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China mulls booster shots to step up herd immunity

Although there isnt enough evidence now to support delivering COVID-19 booster shots to the general public, China is studying whether it is necessary to give additional doses to vulnerable groups and high-risk workers in order to boost immunity, health experts said.

Shao Yiming, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that based on initial observation, people with weak immune systems, such as the elderly and those suffering chronic illnesses, as well as workers at higher risk of contracting the virus or people planning to travel to high-risk areas, might need a booster dose six to 12 months after initial immunization.

“Whether this is necessary and when a booster shot should be rolled out are being researched,” he said during a news briefing on Saturday.

Shao said immunity triggered by any COVID-19 vaccines in use appears to decline to some extent as time goes by, but immunological memory is locked in, preparing bodies to swiftly generate strong antibodies when encountering the virus.

“For the general population who have been vaccinated within a year, there is no need to obtain a booster shot for now,” he said.

China’s mass immunization program is progressing smoothly, with over 1.65 billion doses administered as of Saturday, according to the National Health Commission.

The program had covered 150 million people age 60 and above and 12.48 million youths age 12 to 17 as of Wednesday, said He Qinghua, an official at the commission’s Bureau of Disease Prevention and Control.

However, questions on vaccines’ effectiveness and the necessity of a booster shot have been raised as the Delta variant, a highly contagious strain, has caused a local outbreak that was first detected in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on July 20 and has spread to at least 14 provincial-level regions in the country.

Mi Feng, a spokesman for the commission, said on Saturday that China had reported 328 confirmed domestic infections in July, roughly equivalent to the total number of local cases from February to June.

“The main strain in circulation is the Delta variant, which poses a greater challenge to virus prevention and control work,” he said.

Feng Zijian, a researcher at the China CDC, said the transmissibility of the Delta variant is estimated to be nearly double that of the original strain, and it spreads much faster and likely increases the risk of developing severe symptoms.

“Available findings suggest that the Delta variant might diminish protection from COVID-19 vaccines, but current shots can still have good preventive and protective effects against the strain,” he said.

Shao added that breakthrough infections－people who contract the virus at least 14 days after being fully vaccinated－are relatively rare.

“No vaccine can provide 100 percent protection against viral infections. But on the whole, various COVID-19 variants can be controlled with existing vaccines,” he said, adding that studies also show that domestic COVID-19 vaccines can effectively reduce rates of hospitalization, severe cases and deaths.

Shao noted that many developed countries, despite their high vaccination coverage rates, are grappling with a resurgence of outbreaks due to a rush to relax anti-virus policies, such as wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.

“This shows that inoculation must be used in conjunction with strict disease control measures,” he said, calling on the public to continue practicing personal protective protocols.

Wang Huaqing, chief expert on immunization planning at the China CDC, said that it is not recommended at the moment to mix vaccines. He also urged the public to finish full immunization with multiple-dose vaccines on time.

Although the Delta variant is considered more transmissible and dangerous, He, from the commission, said the tried-and-tested virus control approach, including targeted lockdowns, rapid mass testing and isolation, is still effective at containing the virus.

However, he emphasized that implementation should be faster and more rigorous, and cooperation across different government departments and localities should be stepped up.

Published : August 02, 2021

By : WANG XIAOYU/China Daily/ANN

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July exports best-ever in Korea’s history

South Korea’s exports in July surged 29.6 percent to $55.4 billion on-year, a record monthly figure since the nation began compiling the data in 1956, according to the Trade Ministry Sunday.

In the first seven months of this year, Korea’s accumulated exports were worth $358.7 billion, setting another record. Also, this is the first time in 10 years that the country saw double digit growths for four consecutive months in 10 years — 41.2 percent in April, 45.6 percent in May, 39.8 percent in 29.8 percent and 29.6 percent in July. 

July exports best-ever in Korea’s history

“For two straight months from June to July, exports of the nation’s 15 core products all increased, 13 of them witnessing double-digit growths. Also, for four consecutive months, Korea’s exports grew in all nine major markets,” a Trade Ministry official said.

Private and public experts, including those at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade and the Bank of Korea, estimate the nation’s exports this year at between $601.7 billion and $610.5 billion, while its trade volume is projected at $1.15 trillion to $1.19 trillion.

The record performance was propelled by robust exports in both conventional and new sectors.

