Three people experienced discomfort after receiving the locally developed Medigen COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, the first day it was administered, according to Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung (???).
In a regular press briefing, Chen said the three were a foreign national, a 47-year-old Taiwanese man, and a 26-year-old Taiwanese woman.
According to Chen, their blood pressure dropped and heart rate rose after they received the shots, made by Taiwan-based Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp., but they all recovered later.
The foreign national fell to the floor after getting inoculated and her heart rate went up to 122 per minute, but she quickly recovered, Chen said.
The Taiwanese woman lost her consciousness temporarily after the jab, while the Taiwanese man felt short of breath and wanted to vomit, Chen said, adding that both of them were taken to the hospital and were sent home after being checked.
Chen said the symptoms experienced by the three were likely caused by needle phobia, and he urged people to stay relaxed during the process as the vaccine has been tested on many people already.
He also advised patients with chronic diseases to postpone their inoculation until their conditions are stable.
A high percentage of people who made appointments to get the vaccine Monday morning showed up, according to data provided by two inoculation sites, and most of the recipients were young people.
At Taipei Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 292 of the 300 people who booked a slot received a shot, a turnout rate of 97.3 percent, while National Taiwan University Hospital had a turnout rate of 94.68 percent.
Though the turnout rate was high, acceptance of the Medigen vaccine in Taiwan has been limited.
There are still roughly 9 million to 10 million people of adult age who have yet to receive even one vaccine shot, but only 599,613 people have registered for the Medigen vaccine even though it is the main vaccine currently available in Taiwan for a first shot.
A total of 614,204 doses of the vaccine have been inspected and cleared by Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be administered.
But because the number of people registering to get the vaccine have fallen short of the amount available, a new round of registration for the vaccine opened at 10 a.m. Monday and will close at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The Medigen vaccine has been controversial because it was granted emergency use authorization (EUA) in July without having started Phase 3 clinical trials to obtain data on how effectively it protects people against COVID-19.
It has only completed an enlarged Phase 2/3 trial of just under 4,000 people people in Taiwan that did not generate any efficacy data, but the vaccine was approved because it generated antibodies that were no worse than those created by AstraZeneca's vaccine.
A Taiwanese surnamed Hou (?) told CNA while waiting his turn for the jab that although Medigen was not his top choice for a vaccine, he decided to take it because its supply might be more stable as it is produced locally.
Another Taiwanese, surnamed Chen (?), said she had confidence in the safety of the Medigen vaccine because most of the comments from people who participated in Medigen clinical trials found online were positive.
Only about 40 percent of Taiwan's population of 23.5 million people have gotten a first vaccination shot, and less than 3 percent have received the two shots needed to be fully vaccinated.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel