#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40009673

Demand for coronavirus vaccines has spiked in the United States in recent weeks, as more Americans are eligible for booster shots and concerns grow over the omicron variant.

Health-care providers administered 2.18 million doses of coronavirus vaccines on Thursday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – the “highest single-day total since May,” the White House said. According to the latest CDC report, over the week ending on Thursday, the average number of daily administered vaccine doses reported to the agency was 22% higher than the previous week.

Since omicron was first confirmed in southern Africa on Nov. 25, and soon after listed as a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization, the Biden administration has been urging as many Americans as possible to get booster shots as the best means to protect themselves against it. All U.S. adults became eligible for boosters on Nov. 19.

For most of October, fewer than or slightly over 1 million doses of coronavirus vaccines were reported to the CDC as being administered every day in the United States. By mid-November, those numbers hovered around 1.5 million on average. In the past three reporting days, they neared or exceeded 2 million.

Much is still unknown about omicron, against which some scientists and vaccine makers predict existing vaccines may not be as effective, but the new variant and “the idea that we have a virus that may evade two shots but that three shots are likely to be pretty protective, I think, has also gotten a lot of people much more focused on getting a booster,” says Ashish K. Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

The increased demand for coronavirus vaccines is largely driven by demand for booster doses, CDC data shows. White House covid-19 data director Cyrus Shahpar, calling out the booster numbers, cited the spread of omicron in a tweet, saying the country needs “to keep this up.”

The timeline for increased vaccine uptake precedes omicron and the adult booster expansion: Millions of children between the ages of 5 and 11 became eligible for a pediatric dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Nov. 2.

But omicron “may be the ‘boost’ to help the unvaccinated and the newly eligible to get motivated and vaccinated quickly,” said Scott Ratzan, a health communication expert at CUNY School of Public Health, in an email to The Washington Post.

Increased interest in vaccines can be attributed in part to clearer, concerted messaging around boosters coming from public health agencies, Jha said. There now exists “a broad consensus” among experts, he added, that boosters are needed, and “that’s helping a lot.”

While the uptake in booster doses is encouraging, “I am not seeing a ton of progress among (unvaccinated) adults who have been eligible for a long time,” Jha said. “A lot of people in America are relying on infection-induced immunity to get them through the rest of this pandemic, and I think omicron is going to test that in a way that nothing else has. I’m worried we’re going to see a lot of those people who’ve previously been infected and recovered get reinfected and potentially very sick.”

The first U.S. case of omicron was identified in California on Dec. 1, and cases have since been reported in at least 15 U.S. states, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. The delta variant, not omicron, accounts for the large majority of U.S. coronavirus cases at this stage, she said.

The CDC notes that its reported numbers are estimates that are subject to change and may contain duplicates, “over-estimates of first doses and under-estimates of subsequent doses.”

The White House has also urged Americans to get vaccinated ahead of the holiday season, when families usually gather indoors.

After the omicron variant was first identified in the United States, the CDC said its emergence highlighted the importance of vaccination and other public health measures. “Everyone 5 and older should get vaccinated and boosters are recommended for everyone 18 years and older,” the agency said in a statement.

Members of the White House coronavirus response team expressed confidence at a news briefing Friday that existing coronavirus vaccines would confer a measure of protection against the newly identified variant.

“Although we haven’t proven it yet, there’s every reason to believe that if you get vaccinated and boosted that you would have at least some degree of cross-protection, very likely against severe disease, even against the omicron variant,” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci said.

According to the CDC, more than 70 percent of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, with near-universal coverage among those ages 65 and older. Nearly 60 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.

Still, on Thursday, President Joe Biden said more than 100 million Americans who are eligible for booster doses haven’t gotten theirs yet.

Some pharmacies – which the White House said are distributing roughly two-thirds of coronavirus vaccines in the United States – have reported that they are struggling to meet the increased demand amid staff shortages in the health-care sector.

In one recent example, Walgreens failed to notify parents that their child’s vaccination appointment at a Cheverly, Md., location had been canceled because there were no pharmacists to administer the shots. Similar incidents have prompted the company to say it is working to better account for local cuts in pharmacy services.

Biden on Thursday urged pharmacies “to offer more appointments, more walk-in hours – including on weeknights and weekends,” and said that his administration would ramp up its booster program and make it easier for families to get vaccinated together.

Published : December 06, 2021

By : The Washington Post

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40009672

Danish health authorities on Sunday reported a “concerning” jump in cases of the omicron coronavirus variant that they said points to community spread in Denmark and probably elsewhere in Europe.

The number of confirmed cases in the country rose from 18 on Friday to 183 on Sunday, reflecting both the variant’s fast spread and the robustness of Denmark’s virus surveillance system.

The northern European country is a leader in the sequencing of variants, acting as an early-warning system for the continent. The rise in confirmed omicron cases there could be an indication that the variant has spread more widely throughout Europe than previously known.

Before the Danish data was released Sunday, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control reported just 182 cases of omicron across all of the European Union, plus Norway and Iceland.

“Everybody is tested very frequently in Denmark with a very sensitive system, so if you were to do that in other European countries, you would likely find many more cases,” Troels Lillebaek, chairman of Denmark’s national coronavirus variant assessment committee, told The Washington Post.

He added: “It’s not like Denmark is a special home for omicron.”

Health authorities in the country of 5.8 million perform more than 200,000 polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests per day – one of the highest per capita testing rates in the world. All positive tests are then submitted for special PCR tests that detect variants, and for those that come back positive, scientists sequence the whole genome. Denmark sequences 25,000 strains per week, Lillebaek said.

In part, the surge in cases over the weekend reflects an updated accounting system, Lillebaek said. When omicron emerged, Danish scientists had to adapt the variant PCR test to detect omicron accurately. At first, they did not include cases that had not gone through full genome sequencing in the “confirmed” category. Now, scientists are convinced that their variant PCR test is reliable enough for omicron that they have begun counting positive variant PCR tests as confirmed cases.

Omicron, which contains a panoply of mutations that has generated alarm across the world, was first flagged for global attention by South Africa, another leader in variant sequencing. News of the much-mutated and fast-spreading variant prompted more than two dozen countries to impose bans on travel from southern African countries – but by that point, the variant had made its way around the world.

The ECDC said Sunday that omicron had been reported in 17 countries in the E.U. and the European Economic Area, noting that “the majority of confirmed cases have a history of travel to countries in Africa.”

But some of the new cases reported in Denmark had no apparent connection to southern Africa.

“There are now chains of infection where the variant is found in people who have not traveled abroad or been in contact with travelers,” Henrik Ullum, chief executive of Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut, which conducts the sequencing, said in a news release.

Danish media reported that some of the infections were traced back to a concert in late November and a Christmas lunch involving 150 guests.

Britain also reported a sizable uptick in omicron cases: 86 new cases on Sunday, bringing the total number to 246.

Much remains unknown about the variant, including the danger it poses. Scientists around the world are racing to gauge its ability to get around existing vaccines and whether it causes severe disease. So far, omicron appears to be highly contagious – and Lillebaek estimated that it could overtake the delta variant in Denmark and elsewhere in Europe in a matter of weeks.

Denmark, where 76% of people are fully vaccinated, will offer an important test for how omicron behaves in a highly vaccinated population. Danish public health authorities are speeding up vaccinations for residents above age 5 as well as booster shots in an effort to stave off its spread.

“We are still able to delay the spread of omicron while accelerating vaccines, but at some point it will be difficult to delay omicron,” Lillebaek said.

Published : December 06, 2021

By : The Washington Post

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40009663

At least 13 people died and 98 others were injured after Mount Semeru in Indonesias East Java erupted.

At least 13 people died and 98 others were injured after Mount Semeru in Indonesia’s East Java erupted, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said on Sunday.

“Two bodies have been identified, while others are still in the process,” according to the BNPB’s spokesman Abdul Muhari.

All those injured, including two pregnant women, are currently under medical treatment at nearby health centers.

Meanwhile, 902 people have been evacuated to a village hall, a school building, and houses of worship.

Volcanic ash has buried a number of houses, roads and a bridge.

Officers are digging up the ash covering the road using heavy equipment, while evacuating and searching for missing persons.

The 3,676-meter-high volcano erupted on Saturday at 3:10 p.m. Jakarta time.

The hot clouds stopped falling due to the rain. Authorities called on people not to move near the rivers on which the lava is flowing.  Enditem

People walk near trucks buried in volcanic ashes after Mount Semeru eruption in Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Dec. 5, 2021. (Photo by Kurniawan/Xinhua)

Related Stories

• Indonesias towering Semeru volcano erupts in huge plume of ash
• Thai mixed doubles, 4 consecutive championships
• Creator of Netflix series Squid Game is The Straits Times Asian of the Year

Aerial photo shows an area covered with volcanic ashes after Mount Semeru eruption in Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Dec. 5, 2021. (Photo by Kurniawan/Xinhua)

A man stands near an area covered with volcanic ashes after Mount Semeru eruption in Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Dec. 5, 2021. (Photo by Aditya Hendra/Xinhua)

A motorbike is covered with volcanic ashes after Mount Semeru eruption at Sumberwuluh village in Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Dec. 5, 2021. (Photo by Bayu Novanta/Xinhua)

People leave for temporary shelters after Mount Semeru eruption in Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Dec. 5, 2021. (Photo by Kurniawan/Xinhua)

A man brings stuff from his house to a temporary shelter after Mount Semeru eruption in Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Dec. 5, 2021. (Photo by Bayu Novanta/Xinhua)

Rescuers evacuate sheep after Mount Semeru eruption at Sumberwuluh village in Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Dec. 5, 2021. (Photo by Bayu Novanta/Xinhua)

People cry in a residential area covered with volcanic ashes after Mount Semeru eruption in Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Dec. 5, 2021. (Photo by Kurniawan/Xinhua)

People walk on the ground covered by volcanic ash after Mount Semeru eruption in Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Dec. 5, 2021. (Photo by Bayu Novanta/Xinhua)

A woman holds a child in front of a house buried in volcanic ashes after Mount Semeru eruption in Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Dec. 5, 2021. (Photo by Kurniawan/Xinhua)

A woman brings stuff from her house to a temporary shelter after Mount Semeru eruption in Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Dec. 5, 2021. (Photo by Bayu Novanta/Xinhua)

Published : December 06, 2021

By : Xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40009655

The number of Covid-19 cases crossed 14.21 million across Southeast Asia, with 26,362 new cases reported on Sunday (December 5). New deaths are at 451, bringing accumulated Covid-19 deaths in Asean to 294,155.

Vietnamese pharmaceutical company VABIOTECH and Sovico Group signed a cooperation agreement with Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) on the supply and production of the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine in Vietnam in Moscow on Wednesday as part of President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc’s visit to the country.

The deal also covers the expansion of Sputnik V vaccine supply sources in Vietnam as well as nearby countries and territories, and the collaboration in technology transfer and quality checks.

In the Philippines, the government fell short in achieving its goal of inoculating 9 million individuals during the three-day national Covid-19 vaccination drive from November 29 to December 1.

Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje on Thursday reported that over 7.6 million individuals were vaccinated against Covid-19 during the drive.

Despite not achieving its goal, which was already adjusted from the initial 15 million vaccination target, Cabotaje said the government is still “very happy” with its achievement.

“We are very happy with the initial report because this is more than two times the daily vaccination rate,” she said.

Published : December 06, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40009630

The Minnesota man who contracted the omicron variant of the coronavirus met up with about 35 friends at a New York City anime convention and about half have tested positive for the coronavirus, a state health official said Friday.

Members of the group traveled to New York from a variety of states for the weekend convention that began Nov. 19 and tested positive after their return, said Kris Ehresmann, director of the Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention, and Control Division at the Minnesota Department of Health. It is not known whether they are infected with omicron or another variant.

