Singapore rolls out Covid-19 vaccination exercise; senior staff nurse at NCID receives first jab
Dec 30. 2020NCID senior staff nurse Sarah Lim, 46, receiving her vaccination in the Day Treatment Centre at NCID, on Dec 30, 2020. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
By Clara Chong The Straits Times/ANN
SINGAPORE – Singapore kick-started its national Covid-19 vaccination programme on Wednesday (Dec 30) morning, with a senior staff nurse at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) the first to roll up her sleeve for the Pfizer-BioNTech jab.
Ms Sarah Lim, 46, is part of the team that screens suspect Covid-19 cases.
“I feel grateful and thankful for being the first to be vaccinated, I would encourage them (others) to go for it,” she told reporters after receiving the shot.
“It’s not very painful.”
She added in Mandarin: “I wanted to take the injection to protect myself, my loved ones, patients and the public.
“It gives me greater peace of mind.”
The vaccine was removed from the fridge at 8.30am – according to a note on the wall – and delivered about an hour later after it reached room temperature.
It took several minutes for the nurse who administered the jabs to prepare the injection each time.
Once done, the healthcare workers were told to rest for 30 minutes in an observation room.
The national vaccine effort is a critical part of the push for the Republic to return to normalcy and reopen the economy, with most people expected to have the chance to receive it by next year.
Like her colleagues, she believes that the vaccine, on top of other stringent measures such as hygiene and mask-wearing, is an added layer of protection.
Second in line was Dr Kalisvar Marimuthu, a 43-year-old senior consultant who manages suspect and confirmed Covid-19 cases.
“I’m feeling lucky… feeling a bit emotional because the vaccine is potentially a game-changer,” he said.
“It has been a long journey for us to reach here, it has been tough for all of us.
“Vaccines have brought pandemics to their knees in the past,” he added, and he hopes that history will be repeated this time.
“I’m hoping there is light at the end of a very long tunnel.”
On receiving the shot, he noted: “I’m already feeling better and more protected. This vaccine is probably the last layer of protection for us.”
Mr Mohamed Firdaus Bin Mohamed Salleh, 38, a senior staff nurse at NCID was also among the first of about 30 NCID staff in line for the injection on Wednesday.
“This gives me the assurance that I can go home safely to my kids,” said the father of four.
Others in the frontline are also being rostered for similar vaccinations, with public healthcare institutions and private hospitals arranging for their staff to be vaccinated at their respective premises.
This is in line with recommendations by an expert committee that front-line and healthcare workers and those most vulnerable to severe complications if they contract Covid-19 should be vaccinated first.
Singapore residents aged 70 and older will receive their jabs from February next year, followed by other Singaporeans and long-term residents who are medically eligible.
The expert committee also assessed that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is suitable for use in people aged 16 and older for the prevention of Covid-19, although taking the vaccine is still not recommended for pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals until more information is available.
The first shipment of the vaccine arrived in Singapore earlier this month (Dec 21) on a Singapore Airlines flight from Brussels.
[Vietnam] Trade surplus hits $19 billion, highest since 2016
Dec 30. 2020The country’s total trade revenue has hit $543.9 billion, up 5.1 per cent year-on-year. — VNA/VNS Photo
By Viet Nam News/ANN
HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam is estimated to enjoy a trade surplus of US$19.1 billion this year, the highest since 2016, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The country’s total trade revenue has hit $543.9 billion, up 5.1 per cent year-on-year. Of the total, export value is $281.5 billion and imports $262.4 billion, year-on-year rises of 6.5 per cent and 3.6 per cent, respectively.
Nguyễn Việt Phong from the General Statistics Office (GSO)’s Trade and Service Statistics Department said the trade surplus is a bright spot contributing remarkably to economic growth and aiding the exchange rate and foreign exchange reserves in the context of Việt Nam needing more resources for post-pandemic economic recovery in 2021.
While the world economy is seriously affected by the pandemic, the trade surplus of $19.1 billion shows Việt Nam has taken advantage of opportunities brought by signed free trade agreements (FTAs), especially the EU-Việt Nam FTA and the quality of the country’s exports has improved, meeting the requirements of choosy markets.
According to the GSO, in 2020, 31 commodities enjoyed export turnover of more than $1 billion, with six posting export values of more than $10 billion, accounting for 64.3 per cent of the total export turnover.
The heavy industry and mineral sector enjoyed the biggest export value of $152.5 billion, up 11.3 per cent year-on-year.
On the other side, 35 commodities posted import values of more than $1 billion this year, with four reaching $10 billion, accounting for 49.4 per cent of total import revenue.
Việt Nam becomes second biggest exporter to US
Việt Nam moved up four spots to become the second-biggest exporter to the US in 2020, with its export turnover to the country surging 24.5 per cent to an estimated $76.4 billion.
Besides traditional exports like textiles, footwear and aquatic products, Việt Nam has also shipped electronics, spare parts and wooden products to the market.
According to Phong, Việt Nam enjoys a trade a surplus of $62.6 billion with the US, compared to $20.3 billion with the EU, while it has trade deficits of $34.5 billion with China, $27.6 billion with the Republic of Korea, and $6.9 billion with ASEAN.
However, Việt Nam’s exports to the US account for only 2.7 per cent of the American country’s total imports from all countries and territories worldwide.
Phong suggested Việt Nam make more efforts to help US businesses operating in Việt Nam deal with difficulties, and import more from the US, particularly commodities such as energy, agricultural products, pharmaceutical products and machinery.
According to the Vietnam Trade Office in the US, the two countries have witnessed a strong breakthrough in bilateral trade turnover, especially Việt Nam’s exports to the US.
Statistics from the US side show that two-way trade increased to $75.7 billion in 2019 from just $450 million in 1995 when Việt Nam and the US established diplomatic relations.
Apart from trade co-operation, the two countries have also enhanced toes in investment, research, sci-tech development, transportation, education, telecommunication and energy. — VNS
Seoul extends reduction of airport usage fees for virus-hit airlines
Dec 30. 2020Korean Air aircraft at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul (Yonhap)
By The Korea Herald/ANN
South Korea will extend the reduction of airport usage fees for virus-hit airlines by six months to help them stay afloat amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the transport ministry said Wednesday.
The government will allow airlines, duty-free shops and other related companies at airports to pay quite lower airport usage fees until June next year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement.
Incheon International Airport Corp., the operator of the country’s main Incheon International Airport, has extended the cut of airlines’ landing fees by up to 20 percent and the exemption on paying parking fees through June 2021, it said.
In August, the government took the same step until December as air travel demand dried up due to countries’ entry restrictions to stem the spread of the pandemic.
The extended support programs are aimed at relieving the financial burden of the airline industry next year as it is expected to take some time for airlines and related businesses to recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the statement said. (Yonhap)
Half of the nation’s medical institutions were in the red in July-September and many reduced their winter bonuses, according to surveys conducted by hospital groups, as the novel coronavirus pandemic continues to put pressure on the management of medical institutions.
Exhausted nurses have been expressing anguish with many saying they are almost at their limit.
■ Urgent support needed
“We’ve been struggling for funds. The government grants have arrived too late,” said Ryota Uruno, executive director of Tokyo Kinrosya Iryokai, which operates Toukatsu Hospital in Nagareyama, Chiba Prefecture.
In August, the hospital was designated by the Chiba prefectural government as a key medical institution to treat coronavirus patients and has 10 beds in dedicated wards.
However, the number of outpatients and health checkups handled by the hospital has decreased significantly, and the cumulative deficit for the period from April to November was about ¥600 million.
The hospital reduced the summer employee bonus and was planning to do the same with the winter bonus, but after receiving complaints from staff, it paid the same amount as last year.
The central government has offered grants to key medical institutions to improve coronavirus-related procedures, but the payments have been delayed. A total of ¥472.8 billion was appropriated for the grants in the second supplementary budget for this fiscal year, but only ¥275.6 billion had been granted as of Dec. 15.
Toukatsu Hospital applied for a ¥160 million government grant for the period from August to October, but the money was not transferred until Dec. 22 — after the hospital had paid the winter bonus — because it took time for the prefectural government to complete administrative procedures.
“The burden on staff has increased. Without prompt support, we won’t be able to survive,” Uruno said.
■ Bonuses cut
The Japan Hospital Association and other groups conducted a survey in July-September to investigate the business conditions of hospitals.
Of the 1,460 hospitals that responded to the survey, 54% were in the red in July, 49% in August and 52% in September.
In another survey conducted by the Japan Municipal Hospital Association, 388 hospitals reported a total decrease of ¥47.6 billion in medical income and expenditure between June and October compared to the same period last year. Of these, 90% were for hospitals that treated COVID-19 patients.
Many hospitals have reduced employee bonuses amid the severe business conditions.
A Japan Federation of Medical Worker’s Unions survey conducted in November found that 44% of 289 hospitals reported a decrease in this year’s winter bonus from the previous year, with 31 reporting a decrease of ¥100,000 or more.
■ Crowd-funding
Some hospitals have resorted to raising funds on their own.
