An elderly man receives a Covid-19 vaccine while sitting next to a pot of wine in the remote mountain village of Ljevista in Montenegro, a small country in the Balkans with a population of just under 680,000. Photo: Reuters. A man is vaccinated with China’s Sinopharm vaccine at Biblioteka kod Milutina restaurant, Kragujevac city, Serbia. Anyone who gets vaccinated at this restaurant will receive a free meal. Photo: Reuters. JoJo Hamner, a stripper, is vaccinated against Covid-19 at the club where she works in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Local officials said they chose the strip club as the vaccination site because they wanted to attract curious people. Photo: AP. Elderly people wait for a Covid-19 vaccine at Salisbury Cathedral, England. At the same time, two artists, David Halls and John Challenger, also played music on the church’s own organ, to help people who come for injections feel more comfortable. Photo: New York Times. A worker is vaccinated right on the bus, on the way to the factory to work in Mexico. Photo: Reuters. The Paris La Défense stadium, north of the French capital Paris, was used as a vaccination site. Photo: AFP. People in New York City, USA are vaccinated against Covid-19 vaccine at the American Museum of Natural History. Photo: Reuters. A woman is vaccinated against Covid-19 right in her car, outside Pacaembu Stadium, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo: AFP.

The Philippines is famous for its beautiful islands and beaches. The proposal came after a task force on infectious diseases in the Philippines asked stakeholders to learn about the process of receiving international guests who have received the Covid-19 vaccine. If the “green corridor” is approved, eligible international visitors will be allowed to enter the Philippines for tourism and resort purposes, in the context of quarantine rules being relaxed in many other countries. DOT is monitoring neighboring markets on how to reopen international travel. Specifically, for fully vaccinated people, the quarantine period will be reduced from 10 days to 7 days in Thailand, or from 21 days to 7 days in Hong Kong (China). Meanwhile, the Philippines is requiring travelers to quarantine for 10 days and 4 days at home, along with an RT-PCR test on the seventh day of isolation. “We must catch up with our neighbors and the rest of the world in gradually reopening tourist attractions. The Philippines should be ready, before international tourism in the world resumes,” Ms. Bernadette said. Romulo-Puyat added.

Many countries have applied vaccine passports to track citizens’ Covid-19 vaccination history, making it convenient for them to enter and exit. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), applying vaccination certification is an important tool to respond to the pandemic and restart safe international travel. Belize : Travelers who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 can now visit Belize without quarantine. Vaccine passports must be valid for at least 2 weeks prior to entry. In addition, travelers can also present a negative test for Covid-19 within 96 hours before entry (48 hours with the rapid test). Each rapid test on arrival at the airport costs about 1.1 million VND. Visitors come Ecuador , including the Galápagos Islands, are allowed entry if they carry a complete certificate of vaccination. Persons aged 2 years and older who do not have a vaccine passport must have a Covid-19 negative test certificate, confirmed within 3 days before arriving in this South American country. A negative test for Covid-19 must be taken within 96 hours before visiting the Galápagos Islands. Mandatory quarantine in Estonian will be exempted for guests who have been vaccinated. Visitors will be required to provide vaccination records including manufacturer information and vaccine batch number in English, Russian or Estonian languages. Those who have tested negative for Covid-19 within 6 months before entry are also not required to go through quarantine. Republic of Cyprus : From May 10, vaccinated travelers from 65 countries, including the US and UK, will not need to go through quarantine nor test for Covid-19 in this island nation. Visitors need to upload their vaccination certificate to the country’s system before entering the country. Georgia : International visitors can enter the country by air if they can prove they have been vaccinated against Covid-19. The country is still banning entry via land and water. There are separate entry rules for unvaccinated travelers based on their address. Georgia requires all travelers who have traveled through the UK 2 weeks before entry to undergo a 12-day quarantine. Greek now open to vaccinated travelers from EU member states. In addition, some travelers with vaccine passports from the UK, USA, Serbia, Israel, UAE, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, are also allowed to enter. These travelers do not need to be quarantined or tested for Covid-19. Land, air and sea transportation of Guatemala Open traffic to stimulate international tourism. Visitors can visit the country if they have a negative test for Covid-19. In addition, visitors are also allowed to enter the country if they have a valid vaccination certificate at least 2 weeks before the trip. Iceland: According to the Icelandic government, from June 1, less stringent border quarantine measures will be applied to citizens of countries identified as low-risk areas. Visitors will skip the tests if they present an approved, digital or paper vaccination certificate in English, Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish. Iceland is the first country in the EU/Schengen region to allow entry to vaccinated passengers from anywhere in the world. Poland quarantine is not required for people coming from countries in the Schengen area, having negative results for Covid-19 within 48 hours before entry. Citizens of countries outside this area are required to quarantine. Romania loosened quarantine requirements for travelers who have been vaccinated since January 18. However, American tourists are not allowed to enter this European country. Citizens in the group of countries allowed to enter Romania will be exempted from isolation and testing within 10 days after receiving the last dose of the vaccine. According to Lonely Planet

Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, center, is extradited to the US in 2017. Photo: AP Insider reports that the Mexican government has just announced that it will hold a “super lottery” on September 15 with 22 prizes with a total value of up to 12.5 million USD, including foreclosed villas. revenue from the two drug lords mentioned above. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the proceeds from the lottery program will be used to buy COVID-19 vaccines, medicines and award some scholarships. According to Indep, the villa of Carrillo Fuentes – leader of the Juarez drug cartel – located in the Jardines del Pedregal area near the capital Mexico City is valued at nearly $ 4 million. Foreclosed on more than 20 years ago, the property measures nearly 10,000 square feet and has an indoor swimming pool, nine bedrooms, several saunas, a wine cellar and a banquet hall. According to Indep, the mansion of the late boss Fuentes is still fully furnished. Meanwhile, the mansion of the “dwarf” Joaqín Guzmán, who was once in charge of the notorious Sinaloa cartel, is located in the city of Culiacán, capital of the state of Sinaloa on the West Coast of Mexico. This is where Guzmán escaped from the police in February 2014 by running through a secret tunnel hidden under the bathtub. Joaqín Guzmán’s house has two bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, a garage and a front garden. It is valued at $200,000, which is quite a bit higher than the real estate market in Sinaloa. In the previous sale of Indep, no one bought the two houses mentioned above. Estadio Azteca Stadium. Photo: Reuters This COVID-19 vaccine fundraiser also includes a luxury football room at the Estadio Azteca stadium in the capital. This room can accommodate 20 people, one bathroom and four parking spaces. In 1986, this is where then President Miguel de la Madrid presented the World Cup trophy to Diego Maradona. This room is valued at 1 million USD, valid until 2065. In 2019, Mexico once put up six other Guzmán homes for sale, but only three were sold for a total of $227,844. One of them is the steel-reinforced house where Guzmán took refuge after his first escape in 2001. The Mexican government once held a similar lottery in September 2020 with the top prize being the presidential jet. However, there were no buyers for this $130 million Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The luxury houses of drug lords Joaqín Guzmán is one of the most prominent drug lords in Mexico. He was extradited in 2017 and convicted by a US federal court in 2019 on 10 counts. Guzmán is serving a life sentence in a super-security prison in the US. In 2009, Forbes magazine ranked Guzmán at number 701 on its list of the world’s billionaires, with a net worth of $1 billion. In the city of Culiacan alone, Guzmán owns six houses. Most of them are real estate for the middle class and have in common that there is an underground passage under the bathtub for him to escape. A Mexican soldier inspects the tunnel connecting Guzmán’s home bath to the city’s sewer system in Culiacan. Photo: Reuters “El Chapo” is also the owner of an apartment on the most famous beach in Sinaloa. He also built a picturesque farmhouse for his mother, Consuelo Loera, in the town of Badiraguato in the mountains of Sinaloa. This farmhouse has four bedrooms, a large kitchen and a small chapel in the back. After a revenge attack between rival gangs in 2016, Ms. Loera left this abandoned ranch. The name Carrillo Fuentes is also known as “The Lord of the Sky” because of the way he used planes to smuggle tons of drugs into the US territory. He died in 1997 while undergoing facial transformation surgery.

Many of Carrillo Fuentes’ assets suffered the same fate as Guzmán’s today. Fuentes’ more luxurious residences – including a 2,000-square-foot apartment and 6,000-acre ranch – are located in Argentina, where he lived for a year before his death. In 2018, Argentina sold three of his properties for a total of $14 million. He still has several other properties in Mexico, including an Arab-style mansion in Hermosillo and a luxury mansion in the state of Jalisco.

According to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, anyone over the age of 18 who receives the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine between June 14 and July 11 will automatically be drawn into a lucky draw for a car. According to Sobyanin, five cars worth one million rubles ($13,900) each will be given away weekly. The move comes in an effort to speed up the slow pace of vaccination in this city as the number of new infections in Russia continues to increase. “This is only a temporary solution. To avoid difficult blockade measures and ensure improvement of the situation, we need to speed up the vaccination,” – Mayor Sobyanin shared. A medical professional holds a vial of the Russian-made Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine on January 18. Photo: REUTERS The Russian capital recorded 7,704 new infections on June 13, the most in a single day since December 24, 2020. Russian authorities also reported 14,723 cases nationwide, the largest single-day total since February 13. Earlier in the day, Mayor Sobyanin informed the city’s residents to take a break from work next week to help limit the spread of the disease and to enjoy a productive “long holiday”. Mr. Sobyanin once publicly lamented the small number of people choosing to vaccinate. After the call for people to get vaccinated to receive free cars, the mayor of Moscow did not disclose specific figures on the number of people who came for the injection. On May 21, Mayor Sobyanin announced that about 1.3 million of the more than 12 million people in the capital had received one dose, Reuters news. Russia was the first country in the world to approve a COVID-19 vaccine for domestic use, before the start of large-scale trials.

South Africa throws away 2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine due to contamination incident. Photo: Reuters According to RT (Russia) news agency (Russia), the South African Health Products Administration (SAHPRA) has decided not to deploy vaccination for 2 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine being stored at a facility in the city of Gqeberha. , as the raw materials for their production were affected by a contamination incident at the factory in Baltimore (USA). The decision comes after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that millions of doses of vaccine produced at Johnson & Johnson’s Emergent BioSolutions facility in the US city of Baltimore were not suitable for use in the United States. use. “Based on what has been announced by the FDA, batches of vaccines being stored in our Gqeberha have been affected. The batches of these vaccines correspond to about 2 million doses,” South Africa’s Acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said on June 13. These doses of the vaccine have not and will not be used to immunize South Africans, she added. SAHPRA chief executive, Dr Boitumelo Semete, also confirmed the batch of vaccines “cannot be widely distributed.” Meanwhile, South Africa’s health watchdog said in a statement that a new batch of about 300,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by the FDA and will be shipped to South Africa at a later date. some point. The agency did not disclose the exact date the shipments arrived. However, Mr. Semete acknowledged that the problem with Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine had a significant negative impact on South Africa’s vaccine deployment strategy. As of June 13, South Africa, the country hardest hit by the COVID-19 epidemic in Africa, has recorded about 1.7 million cases of COVID-19 and over 57,000 deaths. However, the country with a population of about 58.5 million people has only injected 183,000 doses of the vaccine to its people, as of June 9, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). South Africa is also one of the countries that is campaigning to give up patents for a COVID-19 vaccine to allow all countries to produce generic versions at low cost. “If we want to save lives and end the pandemic, we need to expand and diversify our production, put medical products into treatment, and fight and stop the pandemic for as many people as possible,” the president said. South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa speaks at a meeting with G7 countries in the UK on June 13.

Volunteers injecting experimental vaccine Covivac. Photo: General Writing Domestic vaccines can reach 20-30 million doses/year According to the Ministry of Health, so far, the country has two manufacturers researching and developing vaccines against Covid-19.
The Nanocovax vaccine of the Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Joint Stock Company has been approved for a phase 3 clinical trial (TNLS). In the past few days, the Military Medical Academy has administered experimental injections to volunteers aged 18.
According to the research outline, phase 3 will test on about 13,000 volunteers in many provinces and cities such as Hanoi, Hung Yen, Long An, Tien Giang, etc. In the North, the Military Medical Academy will act as the focal point for deployment. at Military Medical Hospital 103 and Hung Yen province’s preventive health center deployed locally. The southern area will be professionally handled by the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, in collaboration with the preventive health centers of Long An and Tien Giang provinces.
At the Military Medical Academy, there are currently more than 6,000 volunteers registered to participate in the trial, of which more than 600 people have been screened and are eligible to participate. In the immediate future, in the first phase of the TNLS phase 3, the Military Medical Academy will test 1,000 people. According to the Military Medical Academy, before that, in stages 1 and 2 of the Nano Covax vaccine trial, 100% of people who injected immunity were protected against the attack of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
In the phase 3 trial, the Nano Covax vaccine was administered to volunteers from 18 years of age, and there was no maximum age limit for the trial participants. Currently, the oldest person to register for TNLS injection phase 3 is 83 years old. Nano Covax vaccine will also be administered to volunteers with chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes (stable disease, do not inject during acute phase) to evaluate the results of immunogenicity. fluid, post-injection reaction… The results of the phase 3 clinical trial are the basis for the Ministry of Health to grant emergency permits and widely inject people to prevent the Covid-19 epidemic, which is expected in the fourth quarter of this year. Earlier, during a working visit to the Military Medical Academy, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue asked the Military Medical Academy to continue to closely coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to urgently accelerate the implementation of clinical trials. Preparing phase 3 of Nanocovax vaccine, striving for early results to have a preventive vaccine for the community. However, when manufacturing, vaccines must ensure superiority in antibody generation time, with the shortest number of days; minimize side effects to a minimum, especially for people with weak health and underlying diseases; at the same time, must be able to resist and destroy future mutations. In addition, the COVIVAC vaccine of the Nha Trang Institute of Vaccines and Biologicals, is currently in the first phase of the TNLS and is about to be transferred to the second phase of research in Thai Binh.
According to the Ministry of Health, the COVIVAC vaccine is expected to produce about 6 million doses per year and can increase capacity when invested. Meanwhile, with the Nanocovax vaccine, which is expected to produce about 20-30 million doses per year, Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Joint Stock Company can increase its capacity when invested.
A vaccine is coming soon that only requires one dose
Information from the Department of Science and Technology (Ministry of Health), a Vietnamese enterprise has discussed and negotiated with the US manufacturer on conditions for transferring technology to produce Covid-19 vaccine from mRNA essence. It is known that this vaccine only needs to be injected with a single dose of 5 mg, has high protection (based on the results of TNLS phase 1, 2), has a storage temperature of 20 – 80 degrees Celsius, currently the vaccine has been tested. end of trial phase 1, 2).
The first factory following the manufacturer’s technology standards will increase the capacity of 100-200 million doses/year, and is expected to start production from the end of 2021 or the first quarter of 2022. In addition, the No. 1 Vaccine and Biological Products Company Limited (VABIOTECH) is also negotiating with a Japanese partner to receive the transfer of vaccine production technology to Vietnam. In addition, VABIOTECH signed an agreement with the Direct Investment Fund of the Russian Federation on the closure of Sputnik-V Covid-19 vaccine tubes from semi-finished products with a scale of 5 million doses/month starting from July 2021. , towards transferring production technology with the scale of 100 million doses/year.
According to Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long, vaccines are an important weapon to bring life back to normal. Therefore, the Politburo has a policy on import, research, production and technology transfer for vaccines. Along with creating maximum conditions and quickly solving procedures for businesses and localities to import vaccines, Vietnam also promotes research and domestic production of vaccines. Vietnam is one of the first four countries in the world to isolate the SARS-CoV-2 virus, paving the way for research and production of vaccines, and many positive prospects for people to soon receive domestic vaccines. In addition, the Ministry of Health has worked with many foreign partners, negotiated to buy vaccine copyrights, transfer technology so that Vietnam can get the vaccine as soon as possible and be independent in the source of vaccines used in the country.
Recently, the Ministry of Health has negotiated with Johnson & Johnson Corporation with the hope that this unit will transfer technology to set up a vaccine factory in Vietnam. According to Minister Nguyen Thanh Long, many large corporations in Vietnam want to participate in the global vaccine supply chain. Vietnam is also one of more than 40 countries that can produce vaccines for the vaccination needs of the people, so the vaccine production experience of Vietnamese factories is guaranteed. Vietnam’s national vaccine management system (NRA) has also been certified as meeting standards by the World Health Organization (WHO). Johnson & Johnson’s side commits that after working with the Ministry of Health, it will make efforts to implement solutions to speed up the supply process through the COVAX mechanism, so that Vietnam can have Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine as soon as possible. However, Minister Nguyen Thanh Long also said that, to ensure vaccine security, one of the very important issues is to ensure a sustainable financial source for vaccines. Therefore, the Minister wishes that the community, authorities and businesses continue to support the Vaccine Fund. Vietnam has self-produced many vaccines and put them into the expanded vaccination program, contributing to the eradication and repelling of many dangerous diseases. This is the premise for the successful production of a Covid-19 vaccine. In fact, the research and production of vaccines against Covid-19 faces many difficulties and challenges, but this is the inevitable path we must go if we want to actively supply vaccines to serve the people. Over the past time, the Ministry of Health and State management agencies have created all conditions for administrative procedures for units to conduct vaccine production in the most favorable way. We can fully expect a “made in Vietnam” vaccine because at the moment, everything is going well.

Senior Advisor of the Center for Emergency Response to Public Health Events, Assoc. Tran Dac Phu The success of a vaccine depends not only on the manufacturer, researcher, and manager, but also on the social community. Therefore, we call for the cooperation of society, all people with the health sector to have a clinical trial research program, first of all, to be safe and effective to have a product soon. vaccines produced by Vietnam for the community.

Deputy Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Investment (Ministry of Health), Dr. Nguyen Ngo Quang

A factory worker in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico injects a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on a bus. Photo: Reuters A man injects a COVID-19 vaccine at a movie theater in San Juan City, Philippines. Photo: Reuters The American Museum of Natural History in New York was requisitioned as a place for the COVID-19 vaccine. Photo: Reuters A young man goes to an amusement park in Almaty, Kazakhstan to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, Kazakhstan uses a self-made vaccine called QazVac. Photo: Reuters Spaniards wait in front of Barcelona’s Nou Camp stadium to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Photo: Reuters This woman getting a COVID-19 vaccine in Tel Aviv (Israel) will receive a free drink at the bar. Photo: Reuters Thai people inject COVID-19 vaccine at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok. Photo: Reuters A COVID-19 vaccination site was erected in a subway station in New York (USA). Photo: Reuters People queue to get vaccinated against COVID-19 at a mobile bus in London (UK). Photo: Reuters

“In preparation, the government has implemented an extensive vaccination program for many target groups, including the tourist workforce. In addition, the government also initiated a Clean, Health, Safety and Environmentally Sustainability certification program across the entire tourism sector in Indonesia,” the announcement said. Bali injects Covid-19 vaccine for locals to implement a plan to reopen to welcome visitors. Photo: AFP. Earlier, Indonesian President Joko Widodo also said that the country would partially open its borders in July. Bali, Batam and Bintan will become the “engines” to revive the country’s tourism economy. These destinations are also “green zones” – places that are considered to be under control of the Covid-19 epidemic and most of the population has been vaccinated. However, the information about the reopening of Indonesia’s borders comes in the context of experts warning that the country is on the verge of another outbreak. The cause may come from the large gatherings after the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. Indonesia applied a travel ban from May 6 to May 17 to limit the spread of the pandemic. However, government figures show that at least 1.5 million people moved before the ban took effect. Bali is absent from international tourists due to the pandemic. Photo: AP. Plans next July are not the first time Bali has tried to open up to tourists to revive the economy. In 2020, the plan to welcome foreign visitors back in September was canceled due to continued travel bans and a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases locally. The lack of visitors due to the pandemic has devastated Bali’s economy, which is 80% dependent on tourism. The destination is known as the “paradise island”, which is always bustling, now deserted, restaurants and bars are almost empty, operating in moderation or going bankrupt. According to the Reuters Indonesia is also the most affected Southeast Asian country in the Covid-19 pandemic, with more than 1.7 million infections and 48,000 deaths.

People get vaccinated against COVID-19. Photo: AFP/VNA In Singapore, technology has really been “powering” to increase the efficiency of vaccine use. Behind every immunization center in Singapore is a vast virtual infrastructure that can capture and categorize each COVID-19 vaccine shot to make the vaccination campaign as effective as possible. Singapore has built integrated solutions to collect and handle data disparities. The system is also flexible to adapt to new cases should Singapore change its COVID-19 vaccination strategy. One of the solutions that Singapore is applying is the development of error detection software. These software can detect errors when people misrepresent personal information during vaccination scheduling before this information is entered into the database and need human correction. Since Singapore launched its COVID-19 vaccination program at an early stage in January, the Integrated Health Information System of Singapore (IHiS) has processed between 4,000 and 5,000 vaccination data per day. . At that time, there were about 200 false declarations every day and all of these errors had to be corrected manually. However, thanks to the software’s continuous improvement, now the number of cases to be corrected is reduced to just 20 per day, while IHiS’s system processes up to 50,000 records per day. In Denmark, technology is used to attract and encourage people to get vaccinated. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark are testing a game with virtual reality technology to educate people about the benefits of vaccination. Users will wear virtual reality glasses, playing the role of an elderly person trying to walk through a crowded square. In this game, the people in the red shirt are infected with COVID-19, while the blue shirts are people who have been vaccinated. Professor Robert Bohm of the University of Copenhagen said that after players experience the virtual reality game for themselves, their intention to vaccinate will be even more motivated. In the United States, several cities and counties in the country, including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Newark, are using advanced psychoanalytic technology to help build and expand vaccination programs. These cities have partnered with the company Zencity and the Ash Center of Harvard University’s Kennedy School to study people’s psychology when vaccinating. Through this program, US localities will use Zencity’s tools to collect and analyze citizen feedback from available sources, such as social media posts, online channels, and online channels. local news site. The tool then uses artificial intelligence (AI) to classify and sort the data based on topics, trends, anomalies, and people’s perceptions. Cities will receive a report from Zencity, which includes different demographics about vaccines as well as public sentiment towards the vaccination program. In addition, the report also displays misinformation that may need to be addressed and recommendations on how to communicate the vaccine. This tool is highly appreciated by cities in the US. Deana Gamble, head of communications for the city of Philadelphia, said that thanks to the app, the city government understands that it needs to provide accurate and up-to-date information to those who are still uncertain about the benefits of using the app. vaccinations and how to administer them. Not only does it help speed up vaccination progress, but technology also makes access to a COVID-19 vaccine more equitable for many groups. In Italy, the Lombardy regional government has approved the application of an algorithm developed by scientists to decide who should be given priority to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. A team of scientists from the University of Bicocca in the city of Milan has developed an algorithm that aims to end the controversy over which groups should be given priority to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The researchers divided the patients worst affected by COVID-19 into groups based on age, epidemiological history and many other factors. In addition, a team of experts from the University of Bicocca has also identified 34 conditions and diseases that may increase the risk of contracting COVID-19, including diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, anemia and other diseases. blood cancer. “We believe that by vaccinating those most at risk, we can avoid hundreds of intubation and deaths in Lombardy and beyond,” said Professor Giovanni Corrao of the University of Bicocca. all of Italy”. Currently, the Italian Ministry of Health is also considering recommendations for the use of this technology nationwide. If vaccines are considered a powerful weapon for humans against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the above specific examples show that technology, in many different forms, can increase the strength and effectiveness of the virus. this weapon, thereby helping people soon “reach the target” of herd immunity.

According to Lieutenant Colonel, Associate Professor, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chu Van Men, Director of the Center for Clinical Trials and Bioequivalence, Military Medical Academy, phase 3 injected the Nano Covax vaccine to 13,000 people and administered only a single dose group injection. at least 25 mcg and the placebo injection group. Specifically, according to the protocol approved by the Ministry of Health, the first 1,000 trial injectors of the first phase of phase 3, the volunteers are injected with the ratio of “6 people vaccinated, 1 person injected placebo”. The remaining 12,000 people injected according to the ratio “2 people vaccinated, 1 person injected placebo”. It is expected that the first phase of phase 3 will be conducted by the Military Medical Academy and the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City with 1,000 volunteers, each with 500 people. Vietnam’s first COVID-19 vaccine tested in phase 3 on humans. Regarding the reason for choosing the dose group of 25 mcg, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chu Van Men said that testing at 3 dose levels of 25-50-75 mcg showed that the vaccine was safe on volunteers, capable of generating immunity in 3 doses. There was no difference in dose groups. Therefore, the National Ethical Council in Biomedical Research, Ministry of Health decided to only inject 1 optimal dose of 25 mcg at this stage. Phase 3 is implemented in many centers in the country: The North is deployed by the Military Medical Academy as the focal point at Military Medical Hospital 103, in collaboration with the Preventive Medicine Center of Hung Yen province to deploy locally; In the South, the Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute is the focal point to deploy, in collaboration with the Preventive Medicine Centers of Long An and Tien Giang provinces to deploy locally. After the phase 1 and phase 2 trials, the Nano Covax vaccine is judged to be quite safe, so the criteria for recruiting volunteers will be relaxed more than the previous two phases. 13,000 volunteers participating in phase 3, aged 18-75 years old, only need to check their blood count and check for antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. People who have been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus or already have antibodies will be excluded from the test population. As of June 11, more than 6,500 volunteers have registered to test the Nano Covax vaccine against COVID-19 phase 3. Senior Colonel, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ho Anh Son, Deputy Director of the Military Medical and Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Military Medical Academy added: “It is expected that by mid-September 2021, after about 42 days of the second injection. In two of the first 1,000 experimental injections, we will summarize the results of the quality assessment to report. If it is favorable, we will submit the dossier and propose the Government, the Ministry of Health, and the National Ethical Council in the study. In parallel with that process, the unit will continue to test the Nano Covax vaccine on 12,000 volunteers to continue to control the experimental injection and evaluate the effectiveness. protective power of vaccines”. During the testing process and after the antibody sample is available, the Military Medical Academy will coordinate with the Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Joint Stock Company, the testing units to conduct the assessment of the ability to neutralize the SARS-CoV virus. -2 in the laboratory for existing virus strains to determine the development direction of vaccine research in the coming period. Through discussions with the expert group of Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Joint Stock Company, in addition to recombinant protein technology, there are other technologies for research and production of vaccines. Nanogen as well as many Vietnamese scientists are very interested in mRNA technology – which has been of great interest to the world in recent years. This technology has the advantage of reacting very quickly to the disease, quickly getting a vaccine. According to available information, vaccines produced by this technology are very safe for human use. More information about the phase 3 trial, Lieutenant General, Prof. Dr. Do Quyet, Director of the Military Medical Academy, said that this trial phase is designed according to the adaptive design method, continuing to inject the experimental vaccine. trial and placebo group; health assessment at the time of the first injection, the second dose (done on the 28th day), the 35th day and the 42nd day after injection. The Director of the Military Medical Academy expressed confidence in the safety of the Nano Covax vaccine with the results achieved through the previous two testing phases. Specifically, the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 virus antibodies after the phase 2 trial injection showed that the antibody titre increased very high, from tens to hundreds of times. After the second injection, the volunteers had a physical examination (blood test, blood pressure measurement…) once a week to assess the amount of antibodies appearing in the body; then continue to be monitored for 6 months to get information, assess health as well as immunity ability. Up to now, 100% of volunteers who have been vaccinated with Nano Covax vaccine have produced antibodies in the blood. – Phase I (December 2020), the COVID-19 vaccine Nano Covax was administered to 60 volunteers. – Phase II (February 2021) injected over 554 people. From phase 2, the trial was conducted both at the Military Medical Academy and the Medical Center of Ben Luc district – Long An province (by the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City).

All of these vaccines are allocated to priority subjects according to Resolution 21 and localities with industrial parks. Vaccines for COVID-19. Photo: Times of India. In addition, from now until the end of the third quarter, Vietnam will also receive an additional 2 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine ordered by the Ministry of Health through VNVC. In the third quarter, information from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer said that 3 million doses of vaccine can be shipped to Vietnam, the rest will be concentrated in the fourth quarter. However, the specific time and quantity may change due to dependents. of the world situation. According to Professor Dang Duc Anh, the COVID-19 vaccine has a very short shelf life, only about 6 months. Meanwhile, the time from the production facility to Vietnam takes about 2 months, so it only takes 3-4 months to deploy the injection. In particular, Pfizer’s vaccines must be stored at deep minus temperatures (-70 degrees Celsius). If the temperature is 2-8 degrees Celsius, this vaccine is only used for one month. Therefore, in the coming time, the Ministry of Health will coordinate with units of the Ministry of National Defense across the country to ensure the preservation and transportation of vaccines to the injection point in the shortest time. Up to this point, Vietnam has urgently approved four COVID-19 vaccines: AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, Sinopharm and Pfizer. Vietnam aims to have 150 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine this year for at least 70-80% of the population, to form herd immunity. However, only 4 batches of AstraZeneca’s vaccine have arrived in Vietnam with a total of nearly 2.9 million doses. Earlier, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long stated that Vietnam is facing the 4th wave of COVID-19 epidemic with the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 capable of spreading quickly and widely. The Vietnamese government is drastically directing epidemic prevention and control measures to soon stabilize the situation. One of Vietnam’s priorities in COVID-19 prevention is to have a COVID-19 vaccine early and to implement broader vaccination coverage for the population. Therefore, in parallel with efforts to find, negotiate and discuss with partners and vaccine manufacturers to bring vaccines to Vietnam, the Ministry of Health and related ministries and branches also focus on developing domestic vaccines to gradually ensure vaccine autonomy. At the same time, Vietnam also participates in COVAX’s global vaccine supply mechanism.

Thai people get vaccinated against Covid-19 at Bang Sue Station in Bangkok. (Photo by Bangkok Post Office) On June 15, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha apologized to the people for delays in the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination program and said there were many reasons for the delay. this late. The Bangkok Post quoted Prayut as saying that the Thai government only received small batches of vaccines, not large batches at the same time. At the same time, vaccine shortages and delay in vaccination schedules only occur at vaccination sites with high vaccination capacity and have used up allotted vaccines. According to Prayut, the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines cannot be done quickly, and the production and quality control of vaccines are very time consuming. Many other countries in the world also have this problem. In addition, Thailand’s vaccination program was also adjusted to speed up the vaccination of high-risk groups in epidemic areas, thereby controlling the epidemic and protecting the activities of health workers. machine. This also affects some people who have previously registered for the Covid-19 vaccine. In addition, the vaccination process also involves many agencies and organizations, and misunderstandings can occur in the immunization coordination process. Prayut said those who had already registered for the vaccine but had their appointment rescheduled would not have to re-register and their registration would remain valid. He said: “As the Prime Minister and Director of the Thai Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), I am the commander-in-chief of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in Thailand. I apologize for the problems that have occurred and I will take full responsibility.” Prayut said the government has distributed 7 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine to provinces across the country and so far 6.5 million doses have been administered to people. He affirmed that he also closely follows information about vaccinations and does his best to solve problems that arise. “We will find ways to solve the problems to ensure the maximum benefit for the people and reduce their anxiety,” he said. The Thai government has now ordered 100 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to immunize about 50 million people, or 70% of the country’s population, this year. Prayut confirmed that Thailand will order more vaccines to be able to increase the number of people vaccinated to 80 to 90% of the population next year.

The apology was made by Prime Minister Prayuth after the Thai public expressed displeasure over the slow implementation of the vaccination campaign. Prime Minister Prayuth said that despite ordering a large number of vaccines, the Thai government has only received a small amount of the vaccine. Vaccines are now concentrated in large vaccination points, with faster vaccination rates, where almost all of the vaccines they are distributed are used up. Although Thailand has been transferred technology, the production of a vaccine takes a long time, not to mention the quality control procedures, which every country has to face, Prime Minister Prayuth said. Prime Minister Prayuth Chanocha. Photo: Khaosad. In addition, vaccination is currently focused on the most vulnerable populations in high-risk outbreak areas in the Thai capital, in order to prevent the disease from spreading, as well as to maintain the operation of health facilities. factory. This affects those who have already signed up for vaccinations, Prime Minister Prayuth acknowledged. In addition, Prayuth also said that the vaccination campaign involved many organizations, and the lack of harmony in the coordination process also affected the speed of vaccination deployment. The Thai government has ordered 100 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, with plans to vaccinate 50 million people, or 70% of the population, this year. Prime Minister Prayuth said Thailand’s goal is to buy enough vaccines to raise vaccination rates to 80-90%.

Warning: Hackers take advantage of the Covid-19 epidemic to spread malicious code. Illustration Taking advantage of the complicated development of the Covid-19 epidemic in many countries around the world and even in Vietnam, hacker groups have opened many cyberattack campaigns through fake emails with documents containing malicious code. , with titles and content related to the Covid-19 epidemic to trick users into opening documents. As noted by experts of CyRadar Information Security Joint Stock Company, the hot topic of the Covid-19 epidemic and the Covid-19 vaccine has continued to be exploited by many hacker groups in their campaigns to defraud Vietnamese users. Nam through the form of sending fake emails with attached document files containing malicious code. Specifically, two cyberattack campaigns in the form of sending fake emails with attached documents related to the Covid-19 epidemic, including “Jam Gia Dien dich Covid-19.docx” and “Covid-19– Vaccines.xlsm”. The above docx and xlsm file formats, according to experts’ analysis, have malicious code installed. When the user opens the document file, the malicious code will penetrate the computer, allowing the remote hacker to control the computer through commands. From there, hackers can also order to download many other malicious codes, steal data, passwords, screenshots… Currently, as noted by CyRadar, the number of cases where users are tricked into downloading and opening fake documents related to the Covid-19 epidemic and the Covid-19 vaccine are not many. However, in the context of a complicated epidemic and a growing remote working model, experts predict that in the coming time, there may be more hacker groups that continue to take advantage of the Covid-19 epidemic to attack scams. user island. Therefore, in addition to recommending the use of protection software, experts also recommend that organizations, businesses and users need to be careful and consider carefully when downloading email attachments.

Ho Chi Minh City can now actively source, buy and import Covid-19 vaccines (Artwork). On June 15, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam agreed with the proposal of the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City on the purchase and import of Covid-19 vaccine. At the same time, the Deputy Prime Minister asked the organization, implementation and communication to avoid the situation of buying and pushing up vaccine prices. Regarding the implementation of vaccination against Covid-19, the Government has issued Resolution No. 21/NQ-CP dated February 26, which contains content on encouraging eligible units to organize voluntary vaccination for children. requested organizations and individuals. The Ministry of Health is responsible for licensing, testing and quality control of vaccines according to regulations; direct and guide the vaccination according to the required schedule, ensuring safety and effectiveness. Previously, the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City submitted a report to the Prime Minister, stating: Currently, Ho Chi Minh City has over 7.2 million people aged 18 and over; there are over 1.6 million workers and workers working at enterprises and corporations in industrial parks. However, so far, Ho Chi Minh City has only received 140,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine and deployed the first dose of vaccination to more than 64,000 people and more than 10,000 people injected with two doses. To achieve the goal of herd immunity with over 70% of the population of Ho Chi Minh City being vaccinated against Covid-19 as soon as possible, the purchase of a vaccine against Covid-19 is an urgent matter. The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City proposed to the Prime Minister to allow businesses in the city to actively negotiate to source vaccines from reputable manufacturers and distributors in the world, to be imported or exported. hire businesses with the function of importing vaccines to import Covid-19 vaccines to Vietnam. After the vaccine is licensed by the Ministry of Health, imported to Vietnam and quarantined to ensure quality, the Prime Minister is requested to allow businesses to sign contracts to hire units with the function of vaccination to deploy. vaccination for all officers and employees of the enterprise on the principle of ensuring safety, quality and price of vaccination services according to the contract agreed between the enterprise and the vaccination unit. At a meeting with the Ho Chi Minh City Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on June 14, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen also said that the National Steering Committee for Disease Prevention and Control had opened a favorable mechanism. the most favorable for localities to access vaccine resources. Ho Chi Minh City has also established a working group to buy and inject Covid-19 vaccines, which is coordinated by Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Duong Anh Duc.

Medical staff directly involved in the prevention of COVID-19 at Thanh Nhan Hospital are vaccinated against COVID-19. (Photo: Minh Quyet/VNA) Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam agreed with the proposal of the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City on the purchase, import vaccines prevent COVID-19 and require the organization of implementation and communication to avoid the situation of buying and selling vaccines, pushing up the price of vaccines. Regarding the implementation of vaccination against COVID-19, the Government has issued Resolution No. 21/NQ-CP dated February 26, 2021, which contains content on encouraging eligible units to organize voluntary vaccination. to organizations and individuals that require. The Ministry of Health is responsible for licensing, testing and quality control of vaccines according to regulations; direct and guide the vaccination according to the required schedule, ensuring safety and effectiveness. Before that, the People’s Committee Ho Chi Minh City submitted a report to the Prime Minister stating that, at present, Ho Chi Minh City has over 7.2 million people aged 18 years and over; there are over 1.6 million workers and workers working at enterprises and corporations in industrial parks. However, up to now, Ho Chi Minh City has only received 140,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and deployed the first dose of vaccination to more than 64,000 people, more than 10,000 people injected with two doses. To achieve the goal of herd immunity with over 70% of the population in Ho Chi Minh City being vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible, purchasing a vaccine against COVID-19 is an urgent matter. The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City proposed to the Prime Minister to allow businesses in the city to actively negotiate to source vaccines from reputable manufacturers and distributors in the world, imported import or hire businesses with functions to import vaccines against COVID-19 come back Vietnam. After the vaccine is licensed by the Ministry of Health, imported to Vietnam and quarantined to ensure quality, the Prime Minister is requested to allow businesses to sign contracts to hire units with the function of vaccination to deploy. vaccination for all officers and employees of the enterprise on the principle of ensuring safety, quality and service prices. vaccination under the contract agreed between the enterprise and the vaccination unit. The account receives donations for the COVID-19 Vaccine Fund.

The Covid-19 rapid test machine is located at Becamex International Hospital, My Phuoc General Hospital, Tan Uyen Town Medical Center to support and increase testing capacity to screen suspected cases. Becamex IDC Corporation signed a contract to support the Covid-19 epidemic prevention fund for Binh Duong province. Earlier, during the launching ceremony of the peak donation campaign to support the prevention and control of the Covid-19 epidemic called by the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Binh Duong province, Becamex IDC Corporation donated an amount of VND 25 billion. This money has been used to support epidemic prevention, especially in hot spots and isolation areas in the province. The leader of Binh Duong province said that this epidemic is more complicated and likely to last, so the support of individuals, units and businesses is needed to carry out epidemic prevention work. After launching, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the province received nearly 90 billion VND in cash and medical supplies. The province is committed to fully synthesizing donations, making them public and transparent, and using them for the right purposes and achieving practical results. Recently, a number of businesses in Binh Duong had workers infected with Covid-19. To reduce the risk of spreading the disease among workers, for businesses with high risk of infection, the Binh Duong Health Sector will organize screening tests (can use the form of a pool of 10 people/sample). ; at the same time, calling on businesses and the province to vaccinate all workers with Covid-19 vaccine.