“We don’t know if we’ll see a lot of omicron, or we’ll see a lot of delta,” Ehresmann said in an interview. “But we’re likely to see a lot of covid” out of the convention, which drew 53,000 people and tightly packed crowds from Nov. 19 to 21.

The development is not sufficient, by itself, to determine where people were infected, who gave the virus to whom or to develop a timeline of the virus’s spread, Ehresmann said. The man infected with omicron also spent time elsewhere in New York City. New York, Minnesota and other states, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are investigating the case and have begun tracing the Minnesota man’s contacts.

But the information casts the convention as a more likely location where the virus could have spread widely. Scientists have speculated the new variant may be significantly more transmissible than the delta variant, which has swept the country in recent months, but are still gathering data on a pathogen first identified last week.

“The conference seems like the most likely spot because of the extreme mixing of so, so many people,” Ehresmann said. “It was just a very large gathering that provided the opportunity for a lot of mixing for many people across the country.”

The unidentified man flew to New York on Nov. 18 and his symptoms began Nov. 22, which would indicate a short incubation period for the omicron variant if he picked it up in New York, Ehresmann said. The man had been vaccinated and received a booster shot in November, officials said.

The man’s symptoms were mild and resolved Nov. 24, health authorities have said. He lives with other people, one of whom tested positive on a rapid test and is being investigated further, they have said.

Organizers of the convention, Anime NYC, said in a statement that “many are making the assumption that the individual contracted the Omicron Variant sometime during their travel to New York City, in New York City, or when traveling home from New York City. No one knows when or how the Omicron Variant was contracted.”

A spokesman said the organization had not been informed of any additional infections.

The event’s organizers and attendees have described a heavily attended convention, with fans of the Japanese style of animation packed tightly in places inside and outside the vast Javits Center in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan. Video posted online shows a large crowd milling about in one location.

Attendees over age 12 were required to show proof of at least one vaccine shot, as directed by New York City rules for large indoor events, and to wear masks. Attendees said most people followed the mask guidelines, though some complained about the crowds and disorganization.

Lizzette Lewis, 42, a special-education and Zumba teacher from New York, said she was excited to get back to a convention after the hiatus, particularly in her hometown. Fully vaccinated and about to get her booster, Lewis said felt confident going in.

“Was everyone following the mask mandate? Not quite, including myself,” Lewis said. “If nobody was around, I’d give myself a moment to breathe.”

Kassie Kelly, 30, who lives in Jersey City, said she saw about five people who weren’t wearing masks. And she and her fiance have tested negative.

“I don’t feel like anyone in particular is to blame,” for the emergence of the Minnesota case, she said. But she was also struck by her good luck.

“I feel like I should buy a lottery ticket,” Kelly said.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, D, issued a statement Thursday saying that “anyone who attended the Anime NYC conference, especially anyone experiencing symptoms, should get tested immediately and take additional precautions, including social distancing.”

City and state health authorities, New York’s Test and Trace Corps and the CDC are contacting convention attendees, the statement said.

De Blasio also said “we should assume there is community spread of the variant in our city.”

At a news briefing Thursday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, D, said contact tracing “will not be as complicated as it has been in the past. . . . We anticipate even if people do test positive, the symptoms will be fairly minor.”

Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said in a case where a person contracted the virus while moving about a mass gathering, authorities will trace the people with whom he spent large amounts of time, such as friends and dinner companions. It’s not possible to trace short contacts at a convention, even if they could be determined, she said.

More important in an outbreak of a new variant, Nuzzo said, is investigating whether it behaves any differently from previous strains of the virus. Authorities will want to know whether the Minnesota man’s friends were vaccinated, how sick they became, how often they wore masks and whether there is anything new about their cases, she said.

“It’s less because you’re trying to interrupt transmission than you’re trying to understand how this virus is spreading,” she said.