Overseas sales of chips, fueled by global server demands, spiked 39.6 percent to reach $11 billion in July on-year, surpassing $10.4 billion in July 2018 when the world was enjoying a chip “super cycle.”

In January, RAMeXchange, a research division of market tracker TrendForce, set the average contract price of an 8-gigabyte DRAM at $3.25, $3.50 and $3.75 in the second, third and fourth quarters this year, respectively. In June, RAMeXchange raised the figures to $3.80, $4.09 and $4.23. The price hike is expected to give a further boost to Korea’s chip industry.

Thanks to surging demand in packaging and quarantine products, exports of petrochemical products jumped 59.5 percent to $4.7 billion, while those of automobiles surged 12.3 percent to $4.1 billion buoyed by the global demand for eco-friendly vehicles.

Among emerging industries, exports of rechargeable batteries enjoyed a stellar 31.3 percent growth to $790 million.

Published : August 02, 2021

By : Kim Byung-wook/The Korea Herald/ANN

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Semiconductor shortage buffets Japanese companies

Amid the increasingly serious global shortage of semiconductors, automakers have been forced to reduce their output or postpone the release of new models. The repercussions are being felt amid a wide range of products, including home appliances, computers and telecommunication devices.

As if preying on companies’ fears, counterfeit semiconductors have been appearing more and more on the market.

■ Counterfeit chips

Oki Engineering Co., based in Nerima Ward, Tokyo, launched a service in early June to check whether semiconductors are genuine. It now receives inquiries every month about whether client companies can trust certain products.

Semiconductors have been brought to the firm, mainly by electronic machinery makers, sometimes numbering in the thousands in just one batch.

Oki Engineering staff pick up the semiconductors, which measure one to three millimeters on each side, using sucker-like devices designed exclusively for this purpose, and closely examine them under a microscope.

They confirm whether there are suspicious elements in the corporate logos and serial numbers on the surface, and also check circuit patterns inside them with X-ray machines, comparing them with legitimate semiconductors.

About 30% of the semiconductors they have checked have proved to be of poor quality. They included old models deemed to have been produced more than 10 years ago, and secondhand ones that were likely removed from discarded home appliances.

According to Oki Engineering, a sizable number of the faulty products were counterfeit. For example, some had proper casings but were empty inside, while others used major manufacturers’ logos without permission.

Counterfeit or poor-quality semiconductor chips are not a new phenomenon, but the problem rapidly became pronounced as the semiconductor shortage intensified.

The semiconductors in question are believed to mainly come from China, South Korea and Southeast Asia, and they are mainly traded on the internet. In many cases, they are bought and delivered by trading companies that received orders for semiconductors from client manufacturers but were unable to procure proper ones.

Problematic semiconductors are directly installed in such consumer products as drive recorders in cars, facial massagers and electronic cigarettes. After being sold, some of these products have failed to work from the outset.

There are also rare situations in which problematic chips could cause products to catch fire.

■ Race to obtain goods

Large electronics stores in Tokyo feature many signs these days telling customers that they will have to wait for the delivery of such products as telephones, cameras and printers. Unable to procure semiconductors, makers have reduced their output of such products, hence the delays.

In early August, Honda Motor Co. suspended the production of fully assembled cars at its Suzuka Factory in Mie Prefecture for five days. Nissan Motor Co. postponed the release of its new electric vehicle Ariya from the middle of this year to winter 2021.

In China, where consumer spending recovered early among major economies, cars fresh off production lines are in short supply because of the shortage of semiconductors. As a result, the number of cars sold there in June fell 12.4% from a year ago.

Reduced output of cars and home appliances also affects material manufacturing industries, such as steelmakers and nonferrous metal makers.

In a composite index (CI) of business conditions in May, which the Cabinet Office announced on July 7, the coinciding index indicating the current economic situation fell 2.6 points to 92.7, the first decline in three months. The CI is calculated with a base of 100 in 2015.

Demand for semiconductors has grown rapidly and in tandem with the spread of teleworking amid the novel coronavirus crisis. Since autumn last year, new car sales in North America and other major markets have rapidly recovered.

As a result, companies in a wide range of business sectors are waging a fierce battle to obtain semiconductors.

In March this year, Renesas Electronics Corp., a major semiconductor manufacturer, had a fire break out at its Naka Factory in Ibaraki Prefecture, and it took about four months for factory operations to fully resume. This further exacerbated the shortage of semiconductor products at home and abroad.

