Taiwan mulling wider vaccination when new AstraZenca shipments arrive
ROC Central News Agency
07/06/2021 06:22 PM
Taipei, July 6 (CNA) Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Tuesday it hopes to expand its COVID-19 vaccination program after a total 1.75 million AstraZeneca doses arrive in two shipments this week.
Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) made the comment at a press conference, after Japan said earlier in the day that it was sending a second shipment of 1.13 million AstraZenca vaccines to Taiwan on Thursday, following a donation of 1.24 million doses on June 4.
At the press conference, Chen also confirmed that Taiwan will receive 620,000 AstraZeneca vaccines on Wednesday as part of an order placed with the manufacturer.
The two expected AstraZeneca shipments, totaling around 1.75 million doses, will allow Taiwan to "accelerate its timetable for opening vaccine eligibility to middle-aged and younger adults," Chen said.
Although Taiwan has placed orders for around 30 million doses of various COVID-19 vaccines, it has obtained only 5.27 million doses of AstraZeneca and Moderna, 3.74 million of which were donated by the United States and Japan.
Currently, the two vaccine brands are being administered to people 65 years old and over and others deemed as in high risk groups, in categories 1-9 on the CECC's priority list.
As of Monday, only 2.58 million of Taiwan's 23.5 million population had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to CECC data.
(By Chen Chieh-ling, Chen Hui-chun and Matthew Mazzetta)
Enditem/pc
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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