Officials in Norway said at least 50 people have been infected with omicron, with the cases connected to a Christmas party at an Oslo restaurant.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services said in a news release Friday that there was a covid-19 outbreak from a November wedding in Milwaukee County. Five of the 12 people – all California residents – who have tested positive were infected with the omicron variant, Wisconsin officials said. Genomic sequencing is not yet available for the other cases. The 12 people are between the ages of 18 and 49 and vaccinated, officials said, and are “mildly symptomatic.” No one has been hospitalized.

The potential for the spread of a coronavirus variant from a large, crowded event when the pathogen’s behavior was unknown is reminiscent of an episode in February 2020, when a Boston biotech conference resulted in wide and rapid transmission.

Biotech executives from around the world flew into Boston for the annual leadership meeting of the drug company Biogen. It became a superspreader event.

The Massachusetts Department of Health identified 97 coronavirus cases among meeting attendees and people who lived with them. Genetic testing showed that the same viral sub-strain infected 122 residents at two Boston homeless shelters in April.

According to a study of coronavirus genomes, the variant detected at the Biogen conference spread as far as Alaska, Senegal and Luxembourg and as of July 2020 was found in one-third of cases in Massachusetts and 3% of genomes studied in the United States.

Published : December 05, 2021

By : The Washington Post

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40009629

The omicron variant threatens to widen an already yawning gap in access to Covid shots as scientists prepare for the possibility retooled vaccines will be needed and affluent countries race ahead once again.

Omicron is emerging just as vaccine supplies destined for lower-income nations have begun to pick up. Wealthy governments early in the pandemic locked up the biggest share of initial doses, leaving vast parts of the planet behind.

Now the goal is to avert another bout of inequity. Already, the U.K. is moving swiftly to secure messenger RNA shots tailored to omicron and other potential variants if they’re developed as part of new deals with Pfizer and Moderna. The recent discovery of the variant in the U.S. may spark similar action.

“That is the big concern, a repeat of what happened in the last year and a half,” said Ellen ‘t Hoen, director of Medicines Law & Policy, a Netherlands-based research group. “If it’s not this variant, then there will be another one.”

Even if vaccines maintain their potency, health groups pushing to protect vulnerable regions are under rising pressure. About 100 nations haven’t hit a World Health Organization target of vaccinating 40% of their populations, and more than half are at risk of falling short by the end of 2021. Scientists worry that vaccine disparities and the continued spread of the virus will breed more dangerous strains that pose a risk to both rich nations and poor.

“Inequity derives from scarcity, and when there’s scarcity those with resources will use their resources to meet their own needs first,” said Richard Hatchett, head of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. “So the question would be — if this proves to be a really dangerous variant — will countries rush to secure supplies?”

CEPI is discussing the potential deployment of modified vaccines with other partners in Covax, the global vaccine distribution program, he said. Covax is in a more advantageous position than it was early in the crisis when it was still being formed, and any shortage of shots shouldn’t last as long this time, but the concern “is real,” he said.

“If the data suggests we really do need to be introducing an omicron vaccine, we’re going to be wanting to move as quickly as we can to secure doses to reduce the inequity that could otherwise potentially emerge,” he said.

There’s little evidence so far that the newly discovered variant will erode the protection provided by current vaccines, and they’ll likely fend off severe cases, the World Health Organization’s chief scientist said Wednesday. Yet Moderna Chief Executive Officer Stephane Bancel rocked markets earlier this week when he said the surprising number of mutations in omicron suggests new shots would be needed to ward off infections. Many questions remain.

Vaccine makers aren’t waiting for answers. They’ve already begun work to adapt their shots, with Pfizer and BioNTech saying they will be ready with a vaccine targeting omicron in 100 days, if necessary. Pfizer expects data on how well its inoculation holds up within two to three weeks.

Omicron could spark a new chase for limited supplies, and there won’t be enough doses produced for a global rollout until late next year, according to Airfinity Ltd. In a best-case scenario, 6 billion doses could be produced by October 2022, the London-based data firm estimates. But rich governments will try to corner the market, said Shabir Madhi, a vaccinologist from the University of the Witwatersrand who led trials of both AstraZeneca’s and Novavax’s shots in South Africa.

