Vietnam-Made COVID-19 Vaccine Nanocovax To Be Tested On Healthy Volunteers, While 10 Quarantined People Test Positive For Virus

Vietnam rolls out COVID-19 vaccine

Wearing masks in public and sanitizing hands often have been proven to be tried-and-true safety measures in Vietnam’s successful control of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, to achieve a complete victory against the coronavirus, we need a stronger solution that works in the long run.

That’s why Nanocovax, a made-in-Vietnam COVID-19 vaccine, has been researched, developed, and carefully tested in the past couple of months and is now ready for rollout.

Vietnam tests vaccines on healthy volunteers

Image credit: Lao Dong

The rollout of Nanocovax, a made-in-Vietnam COVID-19 vaccine, will be divided into 3 phases, with the 1st phase to be kickstarted on 10th December.

In the first phase of the COVID-19 vaccine research trial, Hanoi Military Hospital will administer the COVID-19 vaccine to 40 healthy volunteers, Thanh Nien reported.

Vietnamese health officials have laid out criteria based on volunteers’ age and health conditions to decide who will take up the jabs first.

Image adapted from: Lao Dong

Among those to be vaccinated in the first phase will be healthy volunteers aged 18-40 who will be closely observed for 72 hours after vaccination. If the test results turn out good, health officials will expand the trial eligibility to around 400 volunteers in the 2nd phase and a larger number in the 3rd phase.

If the vaccination achieves successful results for all the trial phases, more doses will be given starting from April 2021, health officials proposed.

How the vaccine was developed

Inside the laboratory of Nanogen
Image adapted from: Lao Dong

Nanocovax was developed by Ho Chi Minh City-based Nanogen Pharma Company and has been effectively tested on mice, hamsters, and monkeys.

The vaccine meets all local health and safety requirements, but still needs to be tested on humans for complete certainty of its effectiveness, according to Nanogen’s spokesperson.

Image adapted from: Lao Dong

During the experiment, 2 hamsters were injected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. After 14 days, one was given a dose of the Nanocovax vaccine, while the other was not. According to the test results, the vaccinated hamster later tested negative for COVID-19 and recovered, while the other one remained positive for the virus.

Image adapted from: Lao Dong

These results are part of the proof that validate health officials’ decision to roll out COVID-19 vaccines on humans.

According to Nanogen, the price per dose, which includes 2 jabs, will not exceed VND500,000 (~USD21.63) per person.

10 people are quarantined as of 7th and 8th December

Image credit: Lao Dong

As of 7th and 8th December, Vietnam has recorded 10 new imported cases of COVID-19, according to the Ministry of Health. These patients were on repatriate flights from Japan, Russia, and Turkey and were all quarantined upon arrival.

10 new cases are numbered from 1368 to 1377, out of which 8 are based in Khanh Hoa Province, 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, and 1 in Quang Nam Province. Meanwhile, 20,200 people, including those have reportedly come in contact with the infected patients as well as those coming back from pandemic-prone areas, are being quarantined for observation.

As of today, Vietnam has recorded 1,377 confirmed COVID-19 cases, out of which 1,224 have recovered.

Image credit: Lao Dong

After the latest wave of COVID-19 that started with patient 1342, a Vietnam Airlines air steward who flouted quarantine rules, Vietnam has imposed stricter restrictions to contain the outbreak.

All people have been required to put on masks when in public, or else they will face a fine of up to VND3,000,000 (~USD129.77), 10 times higher than the original penalty for not wearing masks in public.

Vietnam-made COVID-19 vaccine to roll out soon

It’s been a year since the first case of COVID-19 emerged and the world has been struggling to control the outbreak ever since. Every day that goes by, the world sees more cases, more families struggling to make ends meet during the financial crisis caused by the pandemic, and more people dying of this disease.

To date, a vaccine is the only hope that can bring about the end to this long episode of suffering for the whole world. We’re glad to see more young and brave people coming forward to join the vaccine trial and help move our country’s medical research forward speedily and effectively.

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Cover image adapted from: Lao Dong

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