More people in Taiwan will soon be able to book their first COVID-19 jab, and those eligible for free seasonal flu shots can now begin to get their shots, which became available Friday, said Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (???).
Thanks to the latest shipments of 1.21 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT) COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday and Friday, three groups of people will be able to book their first shot in the next round of vaccinations beginning on Oct. 7, he said during a press briefing.
People aged 64 and above, those aged between 18 and 63 in the at-risk group because of rare or severe diseases, and people aged between 18 and 22 who registered for a BNT vaccine before Sept. 29 can make an appointment on the government vaccination website for a BNT jab between 10 a.m. on Oct. 4 and 4 p.m. on Oct. 5, Chen said.
On Thursday, 393,483 doses of different COVID-19 vaccine brands were administered in Taiwan, the most given in one day since the vaccination program was launched on March 22, according to data released by the Central Epidemic Command Center on Friday.
The CECC data showed 56.47 percent of Taiwan's 23.45 million population had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 11.25 percent have been fully vaccinated with two doses required.
Meanwhile, Chen urged people eligible for the flu vaccine, which began to be administered Friday, to get it because it helps prevent serious complications and death caused by influenza.
Taiwan only recorded two serious cases and one death caused by influenza during the previous flu season between October 2020 and September 2021, compared to 986 cases and 161 deaths a year earlier, Chen said.
He previously cited better personal hygiene and disease prevention measures against COVID-19 as reasons behind the drop in serious flu cases.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), those eligible for the flu vaccine are divided into two groups to distribute the government-funded flu vaccine in stages this year.
The first groups of people able to get the flu vaccine starting Friday include those ranging in age from 6 months to senior high school level; seniors over 64 years of age; and those with high-risk, chronic, rare, and serious diseases or severe injuries.
They also include pregnant women; parents of babies under 6 months old; employees at preschool and childcare centers; nursing home residents and workers; medical and quarantine personnel; people working in the poultry and livestock farming sector; and animal quarantine personnel.
The vaccination program will be expanded to cover people aged 50-64 on Nov. 15, said the CDC, noting that the government procured 6.32 million doses this year to cover around 27 percent of the population.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel