VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

BioNTech and Pfizer (PFE.N) said on Wednesday a three-shot course of their COVID-19 vaccine was able to neutralise the new Omicron variant in a laboratory test and said they could deliver an upgraded vaccine in March 2022 if needed.

BioNTech and Pifzer are the first manufacturers of a COVID vaccine to issue an official update on the efficacy of their shot against Omicron.

The German and U.S. companies said two doses of their vaccine resulted in significantly lower neutralising antibodies but a third dose boosted those antibodies by a factor of 25.

In the first official statement from manufacturers on the efficacy of their vaccine against Omicron, they said two doses resulted in significantly lower neutralising antibodies but a third dose boosted those antibodies by a factor of 25.

The Omicron variant was neutralised in samples of blood taken around a month after the third shot about as effectively as two doses neutralised the original virus identified in China.

"Ensuring as many people as possible are fully vaccinated with the first two dose series and a booster remains the best course of action to prevent the spread of COVID-19," Pfizer boss Albert Bourla said in the statement.

The Omicron variant, first detected in southern Africa last month, has triggered global alarm about another surge in infections. Cases have already been reported from Japan to the United States and across Europe.

The World Health Organization classified Omicron on Nov. 26 as a "variant of concern" but said there was no evidence to support the need for new vaccines specifically designed to tackle the variant and its mutations. read more

Nevertheless, the companies said they would continue efforts to bring an Omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine to market. Work had started when the variant first raised concern on Nov. 25.

They said their planned production of 4 billion doses of the Comirnaty vaccine in 2022 was not expected to change if an adapted vaccine was required.

The findings are broadly in line with a preliminary study published by researchers at the Africa Health Research Institute in South Africa on Tuesday, which said Omicron could partially evade protection from two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and suggested a third shot might help fend off infection.

Research on the new variant is still at an early stage. Laboratory analysis at University Hospital Frankfurt in Germany found the ability to mount an antibody response to Omicron in people who had three shots was up to 37 times lower than the response to Delta. read more

"The companies believe that vaccinated individuals may still be protected against severe forms of the disease," BioNTech and Pfizer said, although lab data and real-world monitoring had yet to yield new insights.

The vast majority of surface structures on the Omicron spike protein targeted by the T-cells, which typically emerge after vaccination, are not affected by Omicron's mutations, they said.

T-cells are the second pillar of an immune response, alongside antibodies, and are believed to prevent severe disease by attacking infected human cells.

For their analysis, the two companies used a virus that was bio-engineered to have the hallmark mutations of Omicron, known as a pseudovirus, and blood was collected from subjects three weeks after a second vaccine dose or one month after a third.

There is no significant data yet on how vaccines from Moderna (MRNA.O), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) and other drugmakers hold up against the new variant but they are expected to release their own data within weeks. (Reuters)

A Malaysian court on Wednesday upheld former premier Najib Razak's conviction on corruption charges over a multi-billion dollar scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), dealing a blow to his hopes of a political comeback.

Najib was appealing a 12-year prison sentence and $50 million fine imposed by Kuala Lumpur High Court last year for criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering, one of five trials he is facing over corruption allegations.

The 1MDB case, which a U.S. attorney-general described as the worst form of kleptocracy, has cast a shadow over Malaysian politics since questions about the fund first emerged years ago.

U.S. and Malaysian authorities say $4.5 billion was believed to have been stolen and more than $1 billion made its way into Najib's personal accounts.

Najib has consistently denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty at the trial last year though the court found he had illegally received about $10 million from SRC International, a former unit of now-defunct 1MDB.

Court of Appeal Judge Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil, who led a three-member panel on the decision, said they agreed unanimously with the high court on Najib's conviction and sentencing, and dismissed his defence that all his actions regarding SRC were in the national interest.

"There is no national interest here, just a national embarrassment," Abdul Karim said.

The judge also said the evidence showed Najib knew or had reason to believe the funds in his accounts were proceeds of illegal activities and had failed to take steps to determine them as such.

Wearing a black suit, Najib showed no emotion as the judgment was read out and was seen taking notes occasionally during the hearing.

His appeal has been closely watched amid fears that ruling party leaders facing criminal charges could secure leniency after the return of Najib's party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), to power in August.

'I DID NOT KNOW'

Najib has been free on bail pending the appeal, and Abdul Karim agreed to his request to be released on bail again and stayed the sentence.

At a virtual briefing after the verdict, Najib said he was disappointed with the decision and would appeal at the Federal Court, Malaysia's top tribunal.

"I did not know and I did not ask and I did not order anyone to move the 42 million ringgit ($9.95 million) to my account," Najib said.

Prosecutor V. Sithambaram told reporters Najib's appeal process at the top court could take up to nine months.

Najib faces a total of 42 criminal charges and five trials, including the SRC case, but remains influential and has been eyeing a political comeback, telling Reuters in September he has not ruled out seeking re-election to parliament.

He remains a lawmaker despite the conviction but the constitution bars him from contesting elections unless he gets a pardon or a reprieve from the country's monarch.

Adib Zalkapli, director of political risk consultancy BowerGroupAsia, said an acquittal would have given Najib the chance to reclaim the top job.

"But with the court's decision to uphold the guilty verdict, he has to wait a little longer before he could potentially make a credible comeback," he said.

Polls are not due until 2023 but analysts have said they could be called as early as the middle of next year, when a cooperation pact signed between the government and the opposition expires.

Asked if he would contest the next election, Najib told the news conference: "We will cross the bridge when we come to it." (Reuters)

South Korea will consider expanding home treatment of COVID-19 patients, a health official said on Wednesday, as both new daily infections and severe cases hit record highs, putting hospital capacity under strain.

Infections in South Korea have skyrocketed this month after the government began to ease restrictions under a so-called "living with COVID-19" scheme in November.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 7,175 new coronavirus cases and 63 deaths for Tuesday, the first time daily infections topped 7,000, while hospitals treated a record 840 critical and serious cases. read more

"It is important to retain or reduce the trend of the current scale of the severely-ill patients within a week or two," Son Young-rae, a senior health ministry official, told a news conference.

He said the government may need to make significant adjustments to the healthcare system if daily cases top 10,000, and consider expanding at-home treatment from around 50% currently, as four-fifths of COVID-19 patients are symptomless or have only mild symptoms.

Less than 3% of the COVID-19 patients were hospitalised in the UK, 6.95% in Singapore and 12.8% in Japan, Son said.

The government will mobilise additional personnel to oversee coronavirus patients treating themselves at home and improve the emergency transfer system to hospitals for those who develop severe symptoms, Kim told a COVID-19 response meeting. Private clinics will also treat COVID-19 patients in addition to large hospitals.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum urged the elderly to get booster shots with people aged 60 and above accounting for 35% of infections were and 84% of severe cases. He also urged adolescents to get vaccinated.

South Korea has so far confirmed 38 cases of the Omicron variant.

With 80% of South Korea's cases located in greater Seoul, authorities have struggled to secure enough beds for hospitalised patients in the area.

South Korea imposed stricter measures on Monday, including reduced numbers of people allowed at private gatherings and expanding vaccine pass mandates. read more

The country has so far reported a total of 489,484 COVID-19 cases, with 4,020 deaths. It has fully vaccinated 91.8% of its adult population aged 18 and above, KDCA data showed. (Reuters)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Britain for a Group of Seven ministers meeting before visiting Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand from Dec. 9-17, the State Department said on Wednesday.

At the G7 meeting in Liverpool Dec. 10-12, Blinken will speak with G7 members and countries joining as guests, including Australia, India, the Republic of Korea, and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the department said.

Security matters including the buildup of Russian forces on Ukraine’s border, COVID-19 vaccines, global infrastructure and growth in the Indo-Pacific region will be on the agenda, it said.

From there, Blinken will go to Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand on Dec. 13-16 to discuss regional issues including the situation in Myanmar, the department said. He will wrap up his trip with a stop in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Dec. 17 to meet with INDOPACOM Commander Admiral John Aquilino. (Reuters)