The South Korean government will come up with a plan to support vaccines for North Korea after comprehensively reviewing the domestic vaccine supply situation and the consensus of the people. Illustration. Earlier, at a press conference on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed that he will expedite the supply of vaccines to North Korea, emphasizing that South Korea will become a “global vaccine production center”. , contributing to the fight against Covid-19. According to President Moon Jae-in, the Covid-19 vaccine needs to be distributed fairly to low-income countries so that the whole world can escape the Covid-19 pandemic. As South Korea plays the role of a global vaccine production hub, North Korea is of course also subject to cooperation. If North Korea agrees, Seoul will actively promote cooperation in providing vaccines to Pyongyang. President Moon Jae-in said the United States also supports humanitarian assistance to North Korea.

Vaccination against COVID-19 is given to a health worker in Khartoum, Sudan. (Photo: THX/VNA) According to the Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Africa, on June 14, President World Bank (WB) David Malpass had a meeting with the African Union (AU) COVID-19 Vaccine Procurement Task Force (AVATT) to discuss ways of cooperation to promote the vaccination against COVID-19 in Africa, of which WB will support the AU to deploy 400 million doses of vaccination Johnson & Johnson vaccine . Previously, on March 28, AVATT signed an agreement to buy 400 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot vaccine with a financial guarantee of $2 billion from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank). The World Bank and the AVATT Group agreed to speed up all administrative procedures to ensure African countries have access to vaccines as soon as possible. The agreement between the World Bank and the AVATT Group will support AU Member States to implement immunization, including domestic distribution (logistics and storage in accordance with cold chain requirements), ensuring systems, energy necessary capacity and capacity for vaccination, promoting propaganda campaigns so that people are ready to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Dr. John N. Nkengasong – Director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and member of AVATT – said the number of Johnson & Johnson vaccines reached under the agreement is an important key to directing aim to immunize at least 60% of Africans. Achieving this goal is a prerequisite for saving the lives and livelihoods of the people of Africa, safely reopening the continent’s economy, and continuing the continent’s economic development agenda. With more than 41 countries at various stages of finalizing their vaccine orders, and with increasing vaccination momentum, it is essential that countries can organize full vaccinations for their populations quickly and with affordable prices. Mr. Strive Masiyiwa – AU special envoy and AVATT coordinator – said that the decision to cooperate with AVATT by the World Bank was made after the US announced the sharing of COVID-19 vaccine, which means that countries can rest in peace. more concerned about access to and financing of needed vaccines. Under the AVATT structure, AU member countries are allocated vaccines based on population size through a collective procurement mechanism. These doses complement vaccines offered through the COVAX Mechanism – which aims to provide vaccines to 30% of the population of the participating countries – allowing AU Member States to achieve their continental vaccination targets. AVATT was established on November 6, 2020, with the task of finding the necessary funding and ensuring equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine for AU member countries.

Bamboo Airways sponsored the entire cost of COVID-19 injection for employees. In order to maximize the effectiveness and speed of vaccine protection, vaccination activities are planned by Bamboo Airways in several phases, in which priority is given to frontline forces who are in direct contact with passengers, cargo, and passengers. including: Flight operations (pilots, flight attendants), ground services and operations; Technical – maintenance block… Bamboo Airways has completed the first phase of COVID-19 vaccination from April 2021. The vaccination process is carried out in compliance with the regulations of the Ministry of Health, implemented at the Immunization Center of the National Children’s Hospital. Employees are screened and closely monitored for their health after the injection. All expenses for vaccination for the airline’s staff and related affiliates will be covered by Bamboo Airways’ welfare fund. The new effective shield from the vaccine will act as the next protective belt for the company’s smooth operation during and after the epidemic. A representative of Bamoo Airways said: “For Bamboo Airways, vaccination against COVID-19 for all employees not only helps to protect the health and safety of staff; but also ensure the safety of flight passengers, show the spirit and responsibility to the country, thereby contributing to the good control of the COVID-19 epidemic across the country.” Along with the vaccination, Bamboo Airways has been drastically implementing measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 epidemic in accordance with the direction of the Government, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Transport, the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam, and the Ministry of Health. including: Checking passengers’ body temperature at the airport; provide hand sanitizers and masks at check-in counters, departure gates and on the plane for passengers; disinfecting the aircraft after the flight; regular maintenance of HEPA aseptic air filters on aircraft; Safe distancing on the plane… Bamboo Airways’ flight attendants and staff are provided with full protective equipment such as masks and medical gloves when serving passengers, and are also equipped with knowledge about service methods and measures. epidemic prevention measures to ensure safety and hygiene according to the standards of the authorities.

Dr. David Muller with the high-density biopatch. Photo: Hung Vu. The technology allows researchers to use a bio-patch containing a dry layer of vaccine and then apply pressure from the injection device to deliver the vaccine into cells below the surface of the skin. Besides not using needles, this technology being tested on mice also has the outstanding advantage that it does not need to be stored in the cold chain. According to Dr David Muller, Australia’s leading virologist who was involved in the development of the new injection method, the Covid-19 vaccine delivered via a high-density biopatch induces a better immune response and faster. This technology has also shown to be more effective against dangerous variants of the current SARS-CoV-2 virus. What is unique about this single-dose vaccine technology, says Dr. Muller, is that it can help accelerate global vaccine coverage efforts, especially in low-income countries and regions of the world. remote areas. Tests to date have shown that when coated on a dry patch, the vaccine remains stable for at least 30 days in an environment of 25 degrees Celsius and 1 week if it is at 40 degrees Celsius. Using this technology, vaccines will not need to be preserved in complicated and expensive cold chains like today. The developers believe that the applicability of the new technology is very promising. In addition, scientists are also looking for funding to be able to conduct clinical trials on humans in the near future.

“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.

That is the first reason why many restaurants in New York City have set up separate areas to serve diners who have been vaccinated against Covid-19. They think that people who have been vaccinated, even though they gather in close proximity, the possibility of disease transmission is very low, according to New York Post . But most of all, restaurant owners admit that they want to give diners the feeling of dining in 2019, a time when Covid-19 has not yet appeared. Carroll Place bar set up a separate area for customers who have been vaccinated. Photo: New York Post. Carroll Place bar (157 Bleecker Street, West Village) plans to open a new seating area for guests who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 on June 9. Restaurant owner AJ Bontempo shared: “I think that when life starts to return to normal, people will want to feel comfortable eating without having to worry about the disease like before. The new area is like a gift to those who have been vaccinated.” Of the 109 seats on the main floor of Carroll Place bar, 90 are reserved for vaccinated guests. The remaining seats are arranged behind the stage for the disabled because there are suitable restrooms located on this floor. Meanwhile, 50 seats upstairs and another 130 seats outside will be reserved for unvaccinated customers at the bar. Jolene Pub in Manhattan reopened, serving only vaccinated diners. Photo: New York Post. The Carolines, a comedy club on Broadway, is also offering the best seats indoors for those who have been vaccinated. “The easiest way to get the best seats in the house? It’s vaccination! We require theatergoers to present their vaccination cards,” said Caroline Hirsch, founder and owner of the Carolines Club. She further explained that continuing to maintain a minimum distance of 2 meters will reduce the capacity of the theater to serve. In the future, some performances at the Carolines will be exclusively for vaccinated audiences. “Our actors are always hoping to perform in front of a packed audience of people who have completed their Covid-19 vaccinations. When you’re a comedian, you want to see your audience laugh. Actors will not feel anything when they have to be 4 meters away from the audience and are covered by a plastic wall, “said Ms. Hirsch.

Remote medical examination and treatment system (Telehealth) of Viettel Military Industry – Telecommunications Group (Viettel) announced its contribution of 450 billion VND to the Covid-19 vaccine fund. Previously, Viettel’s officers and employees donated VND 19 billion to build a remote consultation center for the health sector. Mr. Le Dang Dung, Acting Chairman and General Director of Viettel said: “As a key enterprise of the country, Viettel is committed to both contributing technology solutions and taking the lead in financial contribution to the joint venture. Government to fight the epidemic”. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic in early 2020, with the strength of being a technology enterprise, Viettel has supported the Government with many important solutions, effectively supporting the prevention and control of the Covid-19 epidemic. . Specifically, Viettel has built a remote medical examination and treatment system (Telehealth) to 1,300 medical facilities nationwide, deployed 700 bridge points at hospitals with Covid-19 cases. Building the portal and app “Vietnam Health”, Medical Declaration, Disease Map, Electronic Health Book, Covid-19 Vaccine Passport nationwide. In particular, in just two weeks, Viettel has installed and integrated nearly 4,000 surveillance cameras in isolation areas in the northern provinces. Viettel’s virtual switchboard (Cyber ​​Bot) has made more than 200,000 calls to subscribers who have not installed Bluezone to mobilize and provide instructions on how to use it to protect themselves and the community from the Covid-19 epidemic.

People wait for their turn to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in Beijing. Photo: AP According to CNBC, within just 5 days of May, China injected 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to its people. Health officials hope to be able to vaccinate 80% of its 1.4 billion population by the end of 2021. As of June 2, China has injected a total of over 704 million doses of vaccine, of which half were administered in May. The total number of doses of COVID-19 vaccine that China has given to the population accounts for about one-third in one. ,9 billion doses of vaccine are distributed globally. The call to vaccinate is from all walks of life. Companies inject workers, schools urge students and teachers to immunize, local authorities urge people to vaccinate. According to Our World in Data, in 7 days, China is injecting an average of 19 million doses per day. With a population a quarter of China’s, the US only injected 3.4 million doses / day in April – when the vaccination campaign was operating at full speed. A medical worker administers a COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site in Shanghai, China. Photo: THX/VNA On May 30, Zhong Nanshan, the head of an expert group of the National Health Commission of China, said that 40% of the Chinese population has been vaccinated with at least one dose, and the government’s goal is to fully immunize all patients. this number at the end of June. In the capital Beijing, 87% of people have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccination in Beijing is easy because there are hundreds of vaccination service points throughout the city. Vaccination buses are parked right in crowded areas such as city centers and commercial centers. However, vaccination in other areas is not as easy as in the capital. Ms. Zhou Hongxia, a resident of Lanzhou, Gansu province, said: “I started waiting in line for the injection at 9am and didn’t get the injection until 6pm. It’s tiring. When I returned, there were still people waiting.” Ms. Zhou’s husband couldn’t even schedule a vaccination. On May 31, government officials said they were working to ensure the supply of COVID-19 vaccine is distributed more evenly. Not only focusing on inoculating people in the country, China also injects its citizens abroad when donating vaccines to Thailand, part of which is used to vaccinate the Chinese before giving them to Thai people. Globally, China has injected more than 500,000 citizens abroad. Before the domestic vaccination campaign accelerated in recent weeks, many Chinese people were in no hurry to get vaccinated because China had almost no cases in the community thanks to tight border controls and mandatory isolation. Recently, China has appeared many small clusters of infection and is suppressing the cluster in Guangzhou. According to analysts, despite the uneven distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, Chinese manufacturers have hardly had problems with the scale of production. Both companies that produce most of the COVID-19 vaccines being used in China, Sinovac and Sinopharm, have drastically increased production, built new factories and converted existing factories to produce COVID-19 vaccines. . Vaccines of Sinovac Biotech (China) at a vaccination center in Bangkok, Thailand on May 12, 2021. Photo: THX/VNA Vaccines from Sinovac and one from Sinopharm have been approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization. “Where in the world can match China in terms of construction speed? How long does it take China to build field hospitals? Just a few days.” Sinovac said it has doubled production capacity to 2 billion doses/year, while Sinopharm said it can produce 3 billion doses/year. From the beginning of the year to the end of May, Sinovac produced 540 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Government support is crucial for vaccine manufacturers at every stage. Sinopharm said that right from the start of the vaccine research, it had borrowed a laboratory at a government research center. Chinese vaccine companies largely do not depend on imported products in the production process, so the scenario of shortage of raw materials and ingredients like the Serum Institute in India should be avoided. As of June 4, China had 91,194 cases of COVID-19, of which 4,636 died.

