Oxford astrazeneca

TOKYO -- JCR Pharmaceuticals Co said on Thursday it would build a new plant in Japan to expand production of ingredients for COVID-19 vaccines over the longer term. JCR Pharma along with Daiichi Sankyo Co and other Japanese partners are cooperating to produce and distribute the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca Plc and Oxford University. The Japanese government has arranged to buy 120 million doses of the vaccine, which was submitted to domestic regulators for approval on Feb. 5. JCR Pharma said in a statement that it has been making bulk substances for the vaccine at an existing plant but will build another one to comply with government requirements. The Japanese drugmaker signed a contract in December to make substances for the AstraZeneca vaccine. But as a condition for a government grant to reinforce the country’s vaccine production capability through 2030, it needed to build another facility. JCR said it will spend about 11.6 billion yen ($108.28 million) to build the facility in Kobe City, western Japan, with construction due to start in July and finish by October 2022. The AstraZeneca vaccine is a critical component in Japan’s inoculation plan, as the doses will be made mostly in the country, and don’t need to be stored at the ultra-cold temperatures required for Pfizer Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine. Japan kicked off its COVID-19 inoculation campaign in the middle of February using Pfizer’s vaccine, the first to be approved by Japanese regulators. But the Pfizer doses have been imported from European factories and are in short supply. Local media has reported that Moderna Inc will file for approval of its vaccine as early as Friday via its Japanese partner Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. …

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At present, all of the conditions to move forward with injections have been met in the nation. In line with the plan, the Ministry of Health is set to hold a conference on March 6 to implement the COVID-19 vaccination plan, provide training for the vaccine rollout, whilst handling all complications which may occur after inoculation, Minister Long said. Initially, the vaccines were delivered to 18 COVID-19 treatment facilities and those directly involved in treating patients in 13 pandemic-hit provinces, with the highest priority being given to Hai Duong due to the locality being the nation’s most severely hit COVID-19 hotspot. Moving forward, all vaccinated people will be managed and monitored with electronic health records, as well as being online certified to confirm that they have been vaccinated. Approximately 1.3 million doses of the vaccine from the Covax facility will be delivered in April. However, it must be confirmed that the vaccination does do not guarantee 100% protection, Minister Long stressed. According to information released by the manufacturer, the Pfizer vaccine has an efficiency rate of over 90%, whilst the AstraZeneca vaccine is 76% after the first shot, rising to 81% after the second dose. Minister Long stated that the vaccine will not solve all the problems relating to the pandemic, therefore urging every citizen to strictly comply with COVID-19 prevention measures. Ensuring a sufficient supply of COVID-19 vaccines will prove to be very difficult as these are newly developed vaccines that have not had a long period of research to confirm their quality and effectiveness, the Minister added. According to the Ministry of Health, along with purchasing vaccines from abroad, it is necessary to focus on vaccine research and production, and stay active in ensuring domestically-produced vaccine sources, he added. …

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The Vietnamese Consulate General in Preah Sihanouk has called on Vietnamese-Cambodians and Vietnamese people working in the province to be cautious given the local spread of the COVID-19 pandemic (Photo: VNA) Phnom Penh (VNA) - The Vietnamese Consulate General in Preah Sihanouk has called on Vietnamese-Cambodians and Vietnamese people working in the province to be cautious given the local spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, while following prevention and control measures set by authorities, in particular reducing travel in the current context. The Consulate General has also suggested relevant agencies in the province provide the best care for Vietnamese citizens who tested positive to the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in the locality. When help is required, Vietnamese-Cambodians and Vietnamese citizens in Preah Sihanouk can contact the Consulate General via its consular service hotline on 0882 248 888 or the overseas Vietnamese affairs hotline on 0977 988 666. Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on the night of March 3 instructed competent authorities to stop people’s movement out of Preah Sihanouk in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to other provinces, according to the Khmer Times. He also advised boosting vaccinations in the coastal province, underlining that more vaccines, both Sinopharm and AstraZeneca, would be sent there on March 4. Since the third wave of COVID-19 hit Cambodia on February 20, Preah Sihanouk has recorded 80 cases, comprising 60 Chinese, five Vietnamese, and 15 Cambodians./. VNA …

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