Society

Five volunteers receive highest doses of VN-made COVID-19 vaccine

Published

2 years ago

January 13, 2021

A female volunteer was given the 75mcg dose of Nano Covax, the made-in-Việt Nam COVID-19 vaccine, on Tuesday morning at the Việt Nam Military Medical University in Hà Nội. — Photo from the Ministry of Health

HÀ NỘI — Five people were given Nano Covax, the made-in-Việt Nam COVID-19 vaccine, at the highest dose on Tuesday during the ongoing human trials.

The Việt Nam Military Medical University in Hà Nội administered 75mcg Nano Covax shots to three female volunteers, and a further two volunteers were given the shot in the afternoon after 40 people previously received two lower dosages of 25mcg and 50mcg.

Developed and manufactured by HCM City-based Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC, Nano Covax is being experimented with three types of dosage given in two shots 28 days apart.

Prior to human trials, the vaccine demonstrated its safety in white rats, hamsters, monkeys and rabbits.

Chử Văn Mến, director of the university’s Centre for Clinical Trials and Bioequivalence, said the volunteers receiving the jabs Tuesday morning were healthy females aged between 20 and 22.

He added that in the first phase, the selection of volunteers features a stringent layered process, and anyone who has previously reported allergies like rash or hives was not eligible.

One of the volunteers (whose name was protected) said she was a medical student and was fully informed of all of the risks of possible complications, so was not overly worried.

“To my knowledge, the first 40 volunteers’ physical health have all been okay so I felt at ease during the trial. And honestly, I am curious and want to know about the steps involved in the research of a vaccine,” a volunteer given the shot on Tuesday said.

The research team at the Việt Nam Military Medical University has kept in close contact with the volunteers but no abnormal signs have been recorded. The volunteers’ reactions to the shots – light fever and pain at the injection area in the arm – were expected and nothing to be concerned about, researchers said.

Volunteers

While there were more than 500 applicants for the vaccine trial, only about 200 actually showed up to take health examinations and 51 of them were selected for the first-phase clinical trial.

The research team is looking at the application documents again to reach the target of 60-65 volunteers, according to the military university’s official.

“The first phase trial is meant to assess the safety of the vaccine, which explains the stringent selection, in later phases of the trial, the criteria will be much more relaxed,” Mến said.

The first phase of the clinical trial for the vaccine, which typically involves a small group of subjects, is half completed, Mến said.

At this stage, the researchers can prepare to soon start the second phase of the trial which lasts for about 2-4 months, and the third phase which will last 3-6 months involving 10,000-30,000 volunteers.

The third phase will likely involve volunteers and take place in pandemic-hit regions of India, Indonesia, and/or Bangladesh, according to Nanogen.

It is expected that by the end of 2021, the full clinical data of the vaccine will be available for health authorities to evaluate before mass injections if everything goes according to plan.

All volunteers are covered under a special health insurance programme.

At the time of the trial commencement, Việt Nam was one of the 40 countries to be conducting human trials of COVID-19 vaccines. —

Source: https://vietnamnews.vn/society/856187/five-volunteers-receive-highest-doses-of-vn-made-covid-19-vaccine.html

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Society

Finland aims to attract high-quality human resources from Vietnam

Published

7 hours ago

March 29, 2023

TienphongNews

Vietnam is one of the four countries from which Finland is aiming to attract high-skilled personnel through a talent-seeking program that has been introduced in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Commercial Section of the Finnish Embassy in Vietnam held a conference on Tuesday in Ho Chi Minh City to debut the Talent Boost program, which helps seek high-quality human resources from Vietnam, as well as from Brazil, Turkey, and India.

The program was presented by a Finnish delegation involved in education and work, including Laura Lindeman, senior director and head of work in the Finland Unit at Business Finland, a government organization for innovation funding and trade, travel and investment promotion.

Under the program, Finland attracts talents from students to professionals such as doctors, nurses, information technology and clean engineers, and start-up entrepreneurs, Lindeman said.

Those who are professionals will undergo procedures for diploma recognition, which will take about a year, she added.

It is estimated that the Finnish technology industry alone will need 130,000 new workers in the next 10 years, the conference was told.

With a population of only over 5.5 million people, Finland offers plenty of job opportunities to foreign talents, especially those in technological fields.

The Vietnamese community in Finland has about 10,000 people, a quite large foreign community that has good relations with locals, Lindeman said in reply to why Vietnam is included in the Talent Boost program.

Vietnam has a young population with a lot of potential capabilities that can be appropriate for jobs abroad, while Finland is a country offering many good opportunities for such jobs, she added.

Along with its policy of attracting foreign talents, Finland also provides foreign companies operating in the country with financial support, recruitment assistance, and a fair business environment.

In the near future, the Talent Boost program will also be broadly introduced to universities, companies, and startup communities in Vietnam, the conference was told.

Finland also has programs that provide expats with assistance in cultural integration as well as support for their spouses and children so that they can live satisfactorily and happily in the host country.

Finland has so far been named the happiest country in the world for six consecutive years, according to the 2023 World Happiness Report, an annual publication of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network under the United Nations.

The Finns’ happy lifestyle is rooted in social stability and welfare, according to the report.

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