The trend of “Covid-19 vaccine tourism” is flourishing in many places (Photo: FORBES) After more than a year of being “locked up” because of Covid-19, the world is witnessing the blooming of the “Covid-19 vaccine tour”. Is this type really the key to reviving tourism or is it bringing a lot of unpredictable potential? New trend Since December last year, Mr. Enno Lenze, a German businessman and museum director, has been looking for many sources to get an early Covid-19 vaccine but wants to go abroad. Finally, the opportunity came to him. A tour company in Norway called World Visitor provided a travel package to Moscow, Russia to get the Sputnik V vaccine. Brother Lenze and 50 other Germans took the opportunity and went to Russia to get the Sputnik V shot. the first one in early April. This month, he and the others will return to Russia for a second injection. Many people seek out the Sputnik V vaccine by traveling to Moscow (Image: AP) “I have visited many places. I’m interested in space travel and I want to see Soviet-era spaceships,” Lenze told National Geographic. World Visitor also offers a three-week “wellness” tour package where guests can relax at a spa in Turkey between Covid-19 shots. Albert Sigl, co-owner of World Visitor, said that he has sold Covid-19 vaccination tours to about 600 customers from Germany and Switzerland, two European countries that currently have flights to Russia. According to Mr. Sigl, the company will continue to open Covid-19 vaccine tours to other countries when they open. In Austria, tour operator Impfreisen.at is also offering unconditional reservations for a series of holiday packages with “guaranteed rights to a Covid-19 vaccine”. For those who can’t afford it, Impfreisen even offers free rides to 1 in 10 people who book the cheapest package, if they can prove it’s financially viable. Last week, The Wall Street Journal of the United States reported that it did not take until New York City announced a plan to provide Covid-19 vaccination services to foreign tourists, the tourism industry from Texas to Florida already Heats up as tens of thousands of tourists from Mexico and many other countries come to these states to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. Some states in the US, including Texas, do not require vaccination applicants to present proof of residency status. According to the AP news agency, wealthy tourists, including politicians, TV stars, leaders of companies and famous players in Latin America, have come to the US to get vaccinated against Covid-19. People stand in line to check in at Silvio Pettirosso Airport (Paraguay) to Miami. Many Latin Americans who come to the US for vaccinations have friends or relatives who live in the US and can help them get vaccinated against Covid-19. (Photo: AP) Most Covid-19 vaccination tours are from Mexico to Texas. Mexican airlines have opened more routes to South Texas and increased frequency of flights. Flights to Houston, Dallas and San Antonio have also been booked weeks in advance and fares are also increasing significantly. In addition, the charter flight service to the US for vaccination is also flourishing in Mexico. Cindy Mijares, a 31-year-old jewelry designer from Monterrey, Mexico, said that like many of her friends, she booked a Covid-19 vaccination at a pharmacy in Texas. The Wall Street Journal, citing preliminary data from Mexico City International Airport, showed that in April, about 207,000 passengers departed for the United States, compared with 177,000 in March and 95,000 in February. in April were Houston and Dallas, with 41,000 and 26,000 passengers, followed by Los Angeles, Miami and San Antonio. People get a shot of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine at a mobile vaccination center in South Beach, Florida (Image: TheBangkokPost) The wave of Covid-19 vaccine tourism also spread to Asia. Recently, many Thai tour companies have offered Covid-19 vaccination tours to the US and Russia. A Bangkok-based tour operator, Unithai Trip, offers packages ranging from 75,000 baht to 200,000 baht ($2,400 to $6,400) for tours to San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York, at extra prices. depending on the time interval between injections of each Covid-19 vaccine. Unithai Trip CEO Rachphol Yamsaeng told Reuters: “Johnson & Johnson only needs one shot, but 90% of travelers require Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine,” so it takes about 20 days between the first dose. first and second dose. Meanwhile, another tour operator, My Journey Travel, is offering a 10-day trip to San Francisco for Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine. This company information, in just three days of opening the tour, they received hundreds of calls to ask about this tour. The US is not the only destination to get a Covid-19 vaccine for Thais. Udachi, a travel agency, has offered a 23-day tour called “Vaccine Vacation in Russia” to get the Sputnik V vaccine for up to 210,000 baht ($6,700). Travel leverage? After more than a year of “freezing” because of Covid-19, some countries with tourism as the mainstay of the economy are looking to increase tourist numbers by offering travel packages with Covid-19 vaccinations. “Paradise” Maldives has pursued a “3-V” strategy to encourage tourists to “visit, vaccinate and relax” (Vist, Vaccine and Vacation). Maldivian tourism minister Abdulla Mausoom told CNBC this would provide visitors with “more convenience” when on vacation. Mr. Mausoom said that while only about 13% of Maldivians are fully vaccinated, about 90% of frontline tourism workers are vaccinated. This figure points to the importance of the tourism sector in the economic recovery prospects of the Indian Ocean “resort paradise”. According to I. Glenn Cohen, a professor at Harvard Law School and director of the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics, traveling for medical treatment is not a trend. new save. The thriving medical tourism market has been around for many years. In the case of the Covid-19 vaccine, as long as the risk groups are protected first, vaccine-abundant countries can use them to restart tourism, but provided this is done carefully. kidney. “What matters is where the net benefits go,” he said. This benefit should benefit the poorest people in the community, not just the rich.” Although two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine may make countries retain tourists longer because it takes time for the body to produce an immune response, the following travel activities should not be rushed. vaccination. Passengers disembark from a plane at Velana International Airport in Male, Maldives, July 15, 2020. Maldives is currently encouraging foreign tourists to return with a “3-V” strategy that combines visits, vaccinations and resorts. (Photo: GETTY IMAGE) Professor Cohen said he was a bit concerned and advised tourists who had just been vaccinated against going to markets or shopping malls right away. On May 6, New York began promoting itself as a tourist destination for those seeking a Covid-19 vaccine. Previously, from April, the Florida state government announced that it was canceling the requirement to be a resident of the state to receive the vaccine after the first wave of vaccination tourism. In Alaska, in an effort to boost local tourism, Governor Mike Dunleavy said visitors can get a free Covid-19 vaccine at the state’s main airports starting June 1. Mexican travel companies, already reeling from the pandemic, quickly recognized the opportunity. Eduardo Paniagua, head of the Mexican tourism industry association, said that in March and April, travel agencies sold tours to the US to 170,000 people, most of whom traveled for injections. Covid-19 vaccine. The US-Mexico border remains closed to non-essential land travel, but travelers can still travel by air. More than just coming to get vaccinated, travel to the US has a direct impact on local economies. Vaccinated tourists spend money on airline tickets, hotel stays and spend more time shopping and eating. These special tours are helping revive the economies of places like Texas’s Rio Grande Valley, which have been hit hard by a year of border closures. Saul Sanchez, co-owner of Carats in McAllen, Texas, helps a customer try on jewelry. The business of the stores declined when the border closed and was buoyed by the return of Mexican tourists (Image: WSJ) Before the pandemic, Mexican tourists to McAllen, Texas typically contributed about $1 billion of the country’s $3.5 billion average annual retail sales, said Steve Ahlenius, president of the local chamber of commerce. city. Although locals have the lowest income in the US, the area is a top destination for wealthy Mexican tourists. Is it legal? At a glance, it can be seen that Covid-19 vaccination tourism is an attractive form to restore the tourism industry. But many people are also questioning the legitimacy of this type of tourism, the risks to tourists when participating in vaccination tourism and even its ethics. At this time, no formal arrangements have been made to ensure that foreign tourists are vaccinated against Covid-19 in the country they travel to. So tourists getting vaccinated could be frustrated and risk losing money. Reuters quoted Thailand’s Tourism Ministry on May 5 warning, travelers need to carefully check vaccination travel packages because the entry regulations in each state in the US are different. Euronews reported last month that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the government would consider a vaccination tourism program, but that Russian citizens were an “absolute priority”. Meanwhile, information on social media about vaccination tours for tourists from Turkey to Serbia has been denied by the Turkish Ambassador to Belgrade and the Serbian Embassy in Ankara. They confirmed that only Turks with a residence permit in Serbia are allowed to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. Some countries have clearly announced that they do not welcome tourists to receive Covid-19 vaccines. In the UK, for example, the Covid-19 vaccine can only be administered through the public health system and must wait until a doctor’s appointment is received. At the appointment, the vaccinated person needs to confirm personal information, such as home address. It is possible that many other countries have adopted similar measures. In some respects, Covid-19 vaccine tourism can contribute towards the common goal of ending the Covid-19 pandemic soon. So far, the WHO has urged Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers to keep their commitments to equitable distribution of vaccines. But with some richer countries starting to monopolize the stockpiling of excess vaccines to make a profit, Covid-19 vaccine tourism will only prolong the wait for access to Covid-19 vaccines in many parts of the world. , especially in poor countries, and exacerbated the imbalance of supply and demand for Covid-19 vaccines. These consequences will likely slow down efforts to end the Covid-19 pandemic, which WHO insists can only be achieved by global cooperation in vaccine sharing.

The WHO Independent Panel of Experts recommends the use of Sinovac vaccine for people over 18 years of age. The evaluation data show that this vaccine is effective in protection in the elderly. Sinovac is the second Chinese vaccine approved by WHO for emergency use. (Photo: Reuters) WHO’s decision was made based on a review of the latest clinical data on the safety and efficacy of Sinovac’s vaccine as well as the company’s manufacturing practices. On May 5, the WHO technical advisory group met, reviewed and evaluated the Sinovac vaccine. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that Sinovac vaccine is safe and effective, emphasizing that it does not require a high level of vaccine preservation, suitable for low-income countries. “Now it’s important to get these life-saving tools quickly into the hands of those who need them.” , the head of WHO said. Sinovac is the second Chinese vaccine approved by WHO for emergency use. On May 7, the Sinopharm vaccine became the first vaccine not from a Western pharmaceutical company to be approved by the WHO. Meanwhile, China’s third vaccine, manufactured by CanSino Biologics, has also submitted clinical trial data. However, WHO has not yet scheduled an assessment. As of the end of May, Sinovac pharmaceutical company has supplied more than 600 million doses inside and outside China, of which more than 430 million doses have been used.

Polish Health Minister Adam Niedzielski (Image: Thefirstnews) According to Minister Niedzielski, in addition to the certificate using the software application, people will be able to request a hard copy at any medical facility or vaccination center. The official start of the Covid-19 certification system will take place on July 1. Fully vaccinated people with EU Covid-19 certificates will be exempt from travel-related restrictions such as testing or quarantine. The EU Covid-19 Digital Certificate was proposed by the European Commission in April to facilitate safe and free movement within the EU during the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently, in addition to Poland, there are 6 other EU countries that have issued Covid-19 certificates. It is expected that all EU countries will introduce this solution on July 1 (with a transition period of 6 weeks).

In the statement, the WHO’s independent expert panel recommended that Sinovac be given to adults over 18 years of age, with a second dose initiated every 2-4 weeks. There is no age limit for this vaccine, as data shows it is likely to protect older adults. This is the second Chinese vaccine approved by the WHO for emergency use – after the Sinopharm vaccine approved in early May. Covid-19 vaccine box manufactured by Sinovac pharmaceutical company. Photo: Anadolu Agency. A third Chinese vaccine, manufactured by CanSino Biologics, has submitted clinical trial data, but WHO has not scheduled a review. Sinovac said it had delivered more than 600 million doses of the vaccine at home and abroad as of the end of May, of which more than 430 million had been administered. In addition, China has deployed hundreds of millions of doses of its own vaccines – including Sinopharm and Sinovac – to many countries, especially in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Many of these countries have difficulty finding a vaccine developed by the West.

“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.

Thus, this is the first airline in Vietnam to sign an electronic health passport agreement. This is the key to opening the border, creating favorable conditions for passengers to travel between countries, and at the same time meeting all entry requirements of authorities and governments at the destination. IATA will support and coordinate closely with Vietnam Airlines throughout the test run. A representative of the airline said that IATA and Vietnam Airlines will start testing in June this year. Accordingly, some passengers will be selected to download the IATA Travel Pass application for free on their mobile phones, create a digital personal profile including photos and passport information, fill in flight information to be updated on their flight requirements. epidemiological demand at the destination. In the first phase, some passengers will be selected to download the free IATA Travel Pass application to their mobile phones and create personal profiles. Photo: VNA Before departure, passengers must make an appointment and go to COVID-19 testing or vaccination at a facility designated by the Government of the host country that is registered with IATA, then share the results electronically and confirm flight status with the airline before commencing the journey. According to the airline, the application helps airlines and authorities check the validity of certificates and easily identify passengers. All this information is confidential and is only shared with the passenger’s permission. IATA Travel Pass integrates some leading digital solutions such as contactless travel, biometric data, electronic health certificates such as test results, COVID-19 vaccination, especially convenient and effective. when possible to replace the current types of paper procedures. Several airlines around the world have implemented the IATA Travel Pass. Illustration. Vietnam Airlines General Director Le Hong Ha acknowledged that Vietnam Airlines has become the pioneer airline in Vietnam to test the IATA Travel Pass, creating a big step forward for its passengers and for the domestic aviation industry. “We believe that Vietnam Airlines’ ability to accelerate digital transformation along with IATA’s extensive expertise in the aviation field will bring certain successes after this test,” said the CEO of Vietnam Airlines. According to Mr. Ha, electronic health passport solutions such as the IATA Travel Pass should be widely allowed and recognized by governments, helping to quickly restore regular international passenger transport. The most important goal is to restore passenger confidence when traveling and ensure a safe and seamless travel experience for all.” Nick Careen, IATA Senior Vice President of Airport Operations, Passenger, Cargo and Security said: “We are proud to welcome Vietnam Airlines as the first airline in Vietnam to apply the IATA Travel Pass. . This is a solution to facilitate international travel during the pandemic, providing peace of mind and ensuring that passengers meet all COVID-19 requirements upon entry. The IATA Travel Pass holds the key to the relaunch of the travel and tourism industry, an important contributor to the country’s economy.”

International tourists returned to Venice after Italy lifted restrictions for EU countries, the UK and Israel. Source: Reuters “Vaccine passport” or “vaccination certificate” is a document that travelers use to prove that they are fully vaccinated, have recovered from Covid-19 or have a negative test result. These vaccine certificates are expected to be digitized for display on smartphones, however a paper version should still be available. In addition, visitors must also receive vaccines that have been recognized by the EU. If you come from a “safe” country according to the EU’s assessment and complete 2 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine at least 14 days before departure, you will be exempted from isolation or testing when you arrive in Europe. Currently, only seven non-EU countries are on this list, including Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and China. However, this list will be added and published in a few days.

A healthcare worker is vaccinated against COVID-19 at a hospital in Kolkata, India. Photo: AP In India, the number of infections on May 30 was 165,553 cases, the lowest level in the past 6 weeks. The number of deaths also tended to decrease, to 3,460 cases and the third day in a row below 4,000 cases.

The vaccination campaign is being accelerated by India, although vaccine supply remains a big challenge. As of May 30, India has injected more than 212 million doses of the vaccine, ranking third in the world after China and the US. About 12% of the population was vaccinated with at least one dose, of which 3.1% were fully vaccinated. Prime Minister Narenda Modi’s government said on May 30 that about 120 million doses of the vaccine will be included in the vaccination program in June, a significant increase from 79.8 million doses in May. , government advisers also said that India could reach a supply of 2 billion doses of vaccine between August and December this year, mainly from two domestic manufacturers, the Serum Institute of India (Serum Institute of India). SII) – responsible for producing vaccine samples of AstraZeneca and Bharat Biotech Company, the focal point of domestic production of Covaxin vaccine. In June, the government will provide 60.9 million doses of vaccine to the states to vaccinate health workers along with some other forces on the frontline against the epidemic, people over 45 years old. About 58.6 million doses will be ordered and distributed by state governments and private hospitals. Malaysia on May 30 recorded 6,999 new cases of COVID-19 and was the 5th consecutive day of outbreaks of infection. The government of this country plans to set up more large-scale vaccination centers, mobilize private medical staff to participate in vaccination campaigns in the context of Malaysia preparing to implement a nationwide shutdown. for a period of two weeks, from June 1-14. Medical staff take samples for COVID-19 testing for people in Selangor, Malaysia on May 23, 2021. Photo: THX/VNA Speaking at an online press conference on May 30, Malaysian Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Khairy Jamaluddin said the government will establish five new large-scale vaccination centers in Kuala Lumpur and have Two more similar centers could be established in the northern state of Penang and the southern state of Johor. Each of such centers has the capacity to administer 40,000 doses of vaccination per day. The Government will also conduct training and training for doctors and nurses to perform vaccinations, stemming from the fact that some vaccines need different handling and storage methods and are different from conventional vaccines. Mr. Jamaluddin also said that the supply of vaccines will increase in the near future, so the government will mobilize manpower from hospitals and private medical centers to voluntarily participate in the vaccination campaign. According to Jamaluddin, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government is also expected to set up mobile vaccination centers at roads to vaccinate people. Currently, about 6% of Malaysia’s 32 million people have received at least one vaccination. In the Philippines, the head of the Philippine Government’s COVID-19 Task Force, Mr. Czar Carlito Galvez Jr, said on May 30 that more than 5 million doses of the vaccine have been administered to people, after nearly 3 months of implementation. vaccination campaign. People wear masks to prevent COVID-19 infection in Manila, Philippines. Photo: THX/VNA Most of these were administered to priority groups, including 1.4 million doses for healthcare workers, 1.368 million doses for the elderly and 1,150 million doses for people with underlying medical conditions. Vaccines introduced in the Philippines include Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Sputnik V and Pfizer. Galvez also said that in June, the Philippines is expected to receive an additional 10 million doses of vaccine, including the amount of vaccine through the Covax Initiative program, 2.3 million doses of Pfizer vaccine, 2 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine and 1 million doses of vaccine. Sinovac vaccine. The first batch of 250,000 doses of Moderna is also expected to arrive on June 21. The administration of President Rodrigo Duterte has set a target of vaccinating about 70 million people or more than 50% of the population this year. However, this plan is facing major challenges. In addition to the limited supply of vaccines, the lack of confidence in Chinese vaccines is also a big barrier. It was Mr. Duterte who recently had to speak to reassure, urging people to avoid the mentality of choosing a vaccine, but to see that having a vaccine to inject is already a good thing.

Broadway artists perform in Times Square on March 12. Photo: AP According to the AP news agency, starting May 19, people in New York City who have been fully vaccinated may not need to wear masks when going out, to restaurants, grocery stores, gyms. sex. Businesses will also be allowed to operate at full capacity if they ensure all customers are vaccinated against COVID-19. The subway system will also resume full operation this week. The midnight curfew for bars, clubs and restaurants will also be lifted at the end of May. The theater is already open for sale, though shows will begin in September at the earliest. “75% of things are going back to normal,” says Mark Kumar (24), a personal trainer. However, Ameen Deen (63 years old) was less optimistic about New York’s ability to soon return to normal as before because there has been so much loss in the recent COVID-19 pandemic. The curfew for bars and restaurants will be lifted by the end of this month. Photo: AP As long as all passengers are fully immunized, businesses can operate at full capacity. Photo: AP Last spring, the largest city in the United States became the nation’s most serious COVID-19 hotspot, when it saw more than 21,000 people die from COVID-19 in just two months. Hospitals are overwhelmed with patients and bodies. Refrigerated trucks are used as temporary body storage. The familiar busy streets of New York fell into silence, only the sound of ambulance sirens and the cheers of people from the windows of apartments for medical workers. After a year, New York hopes the vaccination campaign is giving the city a resurgence. About 48% of people in the city have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The number of deaths from COVID-19 in recent weeks has only recorded about 20 cases / day. New cases and hospitalizations also decreased significantly. The subway system returned to operating capacity as before the epidemic. Photo: AP Barber shops have also been allowed to operate. Photo: AP Casinos in Las Vegas are back to 100% capacity and do not require social distancing. Disneyland in California opened late last month after being closed for more than 400 days. Summer music festivals like Lollapalooza are back. The federal government said adults who have received two full doses of the vaccine do not need to wear a mask when participating in this 100,000-fan gathering event. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio declared it “New York City’s summer”. Shakeem Brown, an artist and delivery man in Manhattan, said it was “refreshing” to see things reopening. At e’s Bar on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, owner Erin Bellard said: “We feel the energy of society gradually increasing. People are very happy to be out.”

According to the latest study on the Covid-19 vaccine of Pfizer/BioNTech, conducted by Director of the French Pasteur Institute Olivier Schwartz and colleagues, the company’s vaccine shows signs of being less effective before the B.1.617 strain from India, n , but can still protect the vaccinated person from this strain. Pfizer/BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine is one of the fastest to make yet. Behind that breakthrough in speed is 30 years of research and development by a Turkish-born doctor couple. Before the pandemic broke out, Dr. Ugur Sahin spent years researching mRNA, a type of gene-guided technology that could be implanted in the body to help it fight viruses and other threats. In January 2020, a few days before the coronavirus was first diagnosed in Europe, he used this knowledge to design a version of the vaccine on his home computer. Doctor couple Ugur Sahin (left) and Özlem Türeci (right). Photo: BBC. The idea of ​​pregnancy 30 years ago The story of the first Covid-19 vaccine licensed in the West began 30 years ago in a rural area of ​​Germany. Two young doctors, children of Turkish immigrants, fall in love, vowing to jointly invent a new treatment for cancer. Dr Sahin was born in the city of Iskenderun, Turkey. When he was 4 years old, his family moved to Cologne, Germany. There, his parents worked in a Ford factory. Dr. Türeci’s father, a surgeon, also came to Germany around the same time to work at a Catholic hospital in the town. Sahin and Türeci say that when they were young, it was their frustration with the plight of cancer patients that motivated them to study mRNA. “We realized that with standard therapy, very quickly we wouldn’t be able to do anything more to help the patient,” they said. The two then began researching new treatments based on programming the body’s immune system to defeat cancer as an infectious disease. In 2001, the two founded Ganymed Pharmaceuticals GmbH, their first company to develop antibody treatments. “Our motivation is to bridge the gap between science and life. As we research, we see solutions that were not possible before for our patients,” said Dr. Türeci. One day in 2002, Sahin and Türeci left the lab during their lunch break and went to the marriage registration office, where they became officially husband and wife. Photo: The Wall Street Journal. In 2008, the couple founded BioNTech to expand their research from antibody treatments to mRNA. Since Ganymed Company was sold for $1.4 billion in 2016, BioNTech has been their sole focus. All executives at BioNTech are scientists, including the chief financial officer and salesperson. Half of BioNTech’s staff are women, including scientists of 60 different nationalities. Speed ​​of light One Saturday, January 7, 2020, after reading a research paper, Dr. Sahin was sure that the disease little known in China would soon engulf the world. Immediately, he began designing 10 potential vaccines against the disease, one of which later became the vaccine that now dominates vaccination campaigns in the European Union (EU) and the US. That same day, he announced that BioNTech would redirect research to combat a virus that had yet to be named and diagnosed in Europe. Mr. Jeggle, who has worked with Dr. Sahin since 2001, recalls: “To say I was surprised is an understatement. Because really, the company didn’t have much capital at that time and we were focusing on cancer research.” Project Lightspeed, as Dr. Sahin calls it, will develop a vaccine in months, not years as is usual. Handshake between two big men BioNTech previously worked with Pfizer, a multinational pharmaceutical corporation, to develop an influenza vaccine based on mRNA technology. So when Dr. Sahin needed a partner to organize the testing, production and global distribution of vaccines, he knew who to turn to. In March 2020, the two companies signed a cooperation agreement. A month later, the first human trials of the vaccine began. Vaccines from Pfizer and BioNTech were subsequently licensed for use in the UK, US and other European countries, respectively, with high efficacy confirmed in many countries. According to the latest financial report, Pfizer predicts vaccine sales will reach $26 billion in 2021. However, Dr. Sahin said that any profits made will be reinvested. He affirmed that the goal of BioNTech has not changed: Bringing cancer treatment regimens based on mRNA and other innovative methods to the market. Sold commercially under the name Comirnaty, Pfizer’s vaccine is 90-95% effective in many countries. Storage and transportation conditions were once major obstacles for Pfizer’s vaccines. This affects the distribution of vaccines and the accessibility of the people, because not all countries or localities have super cold storage available. Even advanced countries like the United States and Europe find this difficult at first. Under pressure from drug regulators in many countries (and the need to expand the market ahead of competitors), Pfizer increased the temperature and storage time of Comirnaty. Accordingly, an unthawed vial of Comirnaty can be stored at 2ºC to 8ºC for 5 days to a month. Epidemic prospect Recently, Dr. Sahin predicted that the epidemic situation will continue to spread until mid-2022 due to the outbreak in India and the continued scarcity of vaccines. The father of the vaccine Comirnaty advised that governments should consider using a combination of different vaccine manufacturers. He asserted that the pandemic will not end until herd immunity is achieved worldwide. Dr Sahin and Türeci also say they are expanding their manufacturing alliance to include more than 30 companies to produce more vaccines and deliver them to countries like India. In Vietnam, on May 18, the Ministry of Health signed a contract with Pfizer Company to buy 31 million doses of the vaccine, which is expected to be provided in the third and fourth quarters of 2021. Four former US presidents join the Covid-19 vaccine campaign Former US Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama together appeared in a media campaign to urge Americans to get vaccinated.

