Volunteers register to participate in NACOVAX trials (Source: VNA)
COVIVAC has been developed by the Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals (IVAC) based in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa.
Volunteers will begin trials this month at the Hanoi Medical University in the capital. It has already been tested on rabbits and mice.
This is the second Vietnam-produced COVID-19 vaccine to be tested on human. The country is expected to start clinical trials on the third vaccine in March.
According to Minister Long, Vietnam is one of the few ASEAN countries that have COVID-19 vaccine tested on human. In addition, Vietnam has been one of the first four countries to perform the gene sequencing of the SARS-CoV-2 and one of the five countries that can produce antibody diagnostic bio-products.
On December 17, 2020, the first Vietnam-made COVID-19 vaccine NANOCOVAX developed by Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC started human trials with volunteers receiving the first doses at the Military Medical University in Hanoi.
The volunteers remain in a healthy condition after receiving two doses each.
Vietnamese carrier named among world’s top 10 safest & best low-cost airlines
New-age carrier Vietjet has been listed in “the World’s Top 10 Safest & Best Low-Cost Airlines 2021” by AirlineRatings, the world’s famous airline safety and product rating website, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) has reported.
Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)
The list also includes Ryanair, EasyJet, Frontier, Wizz and Westjet.
AirlineRatings also rated Vietjet at seven-star level, the highest ranking for aviation safety in the world for three consecutive years now.
In making its evaluation, AirlineRatings took into account a comprehensive range of factors including records of safety compliance and incident handling. Especially for this year, the airline’s COVID-19 prevention rating is also taken into consideration.
According to AirlineRatings Editor-in-chief Geoffrey Thomas, all these airlines are standouts in the industry and are at the forefront of safety, innovation and the operational excellence.
“Vietjet has a very modern fleet of aircraft and operationally is now up there with the very best. That is great news for the traveling public in and tourists in Vietnam and the region,” said Thomas.
AirlineRatings, known for its ranking of aviation safety and product, keeps tabs on 385 airlines across the globe using its unique seven-star rating system. It has been used by millions of passengers in the world and has become the industry standard. AirlineRatings also previously awarded Vietjet the “Best Ultra Low-Cost Airline for 2020”.
Vietjet is a fully-fledged member of International Air Transport Association (IATA) with the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate.
As Vietnam’s largest private carrier, the airline was awarded the highest ranking for safety with 7 stars in 2018 and 2019 by the world’s only safety and product rating website airlineratings.com and listed as one of the world's 50 best airlines for healthy financing and operations by Airfinance Journal in 2018 and 2019.
According to VNA, the airline has also been named as Best Low-Cost Carrier by renowned organizations such as Skytrax, CAPA, Airline Ratings, and many others.
Rubber exports rake in USD2.38 billion in 2020
The nation’s rubber exports reached an estimated figure of 1.75 million tonnes in 2020 with a value of USD2.38 billion, representing an annual rise of 2.8% in volume and 3.5% in value compared to 2019, with the average export price at USD1,362 per tonne, an increase of 0.7% from a year earlier, the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) reported.
According to the latest information released by the Import and Export Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, rubber exports in December, 2020, hit 225 thousand tonnes, worth USD 358 million, a boost of 13.2% in volume and 29.8% in value over the same period from the previous year. In line with this, the average export price increased by 14.7% over the same period from 2019 to USD1,591 per tonne.
Statistics compiled by the General Department of Customs indicate that, during the opening 11 months of 2020, natural rubber and synthetic rubber (HS code 400280) became the most exported commodity, accounting for 65.54% of the country’s total rubber export volume.
Most notably, rubber exports to China made up 99% of the nation’s total natural rubber and synthetic rubber exports at 987.63 thousand tonnes, worth USD1.32 billion, a rise of 24.8% in volume and 23.7% in value compared to the corresponding period from 2019.
In relation to the domestic market, the price of raw rubber materials nationwide increased during the first 10 days of December, before subsequently experiencing a downturn.
Furthermore, December saw a number of rubber companies announce adjustments in the purchasing price of raw rubber latex at gardens and factories./.