Ttntag trial

Volunteers sought for second homegrown COVID-19 vaccine trials

March 5, 2021 by en.vietnamplus.vn

People, aged from 18-59 and residing in Hanoi , are encouraged to register for human trials of Vietnam’s second COVID-19 vaccine candidate COVIVAC (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – People, aged from 18-59 and residing in Hanoi, can register for human t rials of Vietnam’s second COVID-19 vaccine candidate COVIVAC from March 5 morning.

In the first phase of the trials, 150 healthy volunteers will be injected with two doses of 0.5ml with an interval of 28 days.

They will be divided into five groups, including one group provided with placebo shots, and their health will be closely monitored within 24 hours after injections.

Each volunteer will have their health checked-up eight times in 12 months.

After 43 days since the first phase starts and shows good results, the second phase will be carried out at the medical centre of Thai Binh province’s Vu Thu district, with 300 volunteers.

The homegrown vaccine has been developed by the Nha Trang-based Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals (IVAC) and the Hanoi Medical University since last May, using primary chicken embryo cell culture, a technique the institute used previously to successfully produce seasonal flu vaccines.

COVIVAC has undergone pre-clinical trials in India, the US, and Vietnam, said IVAC Director Dr. Duong Huu Thai, adding that results showed that it satisfies all conditions to be tested on humans.

The vaccine candidate demonstrated high immunogenicity during pre-clinical trials. It was created based on studies of new SARS-CoV-2 strains.

This vaccine is expected to have a price of around 60,000 VND (2.59 USD) per dose./.

VNA

Numerous elderly people join second stage of Nano Covax vaccine trials

March 5, 2021 by vov.vn

The second stage has been carried out by the university and the Ho Chi Minh City-based Pasteur Institute since February 26. The trials have been taking place at the university in Hanoi along with the medical centre of Ben Luc district in the southern province of Long An, featuring the participation of 560 volunteers aged between 12 and 75, including 80 individuals over the age of 60.

Lieutenant General Do Quyet, director of the Military Medical University, said since the trial involves the participation of numerous volunteers suffering from underlying health conditions, competent authorities have prepared for a range of scenarios to ensure the safety of all volunteers.

Vietnam recruits volunteers for human trials of second Covid-19 vaccine

March 5, 2021 by dtinews.vn

The Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals (IVAC) on Friday started recruiting volunteers for the initial phase of clinical trials for the second Made-in-Vietnam Covid-19 vaccine known as Covivac.

Illustrative photo by VNA

According to IVAC, they will select 150 volunteers aged between 18 and 59 for the first phase of human trials, in which they will be injected with two 0.5 ml doses of the vaccine 28 days apart.

Volunteers will remain at the clinical trial area for a period of 24 hours after receiving their shots in order to allow them to be under strict health observations by the research team.

The aim of the first phase is to evaluate the safety of the doses, along with the patient’s immune response to the vaccine, thereby identifying the optimal level of the doses so trials can move on to the second phase.

Through pre-clinical assessments carried out in India, the United States, and Vietnam, the locally-produced Covivac vaccine has recorded a strong immunological effect on laboratory animals and has so far proved to be safe.

IVAC’s director, Duong Huu Thai said the research project on the vaccine has been running since May, 2020, with the co-operation of scientists from universities, research institutes, and international organisations, adding that it has been produced from embryonic egg production technology, which is safe for animals.

Thai emphasised that the Covivac vaccine was also proved to be effective against the new SARS-CoV strain detected in both the UK and South Africa.

The vaccine is expected to be launched later this year after passing through three phases of human trials. Moving forward, the IVAC plans to offer the Covivac vaccine at a price of VND60,000 per dose.

Furthermore, as the first domestically-produced Covid-19 vaccine, Nanocovax, which has been developed by Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC, has now moved onto its second phase of human trials.

Many elderly people join 2nd stage of Nano Covax vaccine trials

March 6, 2021 by en.qdnd.vn

The second stage has been conducted by the university and the Ho Chi Minh City-based Pasteur Institute since February 26. It has been carried out at the university in Hanoi and the medical center of Ben Luc district in the southern province of Long An, with the participation of 560 volunteers aged from 12-75, including 80 aged over 60.

They will receive two doses of either the vaccine or the placebo AIPO4, with an interval of 28 days. Each volunteer will be monitored for 12 months after the first dose.

Volunteers receiving shots on the morning of February 26 will receive the second doses in late March.

Lieutenant-General Do Quyet, Director of the Military Medical University, said since the trial sees the participation of volunteers with underlying health conditions, competent authorities have been prepared for all scenarios and ensure safety for all volunteers.

Results of the trial will be announced in May 2021 before preparing for the third-stage trial during which only one single shot of the vaccine will be administered to 10,000-15,000 people from both domestic and foreign pandemic-hit regions, Quyet added.

Developed by the Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC and the Hanoi-based Military Medical University, Nano Covax is Vietnam’s first COVID-19 vaccine to reach the human trial stage.

The first-stage trial of the Nano Covax vaccine showed that it is likely to be effective against the B117 variant from the UK.

Vietnam is one of 40 countries and territories in the world to have begun human trials of a COVID-19 vaccine, after successfully producing coronavirus test kits early in the pandemic.

Source: VNA

Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News — March 6

March 6, 2021 by tuoitrenews.vn

Check out news you should not miss today:

Society

— Vietnam on Saturday morning reported seven new cases of COVID-19, including six locally-transmitted cases in the northern province of Hai Duong and one imported in the northern province of Thai Nguyen, increasing the country’s tally to 2,501, according to the Ministry of Health.

