Dragons trial

A volunteer receives a dose of Nano Covax, Việt Nam’s first COVID-19 vaccine, as the Phase 2 of the human trial begins at the Military Medical University on Friday. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

HÀ NỘI — A total of 74 volunteers were given the Vietnamese COVID-19 vaccine, Nano Covax, in phase II of human trials on Friday.

Nanocovax is Việt Nam’s first COVID-19 vaccine reaching the human trial stage, developed by Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC and the Military Medical University (MMU) in Hà Nội.

According to a representative from MMU, the phase 2 was held concurrently at two places, 35 were given the jabs at the MMU and Pasteur Institute in HCM City will administer the shots to 39 volunteers in the southern province of Long An.

The Phase 2 trial is expected to see the participation of up to 560 volunteers aged 18-60. Some of them have underlying health conditions such as hypertension and diabetes but are not too severe.

The trial of the vaccine at the two places, compared to the first phase where the vaccine is being administered in Hà Nội only, could speed up the progress by shortening the study time to three months instead of six months while ensuring scientific data is accurate, the representative said.

The first 35 volunteers in Hà Nội were chosen among about 300 people who registered to participate in the second-stage trial of the vaccine at the MMU after undergoing rigorous medical examinations.

They are divided into four random groups to receive three doses of 25mcg, 50mcg and 75mcg of the vaccine or a placebo.

“Because the trial sees the participation of volunteers with underlying health conditions, we have been prepared for all scenarios and ensured safety for all volunteers,” said Lieutenant-General Đỗ Quyết, Director of the Military Medical University.

He said the results of the trial would be announced in May before the third stage trial during which only one single shot of the vaccine is to be injected for 10,000-15,000 people from domestic and foreign pandemic-hit areas.

Test results of the first phase of the COVID-19 vaccine showed that it is safe and has no serious complications and might be effective against B117, the new variant in the United Kingdom, Quyết said.

He also said the research team would evaluate the immune response carefully in the second phase.

“Although we have shortened the trial of the vaccine by half with great efforts by the research units, more efforts should be made and the compliance with set standards is a must,” said Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam as he visited the first 35 volunteers on Friday.

He stressed the need to have a COVID-19 vaccine produced by Việt Nam as quickly as possible, adding that the successes of the trial would not only serve as effective against COVID-19 but also boost the pride of Vietnamese scientists who take part in the research and development of vaccines as well as of the public at large.

Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam, Head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, visited the volunteers and the medical staff involved in the vaccine trial at Military Medical University (MMU) in Hà Nội on Friday. — VNA/VNS Photo

At the vaccine administration site in the southern province of Long An, a 57-year-old man from Thanh Phú Commune in the province’s Bến Lức District told Việt Nam News : “After I heard about the second phase of human trials on the media, I went to the health centre to register as a volunteer.”

“I feel very happy to get the vaccine.”

Another volunteer, 51, from the same commune said: “I was provided careful counselling about the vaccine. I also read about the results of the first phase. I trust the vaccine’s effectiveness. I was happy to be selected.”

Nguyễn Ngô Quang, deputy director of the Department of Science, Technology and Training, said: “Besides importing COVID-19 vaccines, the country also has to research and develop the vaccine to ensure health security.”

The imported vaccines are only meant for use now, and the country has to rely on domestic production in future, according to Quang.

The country also has other vaccine candidates being developed by the Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals, the Company for Vaccine and Biological Production No 1 and the Centre for Research and Production of Vaccines and Biologicals. — VNS

A health worker administered the vaccine shot for a man in Long An Province during the human trial. — VNA/VNS Photo Đức Hạnh

Businesses in Vietnam have proposed that casinos at major tourist destinations be allowed to serve Vietnamese citizens as a way to help such a service cope with difficulties brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The proposal was submitted to the prime minister’s advisory council by the country’s casino business community on Thursday.

In the document, local casino businesses stated that the tourism industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic due to a sharp decrease in the number of foreign visitors.

To mitigate this problem, domestic tourism has been promoted.

However, local casinos have not benefited from these promotion plans because Vietnamese people are not allowed to enter these venues.

A circular of the Ministry of Finance previously allowed Vietnamese citizens to use services at local casinos on a trial basis, but no specific list of eligible casinos was issued.

Only two casinos in Phu Quoc, a tourist island off the southern province of Kien Giang, and Van Don, an island off the northern province of Quang Ninh, have been permitted to serve Vietnamese residents as part of the pilot program.

The trial began in January 2019 and would last for three years, before the finance ministry carries out a comprehensive review to make further decisions.

The casino business community asked the government to consider allowing this entertainment service at other major tourist destinations, such as central Quang Nam Province and southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province among others.

Allowing more casinos to serve Vietnamese people will enable the trial to achieve a more objective result, as well as support local businesses in coping with challenges caused by the pandemic.

In accordance with Vietnamese law, casinos are only permitted to serve foreigners or overseas Vietnamese with foreign passports.

In the pilot program, Vietnamese people who wish to enter and gamble in a casino must be at least 21 years of age, and have full capacity for civil acts in accordance with the provisions of Vietnamese law.

Vietnamese punters are also expected to prove a regular income of VND10 million (US$430) or more per month to play at a casino.

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By Ho Son – Translated by Kim Khanh

‘Ma Cuc’, or Mother Cuc

On a pre-Tet day, Cuc sat at her home and opened a book where she wrote down the names of poor people who needed help. After writing cards to invite poor people to come to get Tet gifts, she checked her bag once again to see if any money was left and put the money into the ‘piggy banks’ on the table.

‘Ma Cuc’, or Mother Cuc, is the name people in Ward 8, District 3, in HCM City give to Nguyen Thi Bach Cuc who has been collecting scraps and raising money for piggy banks for 40 years to help the needy.

Cuc said she is kindhearted and does a lot of charity work. When she began working for the ward’s women association, she decided to create ‘piggy banks’ to save money for the poor by collecting scraps.

“When I began collecting scraps, there were a lot of whispers and comments. People said I pretended to be poor but my children are successful. But I did not feel sad. I believed they would understand me,” she recalled.

She said when her “back was still straight” she went to every small alley to collect scraps. Later, when her back became bent with age, she went to every house to ask for scraps.

For many years, a 77-year-old woman has been going to every small alley and street corner in her neighborhood to collect scraps and sell banh my to get money for her ‘piggy banks’, which are kept to help the poor.

Finally, locals realized the humanitarian significance of her work. They voluntarily bring scraps to her house and she classifies the scraps and sells them for money.

Cuc said she “fed the first pig” for one year. When she opened the piggy bank, she found VND50 million. The amount of money was sent to many agencies and organizations to distribute to the poor.

The woman, seeing people happy with her support, said she feels 10 years younger. And she vows to continue to raise money for the piggy banks. Because of health conditions, she can no longer go alone collecting scraps. So, decided to sell banh my.

She has a piggy bank on her vending cupboard with the words ‘nuoi heo dat vi cong dong’ (raising piggy bank for the community), so that people can put money into it.

“There are many kind people. They put money into the piggy bank. And students also donate money,” she said.

Cuc cannot remember how many piggy banks she has raised so far and how many she has given to the poor. She is just sure that the needy can receive money.

Cuc has also been making every effort to convert certain troubled people in the locality.

There was a man near her house, a drug addict and a jailbird. The man told Cuc that he wanted to become a good man, but he could not because of alienation from society.

Cuc, hearing his story, decided that it would be better not to corner him.

“At the trial, I asked for permission to meet him and give him some gifts. I told him to start his life again after leaving prison. When he was released, he came to meet me and promised to keep away from drugs. And now he has a job and lives well,” she said.

N was another case. The man, paralyzed in one foot after being beaten, did not have a job and received no care. Cuc gave him money for medical treatment and daily meals. Feeling moved by Cuc’s kindness, N now is interested in and devoted to his work, and has volunteered to speak about the harmful effects of drugs.

Nguyen Son