Selasa, 01 September 2020

Bedok double murder: Maid who killed elderly couple found guilty in Indonesian court - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - An Indonesian maid who killed and stole from an elderly couple in Bedok in 2017 will spend 20 years in jail in her home country after a trial there for the double murder.

The Indonesian court ruling was revealed on Tuesday (Sept 1) in a coroner's inquiry into the deaths of Mr Chia Ngim Fong, 79, and his wife Madam Chin Sek Fah, 78.

The coroner's court in Singapore heard that the maid Khasanah, who goes by only one name, was originally sentenced to life imprisonment in Indonesia but had the sentence reduced on appeal.

Khasanah, who escaped to Indonesia after the crime, was not handed over to the authorities in Singapore even though her offences were committed here.

Instead, the Indonesian national police (Polri) worked with the Singapore Police Force (SPF) to solve the crime, The Straits Times previously reported.

Khasanah, then 41, was not sent to Singapore due to the principle of personaliteit, which requires any Indonesian arrested in the country for a crime committed overseas to be processed in Indonesia instead of being sent to the jurisdiction where the offence took place.

Khasanah, who came from Java, had worked for the couple for about a month before the murders.

They were found tied up and unconscious in their five-room executive flat in Block 717 Bedok Reservoir Road on June 21, 2017.

In the coroner's inquiry on Tuesday, investigation officer Assistant Superintendent Mahathir Mohamad from SPF told State Coroner Kamala Ponnampalam that Mr Chia had suffered blunt force trauma to his head, while Madam Chin suffered blunt force trauma to her head and chest.


The hotel room in Jambi province that Khasanah stayed in while on the run. PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS

The court heard that Khasanah left for Indonesia via ferry from HarbourFront Centre at 1.20pm on June 21, 2017 after killing the pair and stealing from them.

ASP Mahathir said that after fleeing, Khasanah was in an Internet cafe in Indonesia when she was overheard talking to somebody over the phone about her offences.

Indonesian police were alerted and on June 28, 2017, they arrested her in Tungkal Ilir, in Jambi province in Sumatra after raiding her room at Hotel Nanber.

Tungkal Ilir is a town in West Tanjung Jabung, about a three-hour drive from provincial capital Jambi and more than 300km from Singapore.

Among the items found in her possession were several pieces of jewellery, watches, mobile phones, a laptop computer and cash amounting to no more than $300 in various currencies.

The hotel owner had earlier said that Khasanah was then in the midst of planning to leave for Java.

ASP Mahathir told the court on Tuesday that Khasanah's murder trial took place in an Indonesian court between Feb 27 and May 2, 2018. She was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.

This sentence was reduced to 20 years' jail following an appeal on Aug 15 that year. Reasons for this reduction were not revealed in court on Tuesday.

State Coroner Kamala will be giving her findings on Wednesday.

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2020-09-01 06:55:07Z
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Coronavirus: Singapore, Brunei launch green lane for essential travel, applications open from Sept 1 - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - Essential travel between Brunei and Singapore has been made possible following agreements by both countries to establish Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) facilities at both ends.

Applications open on Tuesday (Sept 1), with travellers required to observe some restrictions including controlled itineraries, a negative Covid-19 test prior to the trip and a swab test on arrival at their destination.

In a joint statement, Brunei's Foreign Affairs Ministry and Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: "Both sides have agreed on an arrangement to allow the safe resumption of cross-border movement of a limited number of people, with necessary safeguards in place to ensure the public health concerns of both countries are addressed."

How to apply

For those travelling from Brunei to Singapore, a Singapore government agency will apply for a SafeTravel Pass on their behalf.

When the SafeTravel Pass is approved, an approval letter will be issued to the traveller.

Following that, a Singapore government agency will log onto the SafeTravel Pass portal within 72 hours before the traveller's scheduled departure to submit the traveller's negative Covid-19 test result.

The Singapore government agency will also submit the traveller's controlled itinerary in Singapore for the first 14 days.

Approved travellers who are visa-required passport holders can proceed to apply for a visa for travel to Singapore through the usual channels.

For those who have an existing valid visa, the visa suspension that was in place due to Covid-19 will be automatically lifted when the SafeTravel Pass is approved. There is no need apply for a new visa.