— A total of 367 volunteers including 30 aged over 60 have been injected with Nano Covax, Vietnam’s first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine candidate, in the second phase of its human trials, according to the Military Medical University, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Friday.

— Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Planning and Investment is seeking approval from the municipal People’s Council for a project to dredge, build infrastructure, and improve local environment along the 8.2km long Xuyen Tam canal which flows through Binh Thanh and Go Vap Districts with a total investment of VND9,352 billion (US$405 million).

— Many streets in Hanoi on Friday suffered heavy traffic congestion from early afternoon to around 7:00 pm due to a drizzle.

Business

— The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is discussing with the Vietnam Tourism Association to gradually open the international tourism market to specific groups of tourists and countries basing on numerous criteria.

Lifestyle

— An exhibition featuring photos of Vietnamese women taken by 15 local photographers will open from March 8 to April 11 at the Institute for Cultural Exchange with France in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1, the French Institute in Vietnam announced in a press release on Friday.

— “Vi” (Taste) directed by Le Bao has become the only Vietnamese movie to join the 71st Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), which takes place in two stages, from March 1 to 5 and from June 9 to 20, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Friday.

Education

— Students from Fulbright University Vietnam on Friday met online with Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg who gave them advices on what they need to prepare themselves to adapt with a future that is forecasted to be volatile.

— The Dai Viet Saigon College in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday morning donated VND219 million (US$9,491) to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper’s crowdfunding campaign for COVID-19 vaccination.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

The restoration of Da Lat’s abandoned monastery

March 5, 2021 by tuoitrenews.vn

Residents and tourists alike have shared their disappointment over the removal of large portions of the Franciscaines Misionnaires de Marie – an abandoned monastery in the Central Highlands city of Da Lat – during the site’s renovation.

Spanning more than seven hectares, the chapel and residential quarters of Franciscaines Misionnaires de Marie sit between Tran Quang Dieu and Hung Vuong Streets in Da Lat, which is the capital of Lam Dong Province.

For years, the iconic chapel has been an inspiration for Vietnamese artists and photographers, being reimagined in countless works of art.

The mission is located in an area surrounded by pine trees near the center of Da Lat. Photo: Duc Tho / Tuoi Tre

A ruined complex

According to writer Nguyen Vinh Nguyen, the Benedictine complex was designed and built by French architects Alexandre Leonard and Paul Veysseyre in the late 30s and early 40s, marking the onset of Benedictine missionaries from the West making their way to Vietnam.

In 1954, these missionaries left the complex in the hands of Franciscans nuns before moving to Hue in the central region to set up the Thien An Monastery.

In the following years, the nuns enlisted Vietnamese architect Pham Khanh Chu to design additional classrooms behind the existing complex.

According to Tran Ngoc Trac, former head of Lam Dong Province Arts and Literature Association, the mission was known as Viet Nu Commercial School in 1969.

In 1979, the seven-hectare complex was handed over to the government.

Machines are brought to the mission to remove severely destroyed areas. Photo: Duc Tho / Tuoi Tre

Over the following decades, the school’s two classroom blocks and residential building served as the province’s supplementary school, then as the Lam Vien Hotel, and eventually Tran Phu High School.

In the 1980s, another building was built between the two blocks.

The chapel and monastery were next used as a warehouse, sports hall, and residential structure.

It was eventually abandoned for several years before becoming a campus of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture.

At one point, nearly 20 families illegally occupied the chapel but were eventually forced out by local authorities.

Inside the main chapel. Photo: Duc Tho / Tuoi Tre

Pulling out all the stops

The Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture, which currently manages the complex, said it has plans to restore the site.

“We are doing our best to preserve the monastery’s artistic value,” said the school’s representative.

“We expect it to be a landmark of the university’s Da Lat campus in which potential architects from the Central Highlands and neighbouring areas are trained.”

Plans on the renovation include a new amphitheater being built in the complex and the restoration of dilapidated structures.

The chapel will be transformed into a library and meeting hall which will host architecture and art workshops, while the residential structures will be used as boarding houses for lecturers.

The residential building’s roof is removed for restoration. Photo: Duc Tho / Tuoi Tre

“We decided to restore the existing constructions of the chapel and residential structure though they are not listed in the government’s compulsory reservation scheme,” the university told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

“We see the complex as a meaningful and valuable heritage site.

“Restoring costs much more than rebuilding but we must protect this significant landmark.”

The monastery’s façade has been reimagined in many pieces of art. Photo: Duc Tho / Tuoi Tre

The right decision

Although the monastery is not classified as a relic or included in the list of reserved buildings by the government, it is highly appreciated by architects for its architectural value, according to architect Le Tu, head of Lam Dong Province Association of Architects.

On a purely legal basis, it is permissible to demolish the complex built atop the land, yet the Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture chose a much more challenging and noteworthy solution.

It is too early to comment on the project’s impact, yet it does open the door for discussions on how Da Lat’s old villas should be managed and used to preserve the old town’s atmosphere.

As Tu sees it, if all precious villas are lost or investors wait for them to be severely ruined as an excuse to tear them down, Da Lat’s heritage will slip away.

Restoring old villas is difficult.

Therefore, besides goodwill, investors must have plans in place to prevent unwanted incidents and ensure safety.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!