Japan working to provide Taiwan with COVID-19 vaccine: report
ROC Central News Agency
06/03/2021 05:41 PM
Tokyo and Taipei, June 3 (CNA) Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Thursday said during a legislative session that Japan's government is working to supply COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan this month, according to a report from Kyodo News Japan.
According to the report, Motegi told legislators that Taiwan has an urgent need for vaccines right now because local production capability will only become available at the beginning of July.
He mentioned Taiwan's donation of cash and goods to Japan during a devastating earthquake in northeastern Japan in 2011, adding that both sides "should help each other during difficult times."
Last Friday, Motegi said at a press conference in Tokyo that the Japanese government is considering providing excess COVID-19 vaccines to other countries and regions, including Taiwan.
Taro Kono, Japan's minister for administrative and regulatory reform, who is also in charge of vaccine programs, recently revealed that Tokyo was discussing providing some of its AstraZeneca vaccine to Taiwan, as it can be transported and stored more easily than the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vacinnes.
The development came amid a surge in locally-transmitted cases in Taiwan that started in mid-May.
Over the past three weeks, Taiwan's domestic COVID-19 infections have surged to more than 8,500, with 154 deaths, according to Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) data.
Health experts have partly blamed the rapid spread of the virus on the low vaccination rate in Taiwan due to the government's failure to secure enough vaccines from abroad.
Meanwhile, in Taipei, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) thanked Japan for its goodwill during a press conference after a cabinet meeting.
"Countries around the globe have been competing to secure vaccines, as is Taiwan. We thank any countries that are willing to provide vaccines to Taiwan," he said.
"We can now see clearly who are our friends and who are not," he said, adding that he hopes the vaccines Taiwan badly needs will arrive as soon as possible.
Su also blasted "a certain country" for hampering Taiwan's efforts to secure vaccines, in an apparent referral to China.
As to the incidence of cluster infections in long-term care facilities, college dormitories and factory production lines in Taiwan, Su said he has instructed the relevant authorities, such as the Ministries of Health and Social Welfare, Education and Economic Affairs, to implement measures to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus.
On the government's mass vaccination program, Su said inoculation stations will be set up at local clinics, community offices and large health institutions, with additional support from other outreach programs.
He also instructed Minister without Portfolio Audrey Tang (唐鳳) to develop a vaccine appointment reservation platform for the Taiwanese public to avoid overcrowding at the stations.
Tang told reporters after the press conference that the initial plan is to allow the public to make reservations one week prior to the actual inoculation, once the government has taken delivery of enough vaccine doses.
She said a reservation function will be added to the National Health Insurance app in mid-June, and an app will later be available from the App Store and Google Play.
Reservations can also be made on a special website with the address 1922.gov.tw, she said.
Major convenience stores and drug stores will join the reservation program by the end of the month, she added.
(By Chen Chun-hua and Emerson Lim)
Enditem/AW
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