“We can look at wealthy countries’ behavior in the past,” he said. “It would be highly surprising that they’ve developed some sort of social conscience.”

That could lead to further delays in the effort to overcome the vaccine divide, according to Thomas Bollyky, director of the global health program at the Council on Foreign Relations.

“It will create a source of demand for vaccine manufacturing that was expected to shift at some point to meeting global needs,” Bollyky said. “Should we need to develop a modified vaccine to address this new variant, there’s the potential that some of that capacity will be devoted to producing those vaccines, presumably initially for high-income countries.”

It’s a scenario that could play out repeatedly as the coronavirus continues to evolve. Some researchers foresee that vaccine updates could be needed if the inoculations slowly become obsolete over time due to variants.

Facing that threat, groups behind WHO-backed Covax are calling for an array of steps to boost vaccination rates. Donations from wealthy governments have trickled out and only one country, Switzerland, had answered a call to defer to Covax in the supply queue as of Nov. 24.

More than 90 million donated doses have been delivered to Africa via Covax and the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust, and millions more via direct arrangements between countries and manufacturers. Yet most of those immunizations have arrived with little notice and short shelf lives, making it difficult for already-stretched health systems to use them, health groups said earlier this week.

Health officials have urged countries and manufacturers to commit to providing supplies in a more predictable and reliable way. Donations should come with essential components, such as syringes, to avoid additional costs and delays, and at least 10 weeks until expiration when they arrive, they said.

One potential glimmer of hope is that China’s increased supplies to lower-income nations will spur other countries to follow, Bollyky said. Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to direct another 1 billion doses of vaccines to African countries. But health advocates expressed doubts about significant change on the access front.

“This is going to happen over and over again,” said John Amuasi, a global health and infectious disease specialist at the Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine in Ghana. “Somehow we ignore this very basic science and focus on getting the West as vaccinated as possible, thinking that’s going to help us, and it’s clear it doesn’t work this way.”

Wealthy governments need to take the initiative, providing generous financing and insisting on the ability to determine where supplies go and how intellectual property is shared, according to the ‘t Hoen. Omicron could have been a catalyst to push countries and drug companies to boost immunization globally, but this wouldn’t be the first time the world has turned its back on lower-income regions, she said.

“The HIV access crisis should have been a turning point,” she said. “The beginning of this outbreak should have been a turning point. Will the world learn? I don’t know.”

Published : December 05, 2021

By : Bloomberg

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40009628

To encourage foreign semiconductor companies to make capital investments in Japan, the government intends to launch a fund to provide financial support for purposes such as building factories, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

The Cabinet of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who has touted a policy of strengthening economic security, aims to secure a stable supply of semiconductors.

Legal revisions will be required to establish the fund. The legislation for the amendments is expected to be submitted to the extraordinary Diet session to be convened Monday, following Cabinet approval.

Under the government’s plan, the fund would be established in the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) — an incorporated administrative body under the jurisdiction of the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry — as a source of subsidies for foreign business operators.

As related costs, 617 billion yen has been earmarked in a supplementary budget for this fiscal year.

According to sources, the envisaged financial support will be limited to foreign businesses that manufacture semiconductors indispensable for building technology that utilizes the 5G high-speed, high-capacity communication standard.

The provision of support will be based on five criteria: appropriateness of business plans; continuity of chip production; soundness of a plant’s location; contribution made to chip production stability in Japan; and appropriate management of technical information.

If a foreign company submits a plan to build a factory in Japan and it is granted approval, the government will provide it with subsidies over several years. Companies will also be able to receive low-interest loans from financial institutions supported by NEDO. The ministry will require businesses that violate approved plans to return the subsidies.

Japan’s semiconductor industry accounted for half of the global market share in the second half of the 1980s. However, the current figure is about 10%. Japan relies on imports from Taiwan, China and other countries and regions to cover more than 60% of its domestic demand for chips.

The government’s proposed legislation will state that stable domestic production must be ensured in order to respond to fluctuations in the supply and demand for specific semiconductors.

