World

Energy prices soared in 2021 — with gas, oil, coal, electricity and carbon all shooting higher in large part owing to a resurgence of geopolitical tensions between producers and consumers. The “steep rise in prices was probably the most dramatic development on the commodities markets in 2021”, noted Commerzbank analyst …

An oral Covid-19 vaccine developed by Israel will be trialled in Vietnam and is expected to be approved for emergency use in 2023. The OraVax vaccine, produced by Oramed Pharmaceuticals, is already undergoing first phase clinical trials in South Africa. Its commercial partner in Southeast Asia, which aims to transfer …

Nanocovax, Vietnam’s first Covid-19 vaccine which is nearing commercial production, has an efficacy rate of 52 percent, its producer, Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC, said. Speaking at a meeting with the Ministry of Health’s Ethical Evaluation Committee in Biomedical Research on Wednesday, company executives said clinical trials showed that the protection …

The mother of an 8-year-old girl in HCMC, who died after suffering from abuse by her father’s fiancée, has requested an investigation into her ex-husband’s role in their daughter’s death. Nguyen Thi Hanh, 36, the mother of the girl, on Tuesday has requested her brother Nguyen Quang Vinh to work …

Global Covid-19 infections hit a record high over the past seven-day period, Reuters data showed on Wednesday, as the Omicron variant raced out of control and governments tried to contain its spread without paralyzing fragile economies. Almost 900,000 cases were detected on average each day around the world between Dec. …

New government rules that halve the isolation period for asymptomatic coronavirus infections lack safeguards that could result in even more infections as the United States faces a record surge driven by the Omicron variant, disease experts said. This week the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reduced the recommended …

The government’s decision to have arrivals from Omicron-hit countries undergo centralized quarantine is not a good move, several experts say, citing cost burden and cross-infection risks. On Monday, Hanoi announced its decision to have all visitors from countries and territories where the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has been detected …

Daily Covid-19 infections have hit record highs in the United States, swathes of Europe and Australia as the new Omicron variant of the virus races out of control, keeping workers at home and overwhelming testing centres. Almost two years after China first reported a cluster of “viral pneumonia” cases in …

A lockdown of 13 million people in the Chinese city of Xian entered its seventh day on Wednesday, with many unable to leave their residential compounds and virtually dependent on deliveries of necessities as new Covid-19 infections persisted. Xian reported 151 domestically transmitted infections with confirmed symptoms for Tuesday, or …

The Health Ministry announced 13,873 new domestic Covid-19 patients Wednesday, lowest in 21 days. Most of the new cases were detected in Hanoi, at 1,766. It was followed by Tay Ninh Province with 938 cases and Vinh Long Province with 917 cases. Both localities are in the south. In the …