Another COVID vaccine

A COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by the Institute of Microbiology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences has shown to be safe in early-stage trials, suggesting potential for further clinical tests.

The results of phase I and phase II trials support the safety and immunogenicity of this recombinant subunit vaccine in healthy participants, and no serious adverse events have been found so far, the institute said in a statement on Friday. The vaccine was issued with a clinical research permit from the National Medical Products Administration on June 19.

Long-range objectives

The Communist Party of China (CPC) has raised a set of long-range objectives for China to basically achieve socialist modernization by 2035.

The targets were unveiled in a communique released after the fifth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee ended in Beijing on Thursday. The session also adopted the CPC Central Committee’s proposals for the formulation of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035.

Wrongfully jailed man

Zhang Yuhuan, a man from Jiangxi Province who had his name cleared in August after 27 years of wrongful detention, received a state compensation of more than 4.96 million yuan (US$738,754) on Friday from a local court.

The compensation decision made by the Jiangxi High People’s Court includes about 3.39 million yuan for Zhang’s wrongful detention and 1.57 million yuan for Zhang’s mental anguish, said Luo Jinshou, Zhang’s lawyer. It was the highest compensation given to an acquitted person on record in the country, according to ThePaper, a Shanghai-based online news portal.

Quiet carriage

The Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway, one of China’s busiest high-speed rail lines, will launch a quiet carriage service to provide passengers with a quieter, more comfortable traveling experience, according to the country’s railway operator.

The service is expected to start trial operation as early as December 23 with no specific regulations released yet, said China State Railway Group. Passengers who are willing to follow protocols would be able to choose the quiet carriages when purchasing train tickets on 12306.cn.(SD-Agencies)