Moriya Keiyu Hospital in Moriya, Ibaraki Prefecture, had raised about ¥47 million through online crowdfunding as of Friday, with donations from 2,773 people.
The hospital has been treating COVID-19 patients since April. Its revenue for the period from April to August decreased by about ¥150 million compared to the previous year.
Faced with the threat of having to reduce its winter bonus, the hospital launched a crowdfunding campaign on Nov. 26, setting a target of ¥10 million.
The donations it received far exceeded the target.
The hospital will use the donations to provide allowances of up to about ¥140,000 to nurses and other workers.
“The unexpectedly large amount of support was not just for us. It was probably also intended for the entire medical community fighting against the virus,” said Moriya Keiyu Hospital Director Akira Imamura.
On Friday, the central government announced a plan to provide subsidies of up to ¥15 million per bed to hospitals treating COVID-19 patients in areas where the number of cases is rapidly increasing, to encourage medical institutions to secure more beds.
Josai University Prof. Tomotoshi Iseki, who specializes in public administration and regional medical care, said: “Delays in the provision of subsidies are a matter of life and death for hospitals. The national and local governments should establish a system to promptly provide subsidies and encourage more hospitals to treat coronavirus patients.”
Dec 30. 2020An attendant walks past EU and China flags ahead of the EU-China High-level Economic Dialogue at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, on June 25, 2018. [Photo/Agencies]
By MO JINGX China Daily/ANN
The signing of an investment agreement between China and the European Union can be expected soon, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday, noting that major progress has been achieved in recent talks.
“Negotiations on a China-EU investment agreement is currently the most important item on the agenda in economic and trade relations between the two sides,” Wang said at a regular news briefing in Beijing.
“We hope the agreement will come to fruition at an early date and offer an institutional framework of guarantees for the two sides’ trade cooperation and tangible benefits to their businesses and people,” he said.
Negotiations, which started in 2013, have aimed at reaching a higher-level agreement covering investment protection and market access.
Both China and the EU have expressed the hope on many occasions of speeding up the talks to fulfill the target of signing a deal by the end of this year.
This month, the two sides held the 35th round of negotiations, during which they conducted talks on the text of the agreement as well as remaining issues on their lists, and progress was achieved, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
A report in the South China Morning Post said the deal was likely to be clinched this week. It cited an EU diplomat with knowledge of the discussions as saying that on Monday, representatives of the EU member states “broadly welcomed the latest progress in the EU-China talks”.
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index rose by 12.24 points, or 0.84 per cent, to 1,474.19 in the morning session on Wednesday.
The SET gained positive sentiment from mass buy-ups of large-cap shares. However, the index is expected to come under pressure amid uncertainty over the quick rollout of US economic stimulus measures and Thailand’s rising Covid-19 cases.
Meanwhile, investors have been advised to beware of mass sell-offs of shares to reduce risks during the New Year holiday.
The top 10 stocks with the highest trade value in the morning session were Delta, GPSC, AEONTS, PTT, STGT, KEX, True, Banpu, EA and IVL.
The SET Index closed at 1,461.95 on Tuesday, up 9.28 points, or 0.64 per cent. Total transactions amounted to Bt77.71 billion, with an index high of 1,468.60 points and a low of 1,440.59.
The price of gold was unchanged in morning trade on Wednesday, the Gold Traders Association reported.
As of 9.22am, the buying price of a gold bar was Bt26,650 per baht weight and selling price Bt27,750, while gold ornaments cost Bt26,166.16 and Bt27,250, respectively.
The Comex (Commodity Exchange) gold price to be delivered in February rose by US$2.50, or 0.13 per cent, closing at $1,882.90 (Bt56,514) per ounce on Tuesday due to a weakening dollar.
However, the price rose slightly as some investors sold their safe-haven assets after US home prices hit the highest level in six years.
NCID senior staff nurse Sarah Lim, 46, receiving her vaccination in the Day Treatment Centre at NCID, on Dec 30, 2020. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
The country’s total trade revenue has hit $543.9 billion, up 5.1 per cent year-on-year. — VNA/VNS Photo
Korean Air aircraft at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul (Yonhap)
![An attendant walks past EU and China flags ahead of the EU-China High-level Economic Dialogue at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, on June 25, 2018. [Photo/Agencies]](https://media.nationthailand.com/images/news/2020/12/30/30400464/800_06fb17e63e45d75.jpeg?v=1609295819)
An attendant walks past EU and China flags ahead of the EU-China High-level Economic Dialogue at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, on June 25, 2018. [Photo/Agencies]
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