Even if a manufacturer aims to increase its output, it takes about a year from when the construction of a new factory is green-lit to when it starts production. There are several hundred manufacturing processes involved in making semiconductors, and it takes several months from receiving an order to delivering it.

Kazuhiro Sugiyama, a consultant with Omdia Japan, said: “Some major semiconductor manufacturers are fully booked with orders through 2022, and they have little room to increase output. It seems the shortage will be resolved only in or after autumn 2022.”

■ Domestic production

Semiconductors have been called “industry’s rice,” likening them to the staple food of Japan, because they are the core parts of a wide range of products. Many countries, especially the United States and China, have been strengthening their efforts to secure semiconductor-related companies and technologies for their own needs.

In December 2020, China enacted a law to control imports and introduced restrictions on the products related to cyber-security. Similarly in 2010, when tensions rose between Japan and China over the Senkaku Islands, Beijing started restricting exports of rare earths to Japan.

There are fears that China will heighten diplomatic pressure by using the supply of semiconductors for political leverage.

To cope with this possibility, the U.S. government shifted to a policy of increasing domestic production of semiconductors. In June this year, it announced a plan to provide at least $50 billion (about ¥5.5 trillion) in aid for production and research into such products.

Intel Corp. of the United States and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), among other companies, will invest the equivalent of trillions of yen for this purpose in Arizona.

European countries, Taiwan and South Korea have announced aid measures for companies that produce or develop technologies inside their bloc or nation, seeking to avoid excessive reliance on imports of semiconductors.

Published : August 02, 2021

By : Chihiro Nakajima and Yo Nakanishi/The Japan News/ANN

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Border controls in Metro Manila meant to stop exodus to provinces – Año

MANILA, Philippines — Checkpoints were activated at 12 a.m. on Sunday at the borders of the National Capital Region (NCR) and the neighboring provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, and Cavite — collectively called the NCR Plus — to stop the exodus of people in the capital region to other nearby provinces, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said.

Anew lockdown or enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) will take effect in NCR from Aug. 6 to 20. The OCTA Research Group had been urging this restriction to help contain the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant of the novel coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo called for the establishment of business and transportation “bubbles” to keep the economy running, as she warned that the country could lose as much as P18 billion a day because of the lockdown.

Año said in a statement that the checkpoints, or quarantine control points (QCPs), were set up at the borders of Bulacan with Pampanga and Nueva Ecija, Rizal with Quezon, Laguna with Batangas and Quezon, and Cavite with Batangas.

“At the moment, the QCPs are at the borders of Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, and Cavite with adjoining provinces, but once we move to ECQ starting Aug. 6, checkpoints will be located inside Metro Manila,” he said.

‘Hard lockdown’

In a radio interview, Año noted that people in NCR will likely take advantage of the period before the lockdown, which takes effect on Aug. 6, to move out of that area.

“If we don’t do this, people will leave the NCR, even those with the Delta variant who will go to different places and spread it,” he told dzBB.

“First we have to shut down the mobility of people to break the chain of transmission. So the virus would die naturally wherever it is incubating,” Año said.

“No country in the Southeast Asian region has stopped the Delta variant without resorting to a hard lockdown on major cities. Delta variant is really scary,” he added.

But Año said persons who need to travel may present at the QCPs identification cards issued last year by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases or any valid ID or document proving that their travel is essential.

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Public transportation

In an interview also with dzBB on Sunday, National Task Force Against COVID-19 spokesperson Restituto Padilla Jr. said public transportation will be allowed during ECQ to complement the government’s vaccination drive but will be limited for that purpose and other essential needs.

The government aims to ramp up vaccination during the lockdown.

PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said he had placed a medical reserve force “on standby in case they will be tapped in the vaccination process during the two-week ECQ.”

The Lawyers for Commuters Safety and Protection, a group of commuter advocates, said public transportation was still vital during the lockdown.

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“Land public transport is very needed for the mobility of Filipinos who are permitted to go out [under ECQ], especially for doctors going to hospitals, those buying essential goods, or are in emergency situations,” the group said in its statement.

“Total suspension of public transport is not needed. Public transport must be allowed depending on the reduced capacity and health protocols agreed upon by national government agencies,” it added.

‘Bubbles’

Quimbo proposed that the government allow “business bubbles” to operate even under ECQ now that millions of Filipinos have been fully vaccinated and testing has become routinary in many places.

“By creating these bubbles to promote micro-herd immunity and safe spaces, it is entirely possible that we will not incur the same devastating economic losses we suffered during the previous ECQs,” she said in her statement.

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“Through being vaccinated and implementing these business bubbles, people will then have increased mobility,” she added.

An economist, Quimbo said the ECQ this month could lead to a loss of P18 billion a day using national income data—higher than the P12.9 billion a day during the ECQ enforced in March amid a new surge in COVID-19 cases at that time, she said.

“As we have repeatedly argued before, health and economic concerns are not mutually exclusive. We can work for the recovery of both fronts simultaneously,” Quimbo said.

She renewed her call for the Duterte administration to pass the Bayanihan 3 stimulus package to fast-track the procurement and rollout of vaccines.

In his statement, Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate said Bayanihan 3 “should not be included in the 2022 budget proposal because our affected people need the ‘ayuda’ (aid) now.”

He said funds could be tapped from a variety of sources, including the government’s savings and the allotments for intelligence.

—REPORTS FROM JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE, NESTOR A. CORRALES, MEG ADONIS AND JANE BAUTISTA

Published : August 02, 2021

By : Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN

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Myanmar junta chief names himself prime minister, says will cooperate with Asean

BANGKOK – Myanmars military junta on Sunday (Aug 1) declared itself caretaker government of the embattled country, with chief Min Aung Hlaing named as prime minister.

The announcement will likely raise the stakes as Asean foreign ministers hold a virtual meeting on Monday to find the way forward in Myanmar’s six-month-old political and humanitarian crisis.

Although Asean has not officially recognised the junta, its representatives have been taking part in official Asean meetings. Similar access has not been given to leaders of the rival National Unity Government which includes elected lawmakers ousted by the Feb 1 military coup.

In a 50-minute speech broadcast over state media on Sunday, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing – dressed in a traditional jacket instead of a military uniform – promised to hold a “free and fair” election and lift the current state of emergency by August 2023. He claims the November 2020 election that re-elected the National League for Democracy (NLD) government was fraudulent.

The military chief also said: “Myanmar is ready to work on Asean cooperation within the Asean framework, including the dialogue with the special Asean envoy of Myanmar.”

Earlier, he appeared to have dismissed a five-point consensus on the Myanmar crisis hammered out by Asean leaders in April. The junta said it would cooperate with Asean only if the steps proposed complemented its road map.

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Since April, Asean has struggled to pick a special envoy to facilitate a dialogue among Myanmar’s political stakeholders.

Gen Min Aung Hlaing said on Sunday that his administration had chosen former Thai deputy foreign minister Virasakdi Futrakul, one of the nominees for the role, “but for various reasons the new proposals were released and we could not keep moving onward”.

Other nominees were reportedly former Indonesian foreign minister Hassan Wirajuda, Brunei’s second foreign affairs minister Erywan Yusof and veteran Malaysian diplomat Razali Ismail.

Myanmar’s healthcare system, already debilitated by medical workers’ strikes and military reprisals on dissidents, has been overwhelmed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Officially, the country logged 4,725 new cases on Saturday. But its death toll reached 392 – triple that of neighbouring Thailand, which is logging four times as many new infections.

Given the severe constraints on the testing capacities within Myanmar, medical experts said the country’s real Covid-19 caseload is far higher. Many patients are being treated at home by volunteer doctors and charity workers, who told The Straits Times they have to work discreetly to evade arrest.

Meanwhile, violent military crackdowns on people opposing the coup have spawned “people’s defence forces” which are waging localised insurgencies against the junta. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, at least 940 people have been killed by the junta since the coup.

The numbers are disputed by Gen Min Aung Hlaing, who blamed “NLD extremists” on Sunday for inciting healthcare workers to turn against the state. He alleged that people were committing “bioterrorism” by spreading fake news about Covid-19.

The Special Advisory Council for Myanmar, comprising a group of international experts working on human rights in the country, has called for international humanitarian intervention in Myanmar.

“The makeshift efforts to ease the plight of people crossing into Thailand and India are far from being able to roll back the epicentre of the pandemic within the country, which needs to be the primary strategic objective of massive regional and international action,” said council member Marzuki Darusman in a statement released on July 22.

Published : August 02, 2021

By : Tan Hui Yee/The Straits Times/ANN