Foreign news
China approves emergency usage of COVID-19 vaccines, official says
A Chinese health official Saturday confirmed the country authorized emergency usage of COVID-19 vaccines developed by some select domestic companies on July 22.
“We’ve drawn up a series of plan packages, including medical consent forms, side-effects monitoring plans, rescuing plans, compensation plans, to make sure the emergency use is well regulated and monitored,” Zheng Zhongwei, head of China’s coronavirus vaccine development task force told CCTV.
An emergency use authorization, which is based on Chinese vaccine management law, allows unapproved vaccine candidates to be used among people who are at high risk of getting infected on a limited period.
By first inoculating the special groups, like frontline medical workers and civil servants, the move is to ensure that a city can keep normal functions when a health crisis strikes, the law stated.
Similar authorizations have been legalized in many countries. For example, U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows unapproved medical products to be used in an emergency to diagnose, treat or prevent life-threatening disease or conditions.
The national agency has used several emergency use authorizations since the coronavirus outbreak as a way to get many diagnostic tests more quickly to the market than the normal procedures.
“We are planning to scale up the inoculating group to better prepare for a possible next wave in autumn and winter,” Zheng added.
A new coronavirus vaccine cultivated within insect cells by West China Hospital of Sichuan University in Chengdu has been approved for human trial, according to local government on Saturday.
Using insect cells to grow proteins for the coronavirus vaccine – a first in China – could speed up large-scale production, the Chengdu city government said in a notice on its official WeChat account.
Animal tests have shown promising results in preventing coronavirus infection, the notice said, and no obvious side effects have found.
According to China’s National Medical Products Administration, at least eight potential coronavirus vaccines have entered different stages of clinical trials.
In an interview with CCTV, Yang Xiaoming, chief scientist of China’s vaccine development and CEO of China National Biotec Group (CNBG) said they’ve signed agreements with many countries on inactivated vaccine clinical trials over the past few months.
“Over 20,000 people has been vaccinated,” Yang added, “Vaccine safety is well guaranteed; the effectiveness is being closely monitored.”
The company announced on late Friday Argentina joined Peru, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in approving Phase 3 clinical trials for their inactivated coronavirus vaccine.
The experimental vaccine by CNBG received approval from the UAE in June for a Phase 3 trial and has since recruited 15,000 volunteers, according to the company.
Foreign news
Finland-Nigeria future cooperation has a brighter prospect-envoy
Mrs Sanna Selin, the new Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, says Nigeria and Finland have a brighter future together through bilateral relations.
The envoy said this during her Finland’s 107 years National Day celebration, which was held on Wednesday night in Abuja.
She said that to promote stronger cooperation, both countries needed to learn from each other to build trust
.
According to Selin, the fact that Nigeria and Finland differ in many ways has not and will not prevent both nations from together finding mutual and beneficial solutions to shared challenges.
“The key is to better understand each other and each others’ needs by working tirelessly together to learn from one another and build trust.
“Nigeria and Finland share many common values. We work closely together in multilateral fora for a better world.
“As an Ambassador of Finland to Nigeria, I see our future brighter together”, she said.
Speaking on the Ukraine-Russian war, she said that the long-term aim for the Finnish Foreign Policy had been to promote peace, security, and sustainable development.
She said that for Finland, it was self-evident that supporting Ukraine is the obligation at the current war.
“My grandparents were the generation fighting for the independence and sovereignty of Finland. I am deeply grateful for their sacrifice.
“Ukraine is fighting, not only for its survival, but also defending the rules-based international order.
“From our own historical experience and fight for independence, we know what Ukraine is going through”, she said.
According to Selin, before independence from the Russian empire, all Finnish men and women gained full political rights to be voted and elected.
She said women used their political influence to demand for better school and healthcare for the Finnish people.
“Since 2018, the World Happiness Report has ranked Finland as the happiest country in the world.
“Relevant factors contributing to happiness seem to be Finland’s social safety net combined with personal freedom and a good work-life balance,’” she said.
NAN
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