Medical counters help Shanghai index move higher

Shanghai stocks rose 0.39 percent to 2,235.44 points by midday trading break. Shares in the medical equipment and vaccine sectors paced the gain.

On August 16, a national-level meeting was held to promote domestic medical equipment, in which more than 20 domestic companies took part. The market got a boost from the action.

Shinva Medical Instrument gained 4.19 percent to 35.29 yuan (US$5.69), while Top Choice Medical Investment added 1.06 percent to 46.68 yuan.

The increasing threat of the Ebola virus helped an upward trend in vaccine-related shares.

Shandong Lukang Pharmaceutical rose 3.82 percent to 6.79 yuan, while Jiangsu Lianhuan Pharmaceutical was up 3.66 percent to 14.45 yuan.