For those travelling from Singapore to Brunei, the government agency in Brunei will file an application for an Entry Travel Pass on behalf of the traveller.

The Brunei government agency will submit the traveller's controlled itinerary in Brunei for the first 14 days.

When the Entry Travel Pass is granted, an approval letter will be issued.

Approved travellers who are visa-required passport holders can proceed to apply for a visa for travel to Brunei through the usual channels.

If an approved applicant has an existing valid visa, the visa suspension that was in place due to Covid-19 will be automatically lifted when the Entry Travel Pass is issued and there is no need to apply for a new visa.

Pre-Departure Measures

Those approved to travel from Singapore to Brunei must have remained in Singapore at least 14 days before departure.

They must undertake a Covid-19 test at least 72 hours before departure and obtain a certificate from Singapore health authorities for a negative Covid-19 test result.

They also have to download the BruHealth mobile application prior to departure from Singapore and ensure that they are in good health before boarding the flight.

These travellers will be required to produce the approved Entry Travel Pass, negative results of a Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours before departure, a valid return air ticket, valid proof of payment for post-arrival swab test and a valid visa for visa-required passport holders.

They also need to show proof of installation of the BruHealth app on their phone as well as submit a pre-trip health and travel history declaration when they check-in at the Singapore airport.

They may not be allowed to board otherwise.

Those approved to travel from Brunei to Singapore must have remained in Brunei for at least 14 days before departure.

They must undertake a Covid-19 swab test at least 72 hours before departure and obtain a certificate of having tested negative for Covid-19 from the Brunei authorities.

They must also ensure that they are in good health before boarding the flight.

Travellers from Brunei to Singapore will be required to submit pre-trip health and travel history declarations to the Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority via the SG Arrival Card prior to arriving in Singapore.

The traveller is also required to produce a valid SafeTravel Pass, negative results of a Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours before departure, a valid return air ticket or proof of other transportation arrangements to return to Brunei and a valid visa for visa-required passport holders when they check-in at the Brunei airport.

Travellers using the RGL between Brunei and Singapore will bear the cost of their pre-departure Covid-19 swab tests.

Post-Arrival Measures

Travellers arriving in Brunei from Singapore must produce a valid Entry Travel Pass, negative results of a Covid-19 swab test taken within 72 hours before departure and a valid visa (for visa-required passport holders) for immigration checks.

Otherwise, the traveller may be refused entry.

They are required to undertake a Covid-19 swab test while in isolation at a pre-declared accommodation.

They must remain within their declared accommodation, such as a hotel or serviced apartment, in isolation until they receive the test results.

Transport from the airport to the declared accommodation will be provided by the Brunei government agency, subject to prevailing health measures.

Travellers will bear the costs of the post-arrival Covid-19 test in Brunei, as well as their stay in the declared locations.

If the test result is negative, the Brunei government agency will transport the traveller directly from the declared accommodation to his workplace or residence.

Travellers are required to report their health condition daily on the BruHealth app for at least 14 days upon arrival, even after isolation.

The traveller must also scan in his locations at all times on the BruHealth app using the QR codes displayed at all premises.

If the test result is positive, the traveller will be accorded the necessary medical treatment by the Brunei government. The traveller will bear the cost of medical treatment in Brunei.

For travellers arriving in Singapore from Brunei, they must produce a valid SafeTravel Pass, negative results of a Covid-19 swab test taken within 72 hours before departure and a valid visa (for visa-required passport holders) for immigration checks. They may be refused entry otherwise.

They must also undertake a Covid-19 test upon arrival and remain in isolation in a declared self-sourced non-residential accommodation for one to two days until they receive their test results.

Transport from the airport to the declared accommodation will be provided by the Singapore government agency, subject to prevailing health measures.

Travellers will bear the costs of the post-arrival Covid-19 test in Singapore, as well as their stay in the declared locations.

If the test result is negative, the Singapore government agency will ensure that the traveller is transported directly from his declared accommodation to the location in his controlled itinerary.

Travellers in Singapore must subscribe to the relevant contact tracing mobile apps and technology solutions, including the TraceTogether app, that are in place during their stay in Singapore.

If the test result is positive, the traveller will be accorded the necessary medical treatment by the Singapore government. The traveller will bear the cost of medical treatment in Singapore.

