Next AstraZeneca vaccine shipment to arrive soon: health minister
ROC Central News Agency
07/05/2021 05:21 PM
Taipei, July 5 (CNA) Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) on Monday refused to provide any specifics on when the next shipment of AstraZeneca (AZ) brand vaccine doses will arrive in Taiwan, but said it should happen soon.
"The delivery date is near," Chen said at a daily press briefing when asked by reporters to confirm media reports that some 580,000 to 620,000 doses of AZ vaccine will arrive via a China Airlines flight from Thailand on Wednesday.
He said confirmation will be given when the government has more details on the delivery, without further elaboration.
Taiwan has signed contracts to purchase about 20 million vaccine doses from abroad, including 5.05 million doses of Moderna, 10 million doses of AZ, and 4.76 million of unspecified brands through the COVAX program.
To date, Taiwan has taken delivery of three shipments of the AstraZeneca vaccine -- 117,000 doses purchased directly from AstraZeneca in March, 199,200 doses obtained through COVAX in April, and another 410,400 doses obtained via COVAX on May 19.
It also received a donation of 1.24 million doses of the AZ vaccine from Japan in early June that was not part of the quantity ordered.
On June 28, the AZ vaccine maker said it was on schedule to meet its commitments for supplying COVID-19 vaccines in Southeast Asia after some initial delays in regional production and delivery, but it was not clear if those commitments will include Taiwan.
(By Chen Chien-ling, Wang Huei-chun and Ko Lin)
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Note: Taiwan's vaccine rollout began on March 22, first with doses from AstraZeneca, then the Moderna ones on June 9.
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