《TAIPEI TIMES》 Over 50,000 book Taipei booster shots

RESERVING DOSES: Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je said that the city would organize additional group vaccination sessions for workers at airports, hotels and hospitals

By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

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More than 50,000 people yesterday booked appointments for COVID-19 booster shots through Taipei’s online booking system, after it was opened for boosters following the Central Epidemic Command Center’s （CECC） announcement on Friday that the minimum interval between the second and third doses would be shortened to 12 weeks.

The national online COVID-19 vaccination booking system suspended operations on Dec. 22 last year, while Taipei’s system was open on Monday and Tuesday for those seeking vaccine appointments from tomorrow to Friday.

However, in expectation of increased demand for booster shots following the CECC announcement, the city’s booking system was opened from 9am to 5pm yesterday, enabling people eligible for boosters to book appointments, which would also be administered from tomorrow to Friday.

A surge in visits upon opening led to the Web site slowing down and being unavailable for a short time.

The Taipei Department of Health said more than 60,000 visits had been registered within the first 30 minutes of its opening.

Slots at many vaccination sites were instantly booked out, the department said, adding that about 28,000 more slots for the booster appointments were added to the system by 1pm.

As of 1pm, 57,210 people had booked appointments through the system, it said, adding that the number included 6,593 appointments for first or second doses.

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je （柯文哲） said that the Web site became slow and difficult to navigate after too many people tried to access it.

People who were unable to book an appointment during that time could access the site before 5pm yesterday and after it opens again tomorrow morning, he said.

The number of booster appointments booked yesterday would help the Taipei City Government estimate how many slots should be offered in the next rounds, Ko said.

“If I were to make the decision, I would have offered the booster dose to workers at airports, hotels and hospitals first,” Ko said, adding that in a battle, heavy defense should be deployed at the most vulnerable sites.

Taipei would therefore reserve booster doses for those workers, he said, adding that group vaccination sessions would be arranged for them once their employers submit lists of eligible workers.

Other eligible recipients could book appointments through the online system, he added.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES