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In today's bulletin: Trials show Oxford vaccine is effective; Trump's aide asks Vietnam to curb China shipments; South Korea's new restrictions to curb coronavirus infections; Singapore economy to grow; former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn's arrest 'extrajudicial abuse', says UN; and more.

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Oxford and AstraZeneca vaccine up to 90% effective

Oxford University and biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca announced today that the vaccine being developed by them could be 90 per cent effective, adding to hopes that people will soon have effective vaccines against coronavirus.

The announcement comes just weeks after the company suspended trials of the vaccine after one person took ill. AstraZeneca's statement today said no serious safety events tied to the event had been confirmed.

Audrey Tan, ST's Science and Environment Correspondent writes that under the dosing regimen where volunteers were first given half a dose of the vaccine, followed by a full dose at least one month apart, efficacy was 90 per cent. But when volunteers were given two full doses at least one month apart, efficacy was 62 per cent. The overall efficacy, from the tests involving 11,000 people, was 70 per cent, the company said in a statement.

Pfizer and Moderna, which are the other vaccine front runners, have reported positive findings from their preliminary trials as well.

Also read

Pfizer, Moderna Covid-19 vaccines may be authorised for use in US within weeks

Trump aide tells Vietnam to curb China shipments; US Navy official visits Taiwan

America's national security adviser Robert O'Brien asked Vietnam to curb the illegal re-routing of Chinese exports and purchase more US goods to avoid American tariffs, during a stopover. He also expressed concern about Chinese actions to prevent Vietnam from tapping into offshore resources such as fish and natural gas.

While there was no statement from Vietnam on the visit, Hanoi is looking to reset ties with Washington under a Biden presidency. Meanwhile, Mr O'Brien was in the Philippines today to discuss bilateral ties. While the two countries have been allies in the past, relations have taken a hit under President Rodrigo Duterte's term.

In another development, signalling greater US interest in the region, a two-star Navy admiral overseeing US military intelligence in the Asia-Pacific region made an unannounced visit to Taiwan, in a high-level trip that could vex China.

Don't miss The Great Reset in US-Asia ties

South Korea tightens anti-virus measures; infections hit half million in Indonesia

Coronavirus continued flaring up in parts of Asia forcing South Korea to impose new measures to curb its spread, while in Indonesia the number of infections crossed the half a million mark. Meanwhile, an increase in the number of cases in Hong Kong to 73 during the latest wave is disappointing those eyeing the opening of a travel bubble between Singapore and Hong Kong.

South Korea's Second Health Vice-Minister Kang Do-tae has warned that the third wave of the pandemic is already under way, and it is harder to contain as the virus is spreading silently in small social gatherings where people tend to take off masks, and not due to big gatherings like the two previous waves.

In Indonesia, public health experts say shortfalls in testing and contact tracing and a consistently high positivity rate indicate the real numbers are likely to be significantly higher. And officials in the city of Hong Kong feared the spread of silent transmission chains, given the rise in the number of asymptomatic infections.

Singapore economy to return to growth in 2021

Singapore is set to join economies, among them China and Japan, that are looking at more promising growth prospects next year.

Singapore's economic growth will rebound in 2021 by the most in a decade, helped by a low base, but gross domestic product will probably not return to pre-Covid-19 levels until the end of next year, reports Senior Correspondent Ovais Subhani.

The economy will also contract by 6.5 to 6.0 per cent in 2020, compared to the previous estimate of -7 to -5 per cent, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said today while presenting the Economic Survey of Singapore.

Overall, the economy is expected to grow by 4.0 to 6.0 per cent in 2021 - the highest since at least 2011 when the economy expanded by 6.3 per cent.

Also read

Singapore is turning the corner, but long way to go still in economic recovery: Chan Chun Sing

Carlos Ghosn's repeated arrests in Japan were 'extrajudicial abuse', says UN

Carlos Ghosn's detention for almost 130 days in a Japanese jail was neither necessary nor reasonable and violated the former Nissan chairman's human rights, a UN panel has said, in a surprisingly harsh critique of Tokyo prosecutors who led the case against him. The decision to arrest Ghosn four times in a row so as to extend his detention was "fundamentally unfair", it said. The case would now be refered to the UN's rapporteur on torture, cruel and other inhuman or degrading treatment.

In other news...

JB-Singapore RTS Link project to finish by 2026: Malaysian Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong has assured Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, that the Rapid Transit System Link between Johor Baru and Singapore will be completed within the stipulated time frame, a report said.

Joshua Wong, other activists plead guilty at trial: Prominent Hong Kong dissident Joshua Wong and two other leading activists pleaded guilty today at the start of a trial over their involvement in last year's protests, with the trio saying they were expecting jail terms.

Thailand no longer top overseas destination for Chinese tourists: Thailand has lost its spot as the most popular cross-border destination for tourists from mainland China, according to a new survey, as neighbouring Japan and South Korea moved up the list.

Thanks for reading this newsletter & The Straits Times. We'll be back with you with more on all that's happening in this region, tomorrow.

Shefali