At present, Japan does not have a legal framework to support capital investment by foreign semiconductor companies with state funds.

If the legislation is enacted, the government envisages that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, will be the first subsidy recipient under the framework

TSMC has announced plans to construct a plant in Kumamoto Prefecture.

The government intends to pass the legislation in the Diet as soon as possible and use the legal framework as an incentive to attract more foreign chipmakers.

Kishida has expressed an intention to “explore various possibilities to attract not only TSMC but also other firms including U.S. manufacturers.”

Published : December 05, 2021

By : The Japan News

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40009627

The Tokyo metropolitan government has started offering PCR tests that can detect the omicron coronavirus variant at the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health in Shinjuku Ward.

Intended for people who have tested positive for the coronavirus, the new test, which uses a new reagent developed by the institute, will be administered in conjunction with testing for virus mutations including the delta variant.

The metropolitan government expects to be able to conduct 100 tests a day. It takes about 24 hours to get the results.

The new procedure will only be administered to people who test negative for the delta variant if demand for the tests exceeds capacity in the event of a surge in coronavirus cases.

If mutations unique to the omicron variant are detected in the PCR test, genome analysis will be conducted to confirm the diagnosis.

The Tokyo government also announced that it will increase the number of rooms — from 1,750 to about 3,400 — for recuperating coronavirus patients and people who need to self-isolate because of close contact with patients.

According to the metropolitan government, 85 people have been found to have had close contact with people infected with the variant, and 61 of the 85 are staying at such facilities.

The emergency measures were compiled at a metropolitan government meeting to discuss crisis management on Friday. Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said, “Utmost efforts are being made to implement measures proactively.”

Published : December 05, 2021

By : The Japan News

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40009626

Indonesias Mount Semeru – at more than 12,000 feet, the tallest mountain on the nations most densely populated island of Java – erupted Saturday with an enormous cloud of chalky ash as people raced for safety. At least one person was killed.

That hot cloud barreled toward villages in the Lumajang district in East Java. Many residents fled on foot. Video shared by authorities and locals showed people shouting, running and recording damage to their homes and local infrastructure. The Lumajang deputy district chief said at least one person was killed, the Reuters news agency reported.

Some villages have been blanketed with ash – with two areas “badly affected,” disaster management authorities said on a live television broadcast, CNN reported.

The eruption occurred during a thunderstorm, causing rain to push around lava and hot debris. Mud engulfed a bridge connecting two main villages, Pronojiwo and Candipuro, the Associated Press reported.

“Thick columns of ash have turned several villages to darkness,” Thoriqul Haq, Lumajang district head, told TVOne. He said hundreds had to relocate to temporary shelters.

The National Disaster Management Agency tweeted that it immediately sent teams to the scene for data evaluation and evacuation.

Indonesia lies on the “Ring of Fire,” the 40,000-kilometer (24,900-mile) stretch along the Pacific Rim that traces boundaries between different tectonic plates and has an abundance of volcanoes and earthquakes.

Mount Semeru last erupted in January, with no recorded casualties.

Published : December 05, 2021

By : The Washington Post

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40009622

The number of Covid-19 cases crossed 14.18 million across Southeast Asia, with 27,686 new cases reported on Saturday (December 4). New deaths are at 528, bringing accumulated Covid-19 deaths in Asean to 293,704.

In Singapore, two imported Covid-19 cases have preliminarily tested positive for the Omicron variant on Thursday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said.

Both cases were isolated upon arrival in Singapore on Wednesday, and had no interaction with anyone in the community.

“There is currently no evidence of any community transmission from these cases,” said MOH in a statement on Thursday.

In Philippines, all fully vaccinated Filipinos 18 years old and above are now eligible to receive Covid-19 booster shots, FDA Director-General Eric Domingo said on Wednesday.

He said the emergency use authorization (EUA) for Covid-19 boosters for them was approved on Monday “based on the assessment of benefit and risks, similar to US CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) recommendations.”

He added that the Department of Health would soon release the specific guidelines on boosters for the general population.

Published : December 05, 2021

By : THE NATION