Use of vaccines

The country has already authorized emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines developed by domestic companies, a senior health official said on Saturday.

Zheng Zhongwei, head of China’s COVID-19 vaccine development task force and an official at the National Health Commission, said the emergency use, which is in accordance with the Chinese vaccine management law, allows vaccine candidates to be used for a limited period of time among certain people at high risk of contracting the disease, such as medical workers, front-line pandemic control workers and Customs workers. Applications for the emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines started on April 4.

Mekong nations

China will give priority to providing COVID-19 vaccines to Mekong countries once a vaccine is developed and put into use, Premier Li Keqiang said on Monday.

Li made the remarks when attending the third Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) leaders’ meeting via video link. China will set up special funds to promote public health under the framework of the LMC Special Fund, and continue to provide anti-epidemic materials and technical support to Mekong countries, Li said.

Fake admission letters

Businesses that fabricate certificates such as university admission letters and sell them online are being targeted after the story of a high school graduate who bought a fake letter for a renowned university to fool his parents made media headlines.

Though it is still unknown where the boy ordered the letter, as the investigation is ongoing, the news has focused public attention on similar products on e-commerce site Taobao. The Internet security department of Alibaba, parent company of Taobao, said on Thursday that the company had punished online manufacturers and retailers involved in fake documents, and had informed authorities.

Authority admonished

The National Education Examination Authority, under the Ministry of Education, has admonished the provincial exam authority in East China’s Zhejiang over the leak of a student’s essay in this year’s college entrance exams.

The local authority was urged to promptly investigate the incident and handle it in accordance with the law and regulations. (SD-Agencies)