Controlled Itinerary

Travellers have to adhere to a controlled itinerary that is supervised by the government agency of the country they are visiting for the duration of the visit or the first 14 days, whichever is shorter.

The government agency which is supporting the traveller's visit is responsible for ensuring that they abide by the regulations of the receiving country.

Returning Singapore-based travellers will be subject to the prevailing health measures for RGL travellers in Singapore, while returning Brunei-based travellers will be subject to the prevailing health measures for RGL travellers in Brunei.

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2020-09-01 07:47:52Z
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Fewer than 1 in 10 choose to participate in Hong Kong's free mass testing for Covid-19 - The Straits Times

HONG KONG  - The government rolled out its free universal testing for Covid-19 on Tuesday (Sept 1), but some have called for a boycott of the voluntary mass exercise to try and identify those infected.

Close to 600,000 people - about 8 per cent of the population - have signed up to get themselves tested  as of Tuesday morning.

Of the 141 centres opened across the city, 97 centres have been fully booked on Day 1 of the exercise, while at least 14 were fully booked for the rest of the week.

When asked about whether the sign-up rate is far short of the government’s expectations, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said  that “the universal community testing programme is a service meant for those who want to do it”  and that there is no particular target number the government wants to achieve.

“There’s also a service to enable us to identify the remaining infected cases in the community so that we could return to normal as soon as possible,” the chief executive said, referring to the government’s existing programme to test those deemed at high risk, including drivers and the elderly.

Mrs Lam reiterated that about a quarter of the confirmed Covid-19 cases are without symptoms and “that is a very worrying trend”.

Hong Kong’s daily confirmed cases have fallen steadily from the highs of over 100 a month ago after the government expanded social distancing measures drastically, including imposing a ban on dining in services for dinner and making it mandatory to wear masks outdoors even while exercising.

On Monday (Aug 31), the health authorities said the city added nine new confirmed infections, bringing the tally to 4,810, including 89 deaths. 

The same day, Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung announced that classes in schools will resume in two phases later in September.

On Tuesday, queues were spotted at some centres earlier in the day but others,  such as Tseung Kwan O Sports Centre, were largely empty.

Ms Sandra Han, 26, a Tseung Kwan O resident, said there were more staff stationed at the centre than people taking the tests, adding that her experience was better than anticipated.

“I thought there might be a lot of people and I was worried about being infected there, but the waiting area, sampling area and  registration area are far apart. Besides, the sampling is very fast, less than five minutes from entering to exiting,” said Ms Han.

The mass testing  is being carried out with the help of a  team from mainland China, with  some pan-democrats and activists calling for a boycott.

They said having large groups of people gathered in the centres could lead to more infection clusters and that the programme would not significantly ease the pandemic situation and could give people a false sense of security.

Previously, the government has had to dismiss rumours that the DNA of those tested would be collected by the mainland team sent over to help with the mass testing and sent to Chinese authorities.

Mrs Lam, who previously slammed the rumours as a smear campaign, said ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting that the purpose of the exercise has nothing to do with the government’s popularity but is part of   efforts against the coronavirus pandemic.

She added that there is a group that is trying “to cause worries and fears amongst the people so that they will have less confidence coming forward”. 

  

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2020-09-01 06:17:55Z
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Canberra says it was not told why Australian journalist detained in China - CNA

SYDNEY: Australia's trade minister Simon Birmingham said Canberra didn't know why Chinese authorities had detained Australian citizen Cheng Lei, as he warned that the risks for Australian businesses engaged with China had changed.

The Australian government confirmed on Monday (Aug 31) evening that Cheng, a high-profile business anchor on Chinese state television, had been detained two weeks ago.

"Cheng Lei is an Australian, a journalist who has been working in China for some period of time. I've actually met her and been interviewed by her while overseas myself. I feel for her family very much at this point in time, and it's why we will do what we can to assist her, as we would and have any Australian in these sorts of circumstances," Birmingham told ABC radio.

The Australian embassy was given consular access to Cheng via video link on Aug 27, he said. Cheng has two children, both in Australia.

Australia's former ambassador to China, Geoff Raby, a business consultant, said Cheng was a longtime friend and experienced journalist, who had interviewed him many times for her business programme.

Business reporting is not usually seen as politically sensitive in China, he said, adding that he was astonished she had been detained.

"She held a degree of scepticism towards some Chinese media, but she was equally strong in arguing China's case if foreign reporting mischaracterised China or was not based on facts," Raby told Reuters in an interview.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement that Chinese authorities should disclose their reasons for holding Cheng or release her.

Steven Butler, CPJ's Asia programme coordinator, said, "China - the world's number one jailer of journalists - must make clear whether her detention has anything to do with her media work."

Tensions between Australia and China have been high this year, after Australia in April called for an international investigation into the source of the coronavirus pandemic.

Beijing has said it was angered by the move, and has since blocked Australian beef imports, placed dumping tariffs on Australian barley, and launched an anti-dumping investigation into Australian wine.

READ: China warns citizens of 'arbitrary' searches in Australia

Birmingham told television network Nine that many of the trade measures lacked substance.

"I've been very concerned at the number of different trade issues that have come our way this year, that I think changes the risk profile for Australian businesses in engaging with China," he said.

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2020-09-01 02:16:23Z
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Senin, 31 Agustus 2020

Commentary: Japan's longest serving PM has run out of time on unfinished business - CNA

CANBERRA: Abe’s abrupt resignation on Friday as prime minister of Japan was a surprise to many but not entirely unexpected given his health issues and the precedent he set in 2007 with an equally sudden resignation on health grounds.

Other considerations behind his decision are also important. Most obvious was his unprecedented loss of popularity as prime minister in recent months.

Despite solid support rates for more than seven years, Abe presided over a steady decline in support for his Cabinet as 2020 marched onwards. January’s cherry blossom-viewing scandal that saw the use of public resources for his private political advantage marked an inauspicious start to the year.

Then coronavirus swept in. A Jiji Press opinion poll in August recorded an approval rating of just 32.7 per cent – close to the "red zone" of below 30 per cent, reached only once before during his prime ministership.

Numerous commentators attributed the trend to the public’s poor evaluation of the prime minister’s pandemic leadership, and it is clear that this was an important factor at work undermining his popular support.

READ: Commentary: Will replacing Abe leave Japan in limbo?

READ: Commentary: Japan shows how not to deal with a COVID-19 outbreak

MISSING IN ACTION AMID PANDEMIC

What was unprecedented was the uncharacteristically unresponsive way in which Abe reacted to the slide. 

The particular decisions that Abe made to deal with the pandemic were criticised, such as those reflecting his ill-conceived judgement over where to strike the balance between shutting down to curb the spread of the virus and opening up to boost the economy.

Prefectural governors, such as Tokyo’s Yuriko Koike and Osaka’s Hirofumi Yoshimura, were praised for their clear articulation of the COVID-19 threat and their role in pressuring the dawdling Abe administration into calling a state of emergency.

READ: Commentary: Yuriko Koike, the woman who may be Japan's first female prime minister

Low levels of COVID-19 testing, confusion and slowness around stimulus payments and lagged roll-out of poor-quality face masks, derided as “Abenomasks”, all indicated a government with a weak grip on things.

Another important factor in play was the nature of Abe’s leadership at this crucial time. Abe was increasingly seen as “missing in action”. The headlines of Aug 5, for example, asked, “COVID-19 cases are climbing in Japan. Where is Shinzo Abe?”

Visitors wearing protective face masks are seen at Yasukuni Shrine for the war dead, amid the coron
Visitors wearing protective face masks are seen at Yasukuni Shrine for the war dead, ahead of the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Tokyo, Japan, August 14, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato

Also noted was Abe’s reluctance to hold official news conferences and convene an extraordinary Diet session to discuss the government’s responses to the pandemic.

It looked as if Abe was deliberately trying to avoid personal accountability as prime minister on a critical issue for the nation while largely handing things over to the relevant ministers, such as Yasutoshi Nishimura, the Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy, who was in charge of the government’s response to the coronavirus and who held an extraordinary number of press conferences to provide information to the public.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga also played a prominent role as de facto prime minister, with Abe openly called a “lame duck” – inconceivable a year ago – developments not helped by rumours that he was in poor health.

READ: Japan's Suga to join race to succeed PM Abe: Reports

READ: Commentary: Pulling off 2021 Olympics is a win Japan needs

LACKLUSTRE PERFORMANCE AS PM

Far from scrambling to make amends with new and called-for government initiatives, Abe’s performance as prime minister remained lacklustre and disengaged.

The prime minister’s decision to step down suggests that helping his nation beat coronavirus did not rate highly as a policy issue for Abe. Rather, it was an unwelcome, energy-sapping, all-consuming diversion and an obstacle to achieving his historic mission as prime minister.

The long-held policy objectives that comprised Abe’s nationalist agenda were slipping ever more steadily and elusively from his grasp: Most importantly, revising the Article 9 “peace clause” of the Constitution to explicitly legitimise the existence of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, restoring Japanese sovereignty over the Russian-held Northern Territories and securing the return of Japanese abductees from North Korea.

Even his signature Abenomics programme was being scuppered by COVID-19 with the government facing difficult decisions in dealing with the economic fallout from the virus.

READ: Abenomics fails to deliver as Japan braces for post-Abe era

FILE PHOTO: A man wearing a protective face mask, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outb
FILE PHOTO: A man wearing a protective face mask, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, walks in front of a stock quotation board outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan, May 18, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

READ: Commentary: Japan really needs to get cracking on coronavirus testing

These considerations on top of his health were clearly crucial in accounting for Abe’s political unresponsiveness and his increasingly spiritless performance as prime minister. They all weighed into his decision to step down. Dealing with the coronavirus created a clear disjunction between the heavy policy demands being made of Abe and his own personal policy ambitions and goals.

Factors beyond Abe’s control – COVID-19 in combination with his personal health problems and a singularly unfavourable policy outlook for the next year – made it extremely unlikely that Abe could achieve his long-cherished goals even if he remained in office until the official end of his tenure in September 2021.

Now, after seven years and eight months, the longest run of any Japanese prime minister in the history of the Diet, his immediate successor is guaranteed office for only one year. This throws an element of uncertainty into what was a long period of Japanese political stability.

The tide of history had turned against Abe; he ran out of time and became a prime minister without a cause he could deliver.

Aurelia George Mulgan is Professor at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the University of New South Wales, Canberra. This commentary first appeared on East Asia Forum.

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2020-08-31 22:15:15Z
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Taiwan says China still lacks ability for full assault on island - CNA

TAIPEI: China's armed forces are growing in their prowess but still lack the capability to launch a full assault on Taiwan, the island's defence ministry said on Monday (Aug 31).

Beijing is stepping up military activities around what it views as sovereign territory. It has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, a message reiterated by President Xi Jinping last year, though Taiwan has shown no interest in being run by Beijing.

Xi is overseeing an impressive military modernisation programme, adding stealth fighters, aircraft carriers and other equipment, and the Chinese air force and navy have undertaken regular exercises or missions close to Taiwan.

READ: China's military budget growth slows to 6.6%

In its annual report on China's military prowess delivered to parliament, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, Taiwan's Defence Ministry laid out scenarios for Chinese actions, including blockades and seizing offshore islands.

It said China's military continues to dedicate itself to strengthening live fire drills, building its strength for new types of battle and developing emerging technology and weapons.

"But on the operation of tactics and strategy toward Taiwan, it is still restricted by the natural geographic environment of the Taiwan Strait, and its landing equipment and logistics abilities are insufficient," it added.

"It still does not have the formal combat capability to fully assault Taiwan."

READ: Amid heightened tensions, Taiwan tells China not to underestimate its resolve

President Tsai Ing-wen has made bolstering Taiwan's own defences a priority, building up its domestic defence industry and buying more equipment from the United States, the island's most important arms supplier and international backer.

READ: Taiwan to raise defence spending as China details combat drills

Tsai says she wants peace with China and will not provoke conflict, but last week voiced concern about accidental hostilities erupting due to increased regional tensions.

Taiwan's defence ministry said it was continuing to pay close attention to Chinese threats, both actual and verbal, and while it did not seek war, it was also not afraid of it.

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2020-08-31 11:56:42Z
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Scientists see downsides to top COVID-19 vaccines from Russia, China - CNA

TORONTO: High-profile COVID-19 vaccines developed in Russia and China share a potential shortcoming: They are based on a common cold virus that many people have been exposed to, potentially limiting their effectiveness, some experts say.

CanSino Biologics' vaccine, approved for military use in China, is a modified form of adenovirus type 5, or Ad5. The company is in talks to get emergency approval in several countries before completing large-scale trials, the Wall Street Journal reported last week.

READ: China grants country's first COVID-19 vaccine patent to CanSino: State media

A vaccine developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute, approved in Russia earlier this month despite limited testing, is based on Ad5 and a second less common adenovirus.

"The Ad5 concerns me just because a lot of people have immunity," said Anna Durbin, a vaccine researcher at Johns Hopkins University. "I'm not sure what their strategy is ... maybe it won't have 70 per cent efficacy. It might have 40 per cent efficacy, and that's better than nothing, until something else comes along."

Vaccines are seen as essential to ending the pandemic that has claimed over 845,000 lives worldwide. Gamaleya has said its two-virus approach will address Ad5 immunity issues.

Both developers have years of experience and approved Ebola vaccines based on Ad5. Neither CanSino nor Gamaleya responded to requests for comment.

READ: When can you get a COVID-19 vaccine? Five things you should know

Researchers have experimented with Ad5-based vaccines against a variety of infections for decades, but none are widely used. They employ harmless viruses as "vectors" to ferry genes from the target virus – in this case the coronavirus – into human cells, prompting an immune response to fight the actual virus.

But many people already have antibodies against Ad5, which could cause the immune system to attack the vector instead of responding to the coronavirus, making these vaccines less effective.

Several researchers have chosen alternative adenoviruses or delivery mechanisms. Oxford University and AstraZeneca based their COVID-19 vaccine on a chimpanzee adenovirus, avoiding the Ad5 issue. Johnson & Johnson's candidate uses Ad26, a comparatively rare strain.

READ: Commentary: Making, distributing COVID-19 vaccine in good time may depend on India's manufacturing might

Dr Zhou Xing, from Canada's McMaster University, worked with CanSino on its first Ad5-based vaccine, for tuberculosis, in 2011. His team is developing an inhaled Ad5 COVID-19 vaccine, theorising it could circumvent pre-existing immunity issues.

"The Oxford vaccine candidate has quite an advantage" over the injected CanSino vaccine, he said.

Xing also worries that high doses of the Ad5 vector in the CanSino vaccine could induce fever, fuelling vaccine scepticism.

"I think they will get good immunity in people that don't have antibodies to the vaccine, but a lot of people do," said Dr Hildegund Ertl, director of the Wistar Institute Vaccine Center in Philadelphia.

In China and the United States, about 40 per cent of people have high levels of antibodies from prior Ad5 exposure. In Africa, it could be has high as 80 per cent, experts said.

READ: Factbox: China's coronavirus vaccine development efforts

HIV RISK

Some scientists also worry an Ad5-based vaccine could increase chances of contracting HIV.

In a 2004 trial of a Merck Ad5-based HIV vaccine, people with pre-existing immunity became more, not less, susceptible to the virus that causes AIDS.

Researchers, including top US infectious diseases expert Dr Anthony Fauci, in a 2015 paper said the side effect was likely unique to HIV vaccines. But they cautioned that HIV incidence should be monitored during and after trials of all Ad5-based vaccines in at-risk populations.

READ: US floats idea of early approval for eventual COVID-19 vaccine

"I would be worried about the use of those vaccines in any country or any population that was at risk of HIV, and I put our country as one of them," said Dr Larry Corey, co-leader of the US Coronavirus Vaccine Prevention Network, who was a lead researcher on the Merck trial.

Gamaleya's vaccine will be administered in two doses: The first based on Ad26, similar to Johnson & Johnson's candidate, and the second on Ad5.

Alexander Gintsburg, Gamaleya's director, has said the two-vector approach addresses the immunity issue. Ertl said it might work well enough in individuals who have been exposed to one of the two adenoviruses.

Many experts expressed scepticism about the Russian vaccine after the government declared its intention to give it to high-risk groups in October without data from large pivotal trials.

"Demonstrating safety and efficacy of a vaccine is very important," said Dr Dan Barouch, a Harvard vaccine researcher who helped design Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine. Often, he noted, large-scale trials "do not give the result that is expected or required".

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2020-08-31 10:58:51Z
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