Kariko Katalin. Photo: Euronews What is mRNA technology? Vaccines with mRNA technology are Covid-19 vaccine most awaited. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pioneered and quickly approved this vaccine. Compared with traditional technology, mRNA promises to be more effective, faster, safer, with fewer side effects; can compare the difference like a motorbike and a jet. The concept of mRNA was learned in 9th grade, biology lectures taught that mRNA has the function of conveying information that regulates the structure of proteins. Letter m = messenger = information. To make it easy to understand, the process of synthesizing each protein in the human body is like solving a complex math problem, mRNA becomes a manual of mathematical formulas. If humans can create a vaccine in the form of artificial mRNA, when injected into the body, the mRNA will disguise itself as a “thief” that sneaks in but does not wake up the “host”, it silently builds a defense system. are antibody proteins, so that when the virus attacks, it will be destroyed by that system. mRNA urges, haunts Kariko Katalin Kariko Katalin is obsessed with mRNA, she understands this is a very special type of RNA that holds all the secrets to creating billions of billions of proteins in the human body. Theoretically, science can completely manipulate mRNA to create a targeted protein, doing that, mRNA becomes the most powerful weapon to control a variety of diseases. But that’s just a theory. Understanding of mRNA in the 1980s was still very limited. In principle, when injecting mRNA into the human body, it is an allergen, so the body’s defense system will immediately destroy it before the mRNA can perform its functions. That is, the mRNA vaccine, no matter how cleverly disguised, is still a “thief”. But what is more serious, is that the human body’s instinctive resistance to the “thief” is too strong, creating a severe immune response that is potentially fatal. After a lot of failures, most scientists gave up, no one cares about mRNA anymore, that knowledge is scattered on the pages of 9th and 10th grade biology textbooks, so that students can take exams with these questions. boring question. Kariko Katalin was undaunted and continued to dive into research. All efforts paid off when Katalin’s work attracted the attention of two young companies Moderna (Canada) and BioNTech (Germany), after which the giant Pfizer (USA) decided to invest in the production of Covid vaccines. -19 by mRNA technology. That is like winning a ticket to Mars. mRNA technology will not stop at vaccine production, but in the not too distant future, a series of “diseases” such as cancer, stroke, or other dangerous diseases also promise to be “cleared”. The floating life of Kariko Katalin Kariko Katalin was born on January 17, 1955 in Szolnok (Hungary), in a cottage without amenities, but full of love for a family home. Kariko Katalin inherited a gene for biology from her father, a pork salesman, a gene for research perseverance from her mother, an accountant, and was inspired by her passion for biology from the teachers at the school she attended. study. Due to poverty, Kariko Katalin devoted herself to her university years, winning a scholarship to the People’s Republic of Hungary, the most prestigious scholarship at that time. Katalin went on to study for a doctorate, then worked at the biological research center of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Szeged. Kariko Katalin pursues mRNA technology. It is an area that requires a lot of investment. Hungary in the 1980s was the most liberal and open country in the former Soviet bloc, but it also didn’t have the money to fund major research. Kariko Katalin lost her job at the age of 30. She initially looked for a job in the European Union, but nowhere would accept it, because Katalin had no significant scientific achievements. One afternoon in 1985, Kariko Katalin and her husband took their 2-year-old daughter out of Hungary to find her way to America. The only asset of any value is the old car, which sold for £900 on the black market. To make it through, Kariko Katalin had to cut open her daughter’s toy teddy bear, insert £900, and then sew it back up. Initially in the US, Kariko Katalin was accepted to work at Temple University, but soon her group was disbanded because of lack of funding. In 1989, Kariko Katalin joined the faculty of pharmacy at the University of Pennsylvania. Although she is a full professor, this is the most difficult time, the salary is very low and no one believes her. Things took a turn for the worse in 1995, Kariko couldn’t get funding, couldn’t find a project, and the University of Pennsylvania decided to fire her. It was a horrible time. The room Kariko Katalin lived in was leaking in every evening rain. She has just been diagnosed with cancer while her husband is in Hungary and cannot come to the US because of visa problems. How much time and dedication work seems to be slipping out of hand. “I started to suspect that maybe I wasn’t good, I wasn’t smart. I try to tell myself that everything is here, I just need to do better experiments,” said Kariko Katalin. Turning point In 1998, Kariko Katalin finally received the first $100,000 grant. Strangely enough, that year she also met a man of her life. It was that fateful afternoon, Kariko Katalin went to photocopy documents, she met Drew Weissmen, a colleague who had just moved from the National Institutes of Health. In the meantime, Kariko Katalin told Weissmen about the idea of ​​creating mRNA. Immediately Weissmen saw before his eyes a priceless fortune. Weissmen decided to invest, collaborate with Kariko Katalin, determined to develop mRNA technology in the field of biomedicine. In 2005, the attenuated version of mRNA was released. After reading the study, Derrick Rossi, a Canadian stem cell expert who is doing a PhD student at Stanford University, was amazed. The time has come. Realizing a super profitable business opportunity, Rossi quietly sought investment capital, he founded a small company, named Moderna. In Germany, a new research team also discovered the potential of Kariko Katalin, a new company BioNTech was founded, based in the US. In 2013, BioNTech hired Karko Katalin as a senior mRNA specialist. Moderna and BioNTech did not do much until 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, Moderna promoted the production of vaccines by mRNA technology, adding the company BioNTech invested by Pfizer billions of dollars determined to turn their ideas into Kariko Katalin come true.

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. .

People wait to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in Tokyo, Japan on May 24, 2021. Photo: AFP/VNA According to the Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Tokyo, speaking at a press conference after announcing the extension of the state of emergency for nine provinces on May 28, Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide emphasized his determination to deploy COVID-19 vaccine vaccination for people under 65 years of age, including those with underlying medical conditions, starting at the end of next month. Regarding vaccine supply, Prime Minister Suga affirmed that the government will ensure the necessary amount of vaccine for the vaccination campaign with 100 million doses expected to arrive in Japan by the end of June and another 100 million doses to be added. September. The specific vaccination time of each locality will be decided on the basis of the positive results of vaccination for people over 65 years old, and the location can also be expanded to implement in the workplace. jobs or universities. Prime Minister Suga said the Japanese government will do its best to soon return to normal life for the people with efforts to speed up the pace of COVID-19 vaccination. Currently, the vaccination rate is around 400,000-500,000 times/day, but from June it will be increased to 1 million times/day. Japan started the COVID-19 vaccine vaccination campaign in February, basically giving enough shots for medical staff who are the frontline force against the epidemic. With the operation of two large-scale vaccination centers in Tokyo and Osaka from May 24, as well as positive results from the negotiation to buy vaccines, the Japanese government is expected to be able to vaccinate the entire population. the entire population from the end of June, 1 month earlier than originally planned. In addition, children will also be included in vaccination after the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) has licensed Pfizer’s vaccine to expand the vaccination age from 12-15 years old. . Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical company Modena has also submitted clinical data to the MHLW and may be approved for injections in subjects 12 years of age and older next month.

Many countries require visitors to have enough Covid-19 vaccinations. Photo: Getty The Covid-19 vaccine will be the deciding factor for travel. Vaccinated people will have more options to travel or visit family and friends abroad. Some countries only accept fully vaccinated international travelers, so you’ll have to recalculate your destination and trip if you haven’t been vaccinated. Some destinations in Hawaii, Mexico or the Caribbean are seeing a rapid increase in tourists who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 and are ready to go. Roadtrip Trends Self-driving car trips have become increasingly popular after the Covid-19 pandemic. Self-driving travel continues to be one of the most popular types of travel this summer. When traveling by air requires many regulations; Along with the inconvenient entry and exit procedures, many people choose to travel domestically and explore new destinations in the country by self-driving cars. Self-driving is also suitable for families with children, because many young people have not been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 vaccine. Everyone is safe in their own cars, ensuring social distancing while still having enjoyable travel experiences. Prioritize outdoor activities Visitors explore En cave in Quang Binh. Outdoor activities, exploring nature will certainly become more and more popular in the coming time. Adventure tourism is booming in many countries, including Vietnam. Travelers now crave new adventures and experiences, such as outdoor camping, mountain climbing, boating or caving. Luxury stay Tourists choose high-class resorts to stay in isolation and privacy. Photo: Getty It is still too early to go to crowded places, dream destinations or travel around the world. Many people will choose to “hide” in high-class, isolated and private resorts. Luxury resorts provide all amenities so visitors avoid having to move and interact with many people. Many resorts also offer great outdoor activities and experiences. Thorough plans Travel plans will need to be more detailed and thorough after Covid-19. Photo: Pexels Surely last-minute travel decisions will no longer be common. As the pandemic continues, travelers will have to prepare more and longer for their outing plans, such as anticipating the disease situation, safety protocols and quarantine regulations at the destination. . Travelers will need more advice and support from travel agents and ticket offices, such as health and safety regulations, testing centers, refund policies for airline tickets and hotel rooms. Covid-19 insurance Covid-19 insurance for travel is increasingly interested. Photo: Getty When international travel resumes this summer, travelers will certainly be wiser and take care of their own protection. Many people have added provisions in the policy and insurance of the trip, not only to prevent risks to their health but also their pocket. Buying insurance covering the cost of Covid-19 and trip cancellation will be a popular trend in the near future. Some destinations and travel agencies will even require travelers to have Covid-19 insurance. Private car rental trend Car rental services will flourish in the near future. Photo: Getty A shortage of rental cars will occur in many tourist destinations, as demand increases when tourists want to be proactive and avoid crowded public transport. Meanwhile, suppliers have had to sell part of their fleets to survive the pandemic. Therefore, travel plans need to consider car rental, as well as the distance between accommodation and attractions, entertainment, and dining. Status of “room fire” Famous places will have a “room fire” situation during the peak tourist season. Photo: Getty Covid-19 does not mean that hotels always have excess rooms, especially during the peak tourist season. During pandemic outbreaks, many people don’t cancel reservations, but push them back at an appropriate time, such as this summer. Famous places are likely to have a “burn out” situation, because many tourists have to wait too long to travel. Plan ahead and plan many options to book the right accommodation for this summer.

Cyprus requires travelers to have a negative Covid-19 test valid 72 hours prior to departure to the country. (Photo: AP) The world’s tourism-driven economy destinations are racing to open their borders and revive economies ravaged by the pandemic. The large-scale deployment of Covid-19 vaccination has given many places new confidence to welcome tourists back. But the moment is still really difficult. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) estimates that the global tourism industry lost nearly $4.5 trillion and lost 62 million jobs last year. The world aviation industry alone lost $126 billion last year and will lose another $48 billion this year. However, inconsistent regulations to reopen international travel globally could make it difficult for anyone planning to travel this summer. For example, in Cyprus there are restrictions on places considered higher risk, requiring arriving passengers to take a negative PCR test for Covid-19 valid 72 hours before departure and to do so. new test upon arrival. Travelers must also self-isolate until they receive their Covid-19 test results. Europe Europe is opening up gradually. Last week, the ambassadors of the European Union (EU) agreed to allow visitors who have had a full dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, one of the vaccines licensed by the European Medicines Agency or come from places located in the UK. on the EU safety list. But this is a non-binding mechanism, each country can still apply its own rules and it is not clear exactly when this mechanism will come into effect. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday announced that from the 24th, the country will allow fully vaccinated tourists from the UK and Japan to enter. Visitors from other countries will be welcome back to Spain from June 7. Restaurants and hotels in Greece are preparing to welcome international guests back (Photo: AP) Tourists have started showing up in Greece after authorities this month decided to accept vaccination and test certificates from the EU and 21 other countries. On the Greek island of Naxos, business owners have begun pulling furniture out of storage, cleaning stores and reopening once-stuck seaside pubs. “People here are very optimistic and in fact there have been a lot of bookings in the last two weeks,” said Naxos Mayor Dimitris Lianos, optimistic that visitors will return significantly even by the end of the year. Croatia has also reopened – one of the few places in Europe that Americans can visit this summer. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have announced direct flights from New York to Dubrovnik this summer. Asia The Covid-19 epidemic is breaking out again in many parts of Asia, causing some countries and territories to pause cautious reopening steps. Hong Kong (China) and Singapore have postponed the “travel bubble” without quarantine for the second time after a new outbreak. Both Singapore and Hong Kong (China) have extended the mandatory quarantine period for many unvaccinated travelers. China has set up Covid-19 control points at toll booths, airports and train stations in Liaoning province, where new cases arose this month – travelers must present test results latest negative for Covid-19. Thailand may have to postpone its plan to welcome international visitors to Phuket this July (Photo: TheBangkokPost) Thailand, which closed its borders to control the outbreak for most of last year, is slowly starting to allow some foreign visitors to enter in the fall under tight control. However, the strong outbreak from the end of March until now has shown no sign of abating, prompting the country to re-impose strong measures such as closing entertainment venues and banning outdoor dining. The Phuket provincial government announced that the plan to reopen to international tourists who have been fully vaccinated from July 1 may not be able to go as planned if the daily number of Covid-19 cases does not exist. down to single digits. Middle East and Africa At the height of the pandemic last year, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) closed its borders and closed its airports to tourists. The capital, Abu Dhabi, still has strict measures including mandatory quarantine even for fully vaccinated citizens returning from certain countries. But the UAE’s largest city, Dubai, has been open to tourists since July last year with a few more restrictive regulations. Dubai – home to the world’s busiest airport for international travel – is drawing visitors from Europe to its beaches, bars, hotel pools, restaurants, cinemas, parks. leisure and spa. However, Dubai still applies social distancing regulations and requires mask wearing. Egypt is trying to attract more foreign tourists Meanwhile, the largest Gulf state Saudi Arabia does not allow tourists to enter the country. Saudi nationals from this month have been allowed to travel abroad if they have been vaccinated against Covid-19 or have recovered from Covid-19. Egypt is trying to attract more foreign tourists even as it faces a new wave of disease outbreaks. The country does not impose new restrictions on beaches, cafes and restaurants in hotels catering to tourists. Egypt even lowered the price of the tourist visa fee, although it still requires a negative test result for Covid-19 before entering. Latin America and the Caribbean The Caribbean region is largely dependent on tourism. In the last year, visitors to the area have dropped by two-thirds to levels not seen since the 1980s. Bermuda has been one of the hardest hit, with an 84% drop in arrivals. Some islands, including Bonaire, Martinique and Montserrat, remain closed to most countries. Elsewhere, return travelers are limited with epidemic prevention regulations including electronic trace management. Several islands, including St. Vincent and the Grenadines, created “bubble resorts” to attract tourists. Cruise lines are planning to bring tourists from the US to Caribbean ports this summer. Mexico remains open to international visitors (Image: AP) Mexico does not apply no-fly regulations, does not require travelers to be tested or quarantined upon arrival in the country. Therefore, although the number of visitors decreased, it remained stable, especially in coastal destinations. But, this has increased the rate of Covid-19 infection, forcing authorities in some places to impose restrictions in public places. USA and Canada The US currently still bans most travelers from Europe, China, India, Brazil and elsewhere. Guests, including US citizens traveling on international flights, must have a negative Covid-19 test before boarding the flight. The US State Department continues to advise citizens not to make unnecessary trips abroad. The border between the US and Canada remains closed to non-essential travel until June 21. In the US, domestic aviation has returned to near 2019 levels, but the smokeless industry is slowly showing patience with restrictive regulations. “As we’re seeing vaccination rates increase and Covid-19 incidence decline, from an economic standpoint, reopening,” said Tori Emerson Barnes, executive vice president of the American Travel Association. International travel is extremely important.”

