to San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York (USA), with prices depending on the range. waiting time between injections. The beaches in Phuket, Thailand are empty of tourists. Source: Reuters A group of guests will depart next week, said Rachphol Yamsaeng, owner of Unithai Trip. Most of the people who inquired about this tour asked for the Pfizer vaccine, so about 20 days between the first and second dose. “Travel companies are having a hard time. We have to do whatever we can,” said Rachphol Yamsaeng. In addition to Unithai Trip, My Journey Travel is offering a 10-day trip to San Francisco for a Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which the company says it received hundreds of calls in three days. Another company, Udachi, has offered a 23-day “VACCation in Russia” program to vaccinate Sputnik V for up to 210,000 baht ($6,700). However, the Tourism Ministry of Thailand has warned that customers should carefully check vaccination packages, as US regulations can vary from state to state.

Clinical trials of the Pfizer vaccine showed up to 95-96% effectiveness against invading coronaviruses. According to the New York Times , each batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine with 7.5 million doses is produced in 60 days. The most advanced mRNA technology The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine uses mRNA technology. This vaccine is recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for use in people 12 years of age and older. The SARS-CoV-2 virus carries proteins that allow it to enter human body cells. These proteins – known as spike proteins – are the subject of research in the production of vaccines and drugs to treat Covid-19. Coronavirus. Photo: New York Times. Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine is based on the genetic makeup of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to create artificial protein spikes. Vaccines use messenger RNA (mRNA), a type of genetic material that human cells process to make proteins. The messenger RNA molecules are very fragile, so they will be broken down by natural enzymes in the human body if injected directly into the human body. To protect the mRNA in the vaccine, Pfizer-BioNTech wraps the mRNA molecules in an oil bubble made of microscopic fat particles. mRNA molecule. Photo: New York Times. Due to their unstable nature, the mRNA molecules in the vaccine will be degraded at normal temperatures. Therefore, vaccines of Pfizer-BioNTech need to be stored at deep cold temperatures, at least -70 degrees Celsius or less. To keep the vaccine of Pfizer-BioNTech stable, special containers are required, including dry ice, heat sensors and GPS trackers. Inject vaccines into the body After vaccination, the molecular particles in the vaccine will collide and fuse with human body cells, releasing mRNA. Human body cells will read the genetic content contained in the mRNA and from there produce protein spikes. The mRNA molecule from the vaccine is eventually destroyed by human cells forever. Vaccine molecules interact with cells. Photo: New York Times. Some protein spikes will form spikes, which rise to the surface of the cell and protrude outward. Cells that have been affected by the vaccine also break down the protein into small pieces on the surface. The protein spikes protruding from the cell, and the protein molecule on the cell surface, will eventually wake up the human immune system. When cells that have interacted with the vaccine die, their fragments contain many protein spikes and protein fragments. These fragments will be picked up by a type of immune cell called molecular antigen-presenting cells (APCs). APC cells activate helper-T cells. Photo: New York Times. Fragments of protein spikes will stick to the surface of APC cells, until helper-T cells detect these fragments. The helper-T cells then trigger the immune system to produce antibodies against the coronavirus. Antibody production Other immune cells, called B cells, can collide with the coronavirus spike protein on the surface of the cell that has interacted with the vaccine, or the floating protein spike debris. Some B cells can adhere to protein spikes. Helper-T cells activate B cells that help produce antibodies. Photo: New York Times. When B cells are activated by helper-T cells, they begin to produce antibodies that attack the spike protein. Antibodies neutralize corona virus. Photo: New York Times. The antibody produced will attach to the spike protein of the invading corona virus. Antibodies mark the virus for later destruction by the body’s immune system. More importantly, the antibody prevents the viral spike protein from attaching to the healthy cells of the human body. To destroy the virus, APC cells activate another type of immune cell called cytotoxic-T cells. This cell is responsible for finding and destroying cells that have been infected by the virus through the signal of protein spike fragments on the surface. Cytotoxic-T cells destroy infected cells. Photo: New York Times. Remember information about corona virus Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine is given in two doses, 21 days apart, to help the immune system work most effectively against the corona virus. But because of the lack of time to study, scientists cannot be sure how long the immunity created by the vaccine will last. Preliminary research shows that within 10 days of receiving the first dose, the vaccine begins to build a strong immune system against the virus. It is likely that, after several months of vaccination, the number of antibodies and cytotoxic-T cells will gradually decrease. But the immune system also contains special cells that store information about the corona virus for years, even decades. Each vial of vaccine contains 5 injection doses of 0.3 ml. Vaccines need to be thawed and diluted with saline. After dilution, the vaccine must be used within 6 hours.

Every weekend in May, a special vaccination event is held just outside Bran Castle. People wishing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine can attend without an appointment. This is part of Romania’s vaccination campaign. A COVID-19 vaccination center has been established at Bran Castle in Transylvania. (Photo: AP) Anyone who attended the event was given the Pfizer vaccine and received a “vaccination diploma” as a souvenir, illustrated by an image of a canine medical worker brandishing a syringe. In addition, the torture chambers containing a collection of 52 medieval torture instruments at Bran Castle are also open to the public free of charge. In the first days of the campaign, the medical staff at the “blood-sucking demon castle” vaccinated nearly 400 people. The castle also receives a large number of requests from foreigners wanting to experience COVID-19 vaccinations in the spooky rooms. However, this campaign is only for the people of Romania. In parallel with the Dracula castle campaign, the Romanian government also issued a series of other initiatives to promote vaccination of more than 19 million people. Romania’s goal is to vaccinate 5 million people against COVID-19 by June 1, the first step to bringing the country “back to normal”. On May 8, Bran Castle opened its first special vaccination event. Similar events have also been kicked off in several cities across Romania. Since the COVID-19 pandemic appeared, Romania has recorded a total of 1,066,731 infections, including 29,034 deaths.