According to the Reuters , OkCupid will join many major online dating platforms such as Tinder, Match and Bumble to participate in the US government’s vaccination incentive program. This is the latest effort by the Biden administration to attract young people to get the Covid-19 vaccine, thereby achieving at least one shot of the vaccine for 70% of Americans by July 4. A user opens the Tinder dating app. Photo: Reuters. “(People who have been vaccinated) will have their own certification badge, have a filter to find people who have been vaccinated, and can use many exclusive functions for free,” Mr. Slavitt said. Shar Dubey, CEO of Match Group, which owns dating apps like Tinder and OkCupid, said she feels “honored to work with the White House to increase vaccination rates across America”. “(Immunization) will help people meet face-to-face and interact in meaningful ways. It also makes dating safer for everyone and anywhere,” added Ms. Dubey. Last week, the White House also teamed up with two ride-hailing apps, Lyft and Uber, to provide free rides to people getting vaccinated against Covid-19. According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the US currently has more than 33 million cases and nearly 590,000 deaths from Covid-19. The country has fully vaccinated nearly 39% of the population, or about 128 million people.

Earlier, on May 5, the administration of President Joe Biden supported the removal of vaccine patent protection to speed up production around the world. If approved by the World Trade Organization (WTO), the move would allow other countries to create their own vaccines. However, according to reviews from Reuters , patent cancellation will not solve the current pressing problem: There is a worldwide shortage of vaccine components and equipment. Meanwhile, the United States, which holds a significant amount of vaccine production materials such as filters, tubes or specialized bags, is not ready to share with many other countries. Stickers are given to people who have received the Covid-19 vaccine. Photo: Reuters. America’s “Priority” Act This action stems from America’s reliance on a 1950s Korean War-era law, known as the Defense Production Act (DPA), which allows federal agencies to prioritize orders defense-related purchases. For decades, the law has been used to provide military supplies and respond to everything from natural disasters to biennial census disruptions. The government of former President Donald Trump later invoked this law to put the US government at the top of the list to buy vaccines and other products made by the US to fight the epidemic. When talking about the DPA, Gavi – a vaccine alliance that includes international organizations, governments, pharmaceutical companies and many others – commented: “The biggest challenge in COVAX’s goal to achieve Equal access to vaccines is a limited global supply.” “Export controls on raw materials are a significant cause of this phenomenon and ultimately only prolong the pandemic,” the organization stressed. However, a senior Biden administration official said there is no export ban and all US-based suppliers have shipped products overseas after prioritizing manufacturers in the US. country. The official said the DPA does not cause a global shortage of vaccine materials, and the problems stem from overwhelming demand. Complaints from India Even with access to vaccine patents, countries hit hard by Covid-19 like India cannot produce vaccines without raw materials. The number of Covid-19 cases in India has been increasing continuously recently. Photo: Reuters. With the DPA, factories helped the US build a giant vaccine production system. About 45% of the US population has received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Meanwhile, according to data collected at the University of Oxford, UK, dozens of other countries, from South Africa to Guatemala, to Thailand, have only immunized about 1% or less of their population. The US DPA has been criticized by many vaccine manufacturers around the world, including the Serum Institute of India, the largest producer globally. On Twitter in late April, CEO Adar Poonawalla “on behalf of the vaccine industry outside the US” asked the US to lift its hold on raw materials “if we really want to unite to defeat this virus.” “. Starting in May, the company plans to produce billions of doses of the vaccine annually developed by the US-based company Novavax. However, the quantity would probably be more than halved without raw materials from the US. South Africa’s Biovac vaccine production institute also relies on an American company to produce bioreactor bags, the material needed for cell culture. CEO Morena Makhoana said Biovac was warned by its US supplier that product delivery times could be double the usual time to 14 months because of the DPA. “Unexpected demand” Some suppliers say the vaccine industry can do a better job than governments at managing limited resources to maximize global reach. “If the ultimate goal is to produce a vaccine, then we believe (the government) needs to let the industry connect with its stakeholders to be able to deliver the end product,” said Thermo Fisher Vice President, Thermo Fisher, Mr. Michel Lagarde, said. A Biden administration official said experts from various federal agencies discussed the US prioritization system. Officials can sometimes change delivery dates for the country to avoid disrupting vaccine projects in other countries. However, this is not enough when vaccine suppliers around the world are planning to meet demand. Accordingly, Cytiva, Pall and Thermo Fisher are expanding their production space in the US and abroad. Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine. Photo: AP. Thermo Fisher urged customers to clarify which needs are urgent and which can wait. Even so, Mr. Lagarde said the company still tries to fulfill orders even if they are not considered a priority. Cytiva also announced it is expanding production, but the process will be limited by raw material shortages. “The world is experiencing unprecedented demand for biopharmaceutical products, technologies and solutions,” said Cytiva.

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.

People are vaccinated against COVID-19 by Johnson & Johnson Company in Chicago, Illinois, USA on April 6, 2021. Photo: AFP/VNA New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced the city will offer COVID-19 vaccination services to foreign visitors at mobile vaccination centers, starting this summer. But before that time, tourists, mostly Mexicans, have flocked to the US for the opportunity to get vaccinated. Up to now, tens of thousands of tourists from Mexico and some other countries have “landed” in many states such as Texas and Florida to be vaccinated. Some states in the US, including Texas, do not require visitors to present proof of residency. USA Today previously reported that thousands of wealthy tourists, including politicians, TV stars, leaders of companies and corporations in Latin America, have traveled to the US to receive vaccines. Some rent a private jet to go to the US. Mexico has so far only vaccinated enough doses for about 6% of the population and the vaccination program is only applicable to people over 60 years old. Many tour operators in Mexico have promoted travel packages including vaccinations to the US. “Enjoy Dallas and get a COVID-19 vaccine,” a travel agency ran an ad. Mexican airlines also recently increased flights to south Texas to serve the growing demand of travelers. A Thai travel company is also offering a package “COVID-19 vaccine tour” to the US. More than 200 people are already booked, at a cost of $2,400 per person for a 10-day trip to California that includes a single dose of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine. The above amount does not include the cost of airfare.

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.

Many Mexican airlines also increase the frequency of flights to the United States to serve the needs of tourists to get vaccinated early. In Thailand, “vaccination tours” are also being offered by many tour operators. A travel agent said it had just arranged a tour for 200 guests to California to get a Covid-19 vaccine. On average, each visitor has to pay $2,400 for a 10-day trip, including a dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, without airfare. These vaccine tours are said to be helping to revive the economy in some parts of Texas, as more tourists book hotels, shop locally and visit attractions while there. while waiting for vaccination. Many foreigners flock to the US to get a Covid-19 vaccine. Photo: Getty. Earlier, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city would soon offer Covid-19 vaccination services to tourists this summer when the city reopens. However, many people still want to inject earlier for peace of mind. According to information on the website of the US State Department, medical tourism is considered a valid reason to visit the country. States like Texas and Florida are popular destinations because they don’t require residency certificates to get the Covid-19 vaccine. Two of the many people who came to the US to get the vaccine successfully were Virginia Gónzalez and her husband. The two flew from Mexico to Texas, then took a bus to the vaccination site. In total, to receive 2 injections soon, the couple traveled more than 2,200 km. “This is a matter of survival. Mexican officials don’t buy enough vaccines, it’s like they don’t care about their own people,” Gónzalez said. Mexico has now vaccinated 6% of its population, with priority given to those over 60. In addition to the US, Russia is also a country chosen by many people who want to be vaccinated soon. A 23-day tour from Thailand to Russia to get the Sputnik V vaccine costs about 210,000 baht ($6,700).

Bran Castle – a popular tourist attraction in Transylvanian, Romania – which is considered the inspiration for the famous novel series “Dracula” by Bram Stoker, has set up a Covid-19 vaccination center and visitors come to These can be vaccinated for free. Doctors and nurses at the center will be in charge of injecting Pfizer injections for visitors to the castle, built around the 14th century. Bran Castle in Brașov District, Transylvanian, Romania is considered the inspiration for the famous novel series “Dracula” by Bram Stoker. Photo: Getty. According to the announcement from the management, anyone can come for free injection every weekend in May without an appointment. In addition, tourists coming here will also be able to visit the castle’s gallery of 52 medieval torture instruments at no extra cost. Fernando Orozco, a 37-year-old renewable energy market developer, thinks this is an interesting and unique idea: “I’m going to the castle. I think it’s a very rare occasion.” Regarding the Covid-19 vaccination program, the Romanian government expects to complete the vaccination of 10 million people by September. However, according to a survey published in April from the research organization Globsec, Romanian people tend to be the least vaccinated among the member states of the European Union (EU).

Many European countries hope that the rate of Covid-19 will decrease, the gradual lifting of restrictions will help revive tourism. In Europe, the overall incidence of Covid-19 is decreasing along with increasing vaccination rates for the Covid-19 vaccine. As a result, many countries in the continent are gradually lifting travel restrictions, offering hope for a recovery to the tourism industry. European leaders are also discussing the technical requirements for the Digital Green Certificate, a vaccine passport, to be adopted across the region. On May 8, European Commission President Uraula von de Leyen said that the certificate would come into effect from June. In Austria, from May 19, restaurants, hotels, theaters and sports centers will reopen to welcome visitors with negative Covid-19 test results. These reopening plans will coincide with the removal of quarantine rules for incoming travelers, and facilitate entry for travelers who have been vaccinated against Covid-19, who have tested negative. as well as those who have recovered from Covid-19. The Polish government has allowed hotels to reopen at 50% occupancy. Outdoor dining will also be allowed starting May 15, and from May 29, guests will be able to dine in the restaurant. Foreign visitors to Poland are required to self-isolate for ten days upon arrival unless they present proof of a negative test result for Covid-19. Those who have been fully vaccinated and those who have recovered from Covid-19 are not isolated. Portugal: After about five and a half months, the state of emergency was lifted on May 1. As a result, restaurants, cultural and entertainment centers are now allowed to stay open until 10:30pm. In addition, the border with Spain is reopened. However, travelers from countries with a 14-day Covid-19 incidence in excess of 150 are still barred from entering Portugal. In Croatia, hotels are allowed to host guests and restaurants can open for al fresco dining provided certain conditions are observed. To be admitted, visitors must present a negative PCR test result for Covid-19, or certify that they have recovered from Covid-19, or have been fully vaccinated with the Covid-19 vaccine. Denmark: Shops have reopened, but to dine indoors, guests must use the app to prove that they have tested negative, have been fully vaccinated or recovered from Covid- 19. Fully vaccinated people from EU and Schengen countries are allowed to enter Denmark provided their country is classified as “orange” or better, meaning there is a risk of infection. Covid-19 is lower. France is slowly opening up. Residents are now allowed to travel more than ten kilometers from home without giving a reason, and are allowed to make domestic trips. The curfew was applied starting at 7pm, but from May 19, the curfew was moved back from 9pm. After that, restaurants will be allowed to serve outdoor guests, and shops and cultural and arts centers will reopen. In Greece, outdoor areas of restaurants are allowed to reopen, but shops are required to close before 10:45 pm and a curfew is in place starting at 11 pm. Vacationers who wish to enter the country are required to update their personal data online, present a negative PCR test result for Covid-19 or a certificate of full vaccination against the Covid-10 vaccine. Greece does not require visitors to self-isolate. Italy is gradually lifting restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid-19. In areas with lower Covid-19 incidence, restaurants are allowed to serve guests outdoors even in the evening, but a curfew is in place starting at 10 p.m. Museums and cinemas in the “yellow zone” have reopened. Italy plans to welcome tourists back to the summer tourist season from June 2 to June, but has yet to put in place restrictions on visitors. The Covid-19 situation in Spain has eased considerably, with many restrictions lifted, but some regions still plan to maintain curfews for the time being. Residents and visitors are still required to wear masks in public. Spain has allowed to open its doors to visitors from EU and Schengen countries. But visitors from high-risk Covid-19 areas are still required to present a Covid-19 negative test certificate. To fly to Switzerland you will need to test negative for Covid-19, but this does not apply to arrivals by land. Only travelers arriving from high-risk areas are required to self-isolate. Hotels as well as museums, shops, theaters and theme parks will reopen. However, restaurants are only allowed to serve outdoor guests with a limit on the number of guests. Switzerland still maintains social distancing rules and wears masks.

Bran Castle. Photo: AP The AP news agency (USA) reported that a COVID-19 vaccination center has been set up at Bran Castle in the Transylvania region. This castle is the site where Irish writer Bram Stoker inspired Dracula’s “vampire’s home” in the 19th century horror novel “Dracula”. Accordingly, every weekend of May will take place the “vaccine marathon” program at Bran Castle. People who come for injections do not need to book an appointment. Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine recipients will receive free admission to the castle’s torture chamber, home to 52 medieval torture instruments. At the end of the first week of May, nearly 400 people went to Bran Castle for a COVID-19 vaccine. However, there is a rule that only Romanian people can get the COVID-19 vaccine for free. The program at Bran Castle is part of a series of initiatives by the Romanian government to promote the COVID-19 vaccine campaign in this country of 19 million people. The Romanian government hopes to be able to vaccinate 5 million people by June 1. From May 8, all vaccination centers in Romania apply the rule that no reservations are made after 2pm. According to the statistics of worldometers.info, as of 9 am on May 11, the total number of COVID-19 infections in Romania is over 1 million cases, of which 29,034